Reread Lewis' wonderful Screwtape Letters on the plane Tuesday. For those unfamiliar with the book it is a series of letters written by a devil named Screwtape to a novice nephew charged with corrupting an Englishman's soul. As such the "Enemy" is God. Screwtape writes:
If a man can’t be cured of churchgoing, the next best thing is to send him all over the neighborhood looking for the church that “suits” him until he becomes a taster or connoisseur of churches. The reasons are obvious. In the first place the parochial organisation should always be attacked, because, being a unity of place and not of likings, it brings people of different classes and psychology together in the kind of unity the Enemy desires. The congregational principle, on the other hand, makes each church into a kind of club, and finally, if all goes well, into a coterie or faction. In the second place, the search for a “suitable” church makes the man a critic where the Enemy wants him to be a pupil.”
Given the recurring self examination of our collective belly-button, often phrased as "Has GCA jumped the shark?" I find the last sentence above insightful. Many of us came to this web-site as pupils and after either brief or lengthy paritipation now fashion ourselves critics. That's not a bad thing - quite frankly it's a ton of fun and after all there's very little downside to being absolutely wrong. Personally, I enjoy a good argument that doesn't lead to a night on the couch. However, just because one is a critic doesn't make him or her an expert.
I've learned an awful lot about golf course architecture in my 8 or 9 years on this site from a number of people. Without naming names you know who you are and I can't thank you enough. For those sage mentors who are no longer participating but perhaps look in on occasion, we could use your tutelage. Please return.
Kindest regards,
Mike