Here's my White Whale, Holy Grail, and Mecca all rolled into one.
Your committee desires to report that after laying out many different courses on the
new land, they went down to the National Course
with Mr. Macdonald and spent the evening looking over his plans and the various data he had gathered abroad in regard
to golf courses. The next day was spent on the ground studying the various holes,
which were copied after the famous ones abroad.
On our return, we re-arranged the course and laid out five different plans.
On April 6th Mr. Macdonald and Mr. Whigham came over and spent the day on the ground, and
after looking over the various plans, and the ground itself, decided that if we would lay
it out according to the plan they approved, which is submitted here-with, that it would
result not only in a first-class course, but that the last seven holes would be equal to
any inland course in the world. In order to accomplish this, it will be necessary to
acquire 3 acres additional.
After discussion, the Minutes reflected the following;
Whereas the Golf Committee presented a plan showing a proposed layout of the new
Golf Ground which necessitated the exchange of a portion of land already purchased
for other land adjoining and the purchase of about three acres additional to cost about
$7500.00, and asked the approval of this Board, it was on motion.
In April 1911, the Golf Committee's report to the Merion Cricket Club's Board of Governors included an attached "plan", likely a routing map of the proposed routing of the new golf grounds which required the purchase of "three acres additional" as well as an "exchange of a portion of land already purchased for other land adjoining" to accomplish.
The Minutes reflect that said plan was "submitted herewith", or likely generally distributed to each Board member for understanding and consideration. I'm not sure how many members were on the Board of Governors but likely it was not insubstantial meaning that multiple copies (dozens?) existed at the time.
Yet, with all of these prominent men involved, somehow no copy of that plan has ever been found. No clubhouse fires ever took place, the Merion Cricket Club still exists as an entity, yet nada. I can't imagine that it isn't out there somewhere.
I write this hoping perhaps someone knows something.