Patrick:
Also, as you know, the impressive lineup of courses above is a good match for the area from New York to Philadelphia -- and not the whole east coast. There are 2x or 3x as many great courses to talk about in the East as in the West. The reasons for this are the population distribution of the country in 1925, and, water availability.
Actually, I think the Midwest is more under-rated in terms of exposure on Golf Club Atlas. There are never any threads about the courses in Detroit and Cleveland and Columbus and Pittsburgh, and it's pretty much fly-over country for the PGA Tour now, too.
Tom, I'd like for you to get back to the subject at hand. This isn't about you and your courses. Its about quality and quantity which I agree with the Quantity. I don't think your fully aware of the Quality. You brought it up, so lets talk about it!
First off, weren't you the guy that once said on this very website that there were only so many courses worthy of restoration? Odd, I seem to remember you saying that, so for all of those great golf courses on the Eastern seaboard, are they not worthy? From the sounds of it, you really think they are! (Which I'm inclined to agree with you!)
Now, being that I love New York, Philadelphia and Connecticut, Westchester, Long Island down into Jersey (and relax pardoners (Matt Ward Pardners.) I'm not going to forget Joisie!) but that call to arms to see those courses in the 1980's is what inspired me to learn further. Learn by actually getting out of the car and seeing the entire course, and not just a few holes and then walking away and saying "5." No, Golf Courses and their architecture mean a lot more then that to me and I know you know that! But what's bewildering to me is that your ready to discount so many California courses when the very natural environment which you strive to represent in your own work--the use of it, your failing to realize that the California Dynamic (along with the Australian because what was going on down there was going on up here!) was at the very pivotal moment of Golf Architecture Excellence--THE GOLDEN AGE of Golf Course Architecture for which the subject had reached its most pivotal moment of intellect with a whole list of knowledgable people that followed it.
I'm going to list the names of people concerned with golf courses and their architecture at that time period of the 1920's on the West Coast
At the same time, I'd like you to list they greats on the East Coast and once we get these lists complete, then I'll show you my point. Its not quantity, but even better quality because the Art of Golf Course design and construction was at full speed and the majority of it was all going down on the West Coast and down in Australia.
My list of guys on the West Coast that either designed, worked on or had influence in the direction of Golf Course Architecture and the California Dynamic of the 1920's. There are more then likely some I'm forgetting, but non-the-less, here is my list. (those with asterisks represent those who actually designed at least one golf course):
• Edward Tufts*
• John Duncan Dunn*
• Norman Macbeth*
• William Watson*
• George O'Neill*
• Jack Croke*
• William Park Bell*
• Captain George C. Thomas Jr.*
• Joe Mayo (Superintendent and Construction Manager at Pebble Beach)
• Jack Neville*
• Douglas Grant*
• Herbert Fowler*
• Walter Travis (Probably turned it around for us here in the Sun)
• Robert Wiles Hunter*
• Max Behr*
• Dr. Alister MacKenzie*
• A.W. Tillinghast*
• Donald Ross*(Tried but was still despondent over the death of his wife Janet)
• H. Chandler Egan*
• Vernon Macan*
• Stanley Thompson*
• Sam Whiting*
• Jack Fleming (Superintendent and Construction Manager for Hunter)
• A. Herbert Wilson (Behr Associate)
• Bill Johnson* (Bell Associate and superintendent in his own right.)
• Bob Baldock Sr.* (Bell Associate)
• Paddy Cole (MacKenzie & Hunter& Egan Associate)
I Might be missing a guy or two--definitely some that Tull can add here also, but now I'd like you to add your list Tom, of architects and other important personnel working on the East Coast that did the same in the 1920's.