The responses came in fast and furious from Part I with Tom Paul. As Tom and I hoped, they ranged all over the place from Vinnie Kmetz's passionate take to this one from the north shore of Boston:
In the big picture, it's discouraging that so many of today's young don't have a clue about what went on 50, 75, 100, 150 years ago in this country - how VERY important all that stuff was. Not just industrially, or politically, but also socially. And how very intertwined it all was. Sad... I certainly agree that gentleman’s sentiments and any student of architecture needs to appreciate the big picture i.e. how ‘intertwined’ everything is. For instance, without doing so, one might not understand why Alister MacKenzie left the stunning California coastline for a flat piece of ground beside some polo fields outside of Buenos Aires in 1930. Also, FYI, as further evidence to the marvelous twists and turns that the discussion of golf course architecture can take, Tom and Vinnie are now jointly working on an IMO piece to share with us later in the summer.
One of the highlights of Part I was how Tom personalized everything and Part II starts off in much the same manner with his account of one of the darkest days in American history. Tom was actually in Northern Ireland that September and the kindness that was shown to the traveling Americans that day is touching. Part II then shifts into architectural high gear around greater Philadelphia’s two cornerstones of design, Merion and Pine Valley.
In regards to the Merion wars that have occurred on GolfClubAtlas.com, one of the battles centered around who routed Merion. Some, like me, feel that routing a course is unbelievably complex, be it over densely covered land like Cape Breton Highlands or on open land like the Sand Hills. On such expansive properties, hundreds of permutations exist. Indeed, right now, I am feebly attempting at the behest of the host to route a five hole course on an historic estate for a black tie whiffle ball event next weekend – what a looming disaster this is turning into! How can one possibly string one after another hole together and not end up with a dud one here or there over eighteen holes? Therefore, the odds that amateurs like Crump or Wilson could pull a rabbit out of their hat with their respective brilliant routings seems borderline preposterous. Intuitively, I support that camp’s position.
HOWEVER, Tom never has and after reading Part I, we now appreciate why. Simply put, Tom was in the luxurious position of spending beaucoup time on the Ardrossan property, and he succeeded in routing a course that was superlative to what a couple of professional architects did based on their limited time on the site. I say this having seen Tom’s routing myself X years ago. An amateur came through big time. Tom’s own personal experience suggests/confirms that Wilson and Crump were capable of accomplishing what they are indeed given credit for. Our personal experiences shape how we see the world so who can blame Tom for maintaining that point of view?!
In an exciting turn, Tom goes on to write about the evolution of Pine Valley. This is the most detailed account I have read in a single place. Just like anything posted on this web site, certain people are bound to take exception with it. And to that Tom says FINE. Perhaps someone else who saw the same things might draw a different conclusion here or there. In fact, the same can be said of some of my all time favorites articles hosted on GolfClubAtlas.com including Tom MacWood’s Arts and Crafts Golf, David Moriarty’s The Missing Faces of Merion and Bob Crosby’s Joshua Crane in the Golden Age. The important thing is that Tom has taken the time and effort and then elected to share his take with us. It is a great starting point from which to base (civil!
) discussions.
One thing I know for sure: Pine Valley is a subject extremely near and dear to Tom’s heart and he has had access to gobs of material that few others have – or will – ever have. His lengthy descriptions are clearly his best/most earnest efforts at assimilating that information. Just as no design has provoked more written word in the UK than St. Andrews, no course was more a think tank for superlative architecture than Pine Valley. To understand its evolution is at the heart of the best of American golf course architecture. We are extremely fortunate that Tom has elected to share this information on GolfClubAtlas.com. He certainly didn’t have to and you certainly won’t find it anywhere else. It is the sharing of such information that helps keep GolfClubAtlas.com both fresh and special.
Finally, Part II wraps up with (of course!) Tom walking us through the development of his coined phrase Ideal Maintenance Meld (IMM). To me, it should read IMM* copyright TEPaul 2005-2012. In fact, he and I were talking yesterday about the term ‘minimalism’ and how it may well be that Ron Whitten first coined it. Ideal Maintenance Meld has become a well known phrase in its own right and we are talking directly with its inventor. Again, how Tom personalizes its derivation with stories like his twenty stroke
swing at the Coleman makes for a great read.
And speaking of reading, I have asked Tom to re-join the Discussion Group and he has accepted, so you will be reading more of his writing on a go forward basis. The sheer number of postings won’t be as voluminous as before (at least he and I both hope so
) but the passion will no doubt ring through just as it does in Part I and II of his Feature Interview. Everyone please welcome back Tom Paul!
Cheers,