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Golf Course Architecture

Copyright lawyer argues for protection for golf hole designs

by Peter Black, Jr. The New York State Bar Association CLE lecture at Fordham University Friday featured some litigation shots that may have far reaching implications in the world of golf. New York intellectual property law expert Robert Clarida of Cowan Liebowitz & Latman in Manhattan argued that golf holes are no different than sculptures and that the more...

The incredible story of Fossil Trace Golf Club, Golden Colorado

FOSSIL TRACE GOLF CLUB 3050 Illinois St. Golden, CO 303.277.8750 www.fossiltrace.com Architect: Jim Engh Par – 72 Excitement Level – 11/12 Diff. – 7/12 Design:  five and 1/2 stars (all ratings 0ut of seven) Natural Setting:  5.5 Conditioning – Five and ½ stars Cost – $60 Value – Six stars Overall – Five and ½ stars Tees...

NY Bar Association Lecture – Can you copyright a golf hole or “steal” the design of a hole?

There is CLE for this lecture. I'll give an intro on design features architects use frequently to create golf courses (redans, punchbowls, etc. and compare U.S. courses. Architect Stephen Kay who makes original courses and courses that look like those of other designers or other courses will talk about his designs. (He built Links of North Dakota, Architect's Club...

Atunyote Golf Club at Turning Stone, Overpriced, Strategy-light and no Architectural Echo

ATUNYOTE GOLF CLUB (Turning Stone casino)Architect: Tom Fazio Par 72 Excitement Level – 5/12 Difficulty – 7/12 Cost – $175, no reduced rates Design – Two and 1/2 stars (all ratings out of seven) Natural Setting – Two and 1/2 stars Conditioning – 6 stars Value – One-half a star Overall rating – One and one-half stars...

Jay Flemma interview snippets with Brian Silva – in his own words

JF: Tiger, Phil, Ernie and Vijay all challenge each other to a one hole, winner take all televised $1 Million Shootout. What public hole of yours will you take them to play? Silva: #17 at Red Tail. It’s tough to pick your line and it would tempt those long hitters to try to drive the green. Eagle might win! JF: It’s even a challenge for the amateur to...

Golf course design and onomatopoeia (larger)

Onomatopoeia (noun) – a literary device in which words are used as an imitation of the sounds to which they refer. E.g. “zoom” and “bang.” sarcasm (noun) – another of my favorite literary devices. Too many rules and red pens lead to the suppression or erasure of the individual, passionate and observing voice. We have been hard...

Architect Brian Silva Interview Part 1 – Artichokes never tasted so good

He’s never at a loss for words, never wanting for a laugh, never lacking a story and never ceases to berate himself with self-deprecating humor. Boston golf course architect Brian Silva calls himself a “golf artichoke.” If he means infinite layers, depth, complexity and great taste, then the analogy is perfect. Silva is only 5’7″ in...

Remembering Architect Mike Strantz 1955 – 2005

I shed a tear as I typed the lead for this piece. It was a tear for a gifted man taken from us far too young and in the prime of an extraordinary career. It was a tear of sadness for a family’s loss of a devoted husband and father. It was a tear for his design partners, business associates and golf course design colleagues who sorrow for their collective loss...

Golf course design and onomatopoeia

        Too many rules and red pens lead to the suppression or erasure of the individual, passionate and observing voice.  We have been hard-wired, indeed short-circuited to only like things we have seen before by a golf police state which created and enforce a free-thinking-free zone.  Elitist golf Nazis and uptight tradition nerds cluck away like broody old...

Dan Maples – Golf Course Architect Interview (Conclusion)

Short on time and long on work, Maples enlisted not one shaper, but four different ones at Little River Farm. He had laid out the basic sites for each of the eighteen holes previously and noted four different terrains, each of which comprised a stretch of four holes. Four shapers would speed the building timetable significantly and each could tackle four holes in...

DAN MAPLES AND THE PIT – PART 2

The Pit’s popularity crosses a broad spectrum of player abilities. It is fair and negotiable for average players, “but when its tournament time” Maples says with a knowing look “we can tuck those pins in some cool places. My favorite line that describes The Pit is ‘Purgatory at its best.'” This catchy label left by one critic is...