Some cerebral literature today (it’s been that kind of week – first archaeology and golf, now literature and golf). When you live in NYC and ride the subway for half an hour a day, you devour two books a week. I read a wide variety to help hone my writing, frequently reading what good writers have to say about other writers. Try this, you pick up great...
ARCHAEOLOGY AND GOLF COURSE ARCHITECTURE: ONE CRITICAL SIMILARITY BETWEEN ERIC THOMPSON AND RTJ “My God! Do you know what this says? It says that Bird-Jaguar was the son of Shield-Jaguar!” – Mayanologists David Kelley and Peter Mathews joyful exclamation as they saw that fellow archaeologist Linda Schele had correctly deciphered hieroglyphics on a...
Since forming his own design firm in 1997, Colorado’s Jim Engh has won four “best new course” awards from Golf Digest, been named “Golf Architect of the Year” in 2003 (ahead of such luminaries as Fazio, Dye, Jones and Doak), built a reputation for getting world class work done on time and under budget, landed one gorgeous site after...
Part one of this article is here. Strantz’s eyes light up as he roars “Forrest Fezler, my design partner is a perfect compliment to me. We are brothers in arms. I saw that Fu Manchu moustache and I knew I had my man.” Together, they let it roll as high as it would go, creating scorching, towering golf adventures without being contrived or campy...
Mother Nature should have taken a holiday. The rains that have ruined En-Joie G.C. in Binghamton have forced the PGA to move the last B.C. Open to ever be played. The new venue, Atunyote, is one of the least inspiring and most milquetoast courses in Christendom. The course design is a confused and kaleidoscopic whirligig of boring trash with greens and hole shapes...
YALE GOLF COURSE 200 Conrad Drive New Haven, CT Architect: Seth Raynor! Difficulty: 11/12 Excitement Factor: 10/12 The rest of the ratings are below this article. I am reprinting the thought of my golf architecture expert colleague, Jim Keever. Jim is spot on. Boola Boola. ONe editorial note, some of the hole descriptions are excerpted by Jim from Bahto and...
Bunkers are supposed to be hazards. Old Tom Morris said they are meant to be places of punishment and repentance. But today’s player attck the pins and gleefully spin the ball close to the hole for scoring chances. Phil Mickelson plays the 307 yard par-4 6th hole by trying to put the ball in the bunker to try to position himself for a birdie. He’d would...
Go to cybergolf for the rest of this story: MAMARONECK, NY – The forces of good that battle for the preservation and promotion of golf’s greatest classic, strategic courses won a great victory today. Merion Golf Club – once thought lost to the mists of time forever as too short for major competitions – will host the 2013 U.S. Open. The return...
Bill Fallon of both Oakmont and the USGA provides a great look at what we can expect we the Open returns to another fabled and difficult venue. “They have the greens running about 13-13.5 now for the members and it’s still the only course besides Winged Foot where the membership will say “Let’s make it harder.” Lee Trevino echoed this...
MAMARONECK, NY Here’s a telling stat. Halfway through today (it’s 1:35PM) and Winged Foot already has exceeded the highest first round scoring average of the last five U.S. Opens Today at Winged Foot – 75.8 2005 Pinehurst – 74.7 2004 Shinnecock – 73.4 2003 Olympia Fields – 72.5 2002 – Bethpage Black – 74.9 2001 –...
June 11, 2005 The greatest thing about Heaven is savoring the presence of the Almighty. The undending waves of peace and joy and love for all our siblings transcends any words I could write. It’s more wonderful than anything we could imagine – and it’s eternal! The second greatest thing about Heaven is that even though we don’t walk the Earth...
Pre-eminent golf course architect Mike Strantz passed away one year ago today from oral cancer. He was fifty. In honor of his legacy – Monterey Peninsula Country Club (Shore Course), Tobacco Road and Caledonia to name a few – but also to honor his legion of loyal, adoring fans, I’m reprinting my piece’s on Mike’s passing from last year...
Jack Nicklaus has obviously learned from his association with eminent architect Tom Doak. As you may know, the minimalist Doak and the normally flowery Nicklaus have collaborated on the highly anticipated and touted Sebonack Golf Club – a private design tucked neatly between The National Golf Links of America and Shinnecock Hills and which asks over $575,000 as...
We are starting to see a peak in golf course design; an epic peak. It’s the kind of dramatic change for the better that we may not see again for an age but which changes much that happens afterward for the better. Bandon Dunes, Tobacco Road and Black Mesa are not merely golf courses. They are part of a larger phenomenon; a movement away from over-marketing and...
Picture caption: “Mmmm! This IS…a tasty burger! I’ll have a new piece up on Golf Observer soon comparing Tobacco Road to the movie Pulp Fiction. Here are some excerpts: In his book Grounds For Golf, Geoff Shackelford once compared great golf courses to epic films. For example, he called Pine Valley The Godfather and he called National Golf Links of...