Which post-Second World War invention....

[Mark_Rowlinson]

....would have been of greatest benefit to the Golden Age architects? Anything from construction tools to Linked-In.

[Tom Culley]

The internet i would imagine.

[Bart Bradley]

gps mapping... so many courses were routed based on topo maps

[Mark Bourgeois]

The commercial jet airliner.

[Mark Bourgeois]

The requisite time having passed without retort, I take it the prior post is the winner. If a cheque is involved, Mark, please PM with details. Tax treatment, mailing address, &c.

[Patrick_Mucci]

....would have been of greatest benefit to the Golden Age architects? Anything from construction tools to Linked-In.

Mark,

That's uninteresting question.

But, I would have to ask the following:

Given how great many of the courses turned out, would the addition of modern tech have diminished their quality ?

[RJ_Daley]

I'd go with the computer and the internet.  Or maybe the microchip technology.  It all points to that sort of basic technology in that realm.

If not for this, we would not have the benefit of Pat's thoughts in green. 

[Ben Sims]

....would have been of greatest benefit to the Golden Age architects? Anything from construction tools to Linked-In.

Mark,

That's uninteresting question.

But, I would have to ask the following:

Given how great many of the courses turned out, would the addition of modern tech have diminished their quality ?

Patrick,

I would expect no less from you.  And no disrespect meant to your post, but the implication that the ODG's were perfect or somehow more talented than today's crop of architects is fallacy.  Courses from the classic/golden age have been around longer, it's that simple.  Available land, environmental restraints, completely different maintenance expectation; these are the issues modern archies deal with on their projects.  I think if the ODG's had the tools that the modern day guys had, then those great courses they built would be pretty much the same.  If you look at the best golf holes from the 1900-1930 period vs. the best golf holes from 1980-2010, all have similar qualities.  How they were arrived at is of no consequence IMO.

That said, I think modern irrigation control might have been the biggest influence on those guys.  I think their golf holes would look way different if they worked under the flexibility that modern irrigation allows.

[RJ_Daley]

Wouldn't it be a hoot if we could somehow have evidence that some of the revered classic old dead guys with modern water-irrigation mechanicals, would have designed a lush and soft landscaped garden of water features and sprinker heads everywhere, rather than a lean and mean field of play, ala Ted Robinson? 

[Patrick_Mucci]

Ben,

There's a reason that courses have been around for 100 years or more.

It's the quality of their architecture.

Maintainance issues haven't changed in 100 years, they're equivalent in the context of golf in the year you choose to select.
The expectations, relative to conditions and in comparison to other peer clubs hasn't changed in 100 years.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Wouldn't it be a hoot if we could somehow have evidence that some of the revered classic old dead guys with modern water-irrigation mechanicals, would have designed a lush and soft landscaped garden of water features and sprinker heads everywhere, rather than a lean and mean field of play, ala Ted Robinson? 

RJ,

That's a perspective that's the equivalent to analyzing a single frame in a movie without analyzing the frames that precede and follow that single frame.

Read..... invalid .

[Tony Ristola]

What was the greatest post WWII invention? It could be the internet, as it allows architects to get the word out about their services, and allows them to bypass the seemingly once upon a time need to become architect association members.

Is it a coincidence the greatest era in golf architecture was during a period of open, vibrant discussion and no architect associations?

... the implication that the ODG's were perfect or somehow more talented than today's crop of architects is fallacy.  Courses from the classic/golden age have been around longer, it's that simple.  Available land, environmental restraints, completely different maintenance expectation; these are the issues modern archies deal with on their projects.  I think if the ODG's had the tools that the modern day guys had, then those great courses they built would be pretty much the same.  If you look at the best golf holes from the 1900-1930 period vs. the best golf holes from 1980-2010, all have similar qualities.  How they were arrived at is of no consequence IMO.

That said, I think modern irrigation control might have been the biggest influence on those guys.  I think their golf holes would look way different if they worked under the flexibility that modern irrigation allows.

The ODG's have had the benefit of the passing of time, but they also had the benefit of slow cooking. Hand work is far superior to the 3m bulldozer blade, and that is standard operating procedure today; excavators and sand pro's aren't. So the Old Dead Guys benefited from a lack of technology. Today few spend the time to do a great job, and many of today's architects see everything as a nail and use a hammer (yellow painted equipment) to solve the problem (often when there isn't one). Of course there are modern exceptions, and they are celebrated here on GCA.

I truly wonder if the ODG's would produce similar looking courses as today. If one could bring them back... straight from the turn of the last century it would be interesting to hear their take. Would they say golf has largely lost its soul, its way, and the leaders their minds? Who knows. Their writings reveal a bit... but who really knows?

Today some architects have been given great courses or courses by great architects to "restore", and look at some of the results! And these folks have the benefit of looking backwards and every tool imaginable to accomplish a faithful task... including the internet to generate research material. I see differences, and indifference. Greatness had a thread that runs through it; knowledge coupled with focus and commitment driven by love of doing what you're doing. Some have it, some simply go through the motions and cash-in. There are a lot of excuses... but they matter not.