The part about Macan working at Gearhart doesn't really help shed any light does it? "The Colwood, Inglewood and Gearhart links are of his (Macan) brainwork and handiwork.” (Seattle Times 7-22-1922). The suggestion is that Macan had done renovation work at Gearhart although it is unclear as to when and to what extent." This is by far the most detailed article about Gearhart I've seen, but Macan's role remains uncertain.
Don't tell my wife but I'm newly in love.
I played Gearhart this past week and I'm smitten. I know this statement will be seen as blasphemous but playing as the fog rolled in on the back nine reminded me eerily of the only time I played The Old Course back in 1985 as I walked the humps, hollows, and skirted past deep pot bunkers to naturally sited greens. It was glorious.
But, rather than wax on and on prosaically regarding my emotions, one thing that seems clear is that the general routing of the course as it exists today was determined with changes in the 1931-1932 timeframe when land that had been purchased by the previous owners was finally incorporated into the golf course. With that in mind, yesterday I came across this
Salem Capital Journal article from August 17, 1931.

The previous well-researched piece I linked to above seems to indicate that the course as of 1932 was a composite of the ideas of Macan, H. Chandler Egan, and George Turnbull (the latter from his changes in 1913). That would make some sense looking at all of the associated evidence. Right now, less any additional information, this is what the evolution looks like to me but I'm hoping to learn more. We can quibble about the 1892 date (it may be 1896) but after my Dorset experience, I'd rather give anecdotal lore the benefit of the doubt at present.
Robert Livingstone 1892, George Turnbull/George Eddy/R.C. Astbury 1915, Vern Macan 1922,Vern Macan/H. Chandler Egan 1932, Bill Robinson 2010, John Strawn 2016, Jim Urbina 2021