Not trying to stir JB but I see this period as the period when there was a concerted effort to promote the "architect" as a professional rather than a design/build type and the written record shows such. A concerted effort was made the convince the client that more and more plans were needed. So many of the past guys were coming form golf but during this period many came form other walks and really didn't know much of golf the game.
Mike,
I agree with you, minus your usual cynicism.
As a member of ASGCA and ASLA, and agree the early record shows they both were concerned about elevating their status from tree planters or dirt diggers to professionals. And to have their version of Wright in architecture, etc. And it worked, and you and I benefit from that push today, so what's the beef?
I believe golf course architecture should stand along with the other fine arts of architecture, landscape architecture, fine dining, theatre, etc. It is now considered important enough to warrant its own critics, lists, rankings, and even coffee table books and monthly magazines. IMHO, it may be more important. If you love literature, you can read voraciously, but never read Danielle Steel. Movie goers can avoid any genre they don’t like, simply by not buying tickets. TV watchers can easily change channels.
But, as a golfer, you can’t skip a hole. Without architecture is there really any golf?
What I don't know is just what their image was after a hiatus of WWII. Given the near total lack of work for a few years there, they certainly had the chance to invent the profession from scratch and they took it. I also don't know for sure how much outside elements affected the move to the design bid method. There had been years of govt. procurement of military hardware, and I suspect it filtered out to other entities. We know Wadsworth and Packard split into build and design. Were they leaders that influenced the golf industry or just following what seemed to be an imminent trends? Either way, they were both very bright and it's hard for me to accept people decades later substituting current judgement for theirs.
And then, were the stack of plans required at that time or just foisted on clients for gca's to prove a point? Maybe more before Wadsworth, who basically invented golf course contracting they were really necessary when road builders did earthmoving, farmers did the grassing, etc. It probably was right for the times. If times have changed back, so be it. I trust the current collective wisdom in the industry is generally correct now, as well.
That said, like in a lot of other fields, I see multiple trends and every way of working is seen as a good way to go depending on circumstances. I think things are far less rigid and more accepting now than back then, when conformance was seen as a pretty good thing overall. Yes, a generalization and I can see the exceptions people could bring up. But, I've run out of typing time and you really don't need more detail.