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Whitten sticking to his guns

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johnk:

Does anyone else think that if you have a
bully pulpit and repeat your opinion enough times, it will become true?

For Whitten, the "evidence" about the Bethpage design
is unambiguous...


http://www.golfdigest.com/courses/critic/index.ssf?/courses/critic/bethpageblack.html


If the book has a flaw, it's that the text and running commentary make huge assumptions about the extent of the involvement of architect A.W. Tillinghast in the original design of the Black. (By his own admission, Tillinghast was a consulting architect. All objective evidence indicates Park Superintendent Joseph H. Burbeck handled the routing, design and construction supervision. Sad to say, Tillinghast spent little time on the project.) So, for instance, Rees alludes to "Tillinghast's original plan," when in fact no such Tillinghast blueprint exists. What Rees worked from were state park plans and a 1938 aerial view of the course, showing what the course looked like in the beginning.

Patrick_Mucci:
JohnK

Could you provide a list of the objective evidence that you say indicates that Burbeck did the ROUTING, DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION ?

Thanks.

johnk:
No,

That's my point, and neither can Ron Whitten.  He's just
acting like he can.  I'm cheesed off at him...

I'm on the Tillie side here.

johnk

BCrosby:
Pat -

John is quoting from Whitten's article in Golf Digest.  I don't think the passage represent's John's own views.

I ask again (this is a question to GD and Whitten), how is it that Tillinghast is given no credit for Bethpage when we have independent, contemporaneous newpaper articles that refer to "Reef Holes" being built there? Reef Holes are unique to Tillie.  No one else before or after used the term in connection with gca.

Seems to me that Tillie's role is beyond dispute.  The only issue is the extent of his involvement.

But whatever the level of his involvement, no responsible historian/journalist would deny Tillie at least partial design credit based on the available evidence.

Why is this so hard for Ron?  Is there something else going on?  

Bob

Patrick_Mucci:
JohnK & BCrosby,

I understand, thanks.

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