Thankfully, the Links Course survived its early, troubled history largely intact. I say thankfully because, the design of the course closely resembles the work of perhaps the most revered and important bloodline in golf architecture: C.B. Macdonald, Seth Raynor, and Charles Banks. Several startling coincidences lead many golf architects and architecture experts to...
We have a saying in New York City: Anyone can find a great $60 steak, but the real trick is to find the great $20 steak. The same is true of golf. Anyone with money can play an overpriced, under-designed resort course that caters to posers impressed by brand names and slick marketing. Also, anyone can plunk down $50 at an awful municipal dog track that a city...
MONROE TOWNSHIP, NJ – When most people think of world-class golf in New Jersey, the first two courses that come to mind are Pine Valley and Baltusrol, the former because of its perennial number one ranking in American golf, the latter because it has hosted seven U.S. Opens and one PGA Championship. To most golfers, merely playing either course is a once-in-a...
Though the economic downturn has dramatically reduced the number of new courses being constructed and opened in America, many architects are turning to restoration projects to stay busy until funding becomes available for building new designs. Some architects have built their own cottage industry specializing in one designer, becoming experts at recreating that...
Link is here. I’ll also be writing a longer piece on Sleepy Hollow for Cybergolf soon. Enjoy!
Recently, my friend and Trinity College colleague Mona Mennan got to play National Golf Links of America in 60 degrees and sunshine. Mere days later, I got 44, windy and rain all day. It was a steady drizzle: cold, wet and blustery. If we hadn’t been at National Golf Links of America, Charles Blair Macdonald’s masterpiece next to Shinnecock Hills, my...
George Bahto – the dry cleaners owner-turned-golf course designer who restored the Knoll Club (West) to it’s golden age glory and who is helping Tom Doak build Old Macdonald, (out at Bandon Dunes Resort), sat down for a few questions: JF: Tell us about how you first got introduced to golf? George Bahto: (I was forced to – ha!) It was caddying for my...
Unless you are a fan of golf course architecture, you might not know George Bahto’s name. After all, he’s never built a multi-million dollar major championship venue, he doesn’t have an enormous firm with projects world-wide, and he hasn’t been seen on network television talking to broadcasters about his latest course. Nevertheless, this...
Thank you, Sal Johnson…and George Bahto. Welcome to Jersey’s rejoinder to Bethpage Black.
You’ll remember The Knoll Club won a Jazzy for Best Public Course this year. The stats and overview are here. Here’s a deeper analysis of some of the great holes designed by Charles Banks, many of which are also featured at such classics as National Golf Links of America and Yale: Lets get something straight from the start; The Knoll will eat you alive...
THE KNOLL COUNTRY CLUB – WEST COURSE Knoll and Greenbank Roads Parsippany, NJ 973.263.7110 www.knollcc.com Architect – Charles Banks, Restored by George Bahto Par 70 Excitement Level – 10/12 Difficulty – 11/12 Design – Seven stars Natural Setting – Four stars Conditioning – Five and 1/2 stars Cost – $65 peak Yearly...
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...
I dont have time to do a full blown piece today, but two quick things need to be addresses. First, in case anyone is confused from OLD pictures of CC Charleston…those wings you see? On either side of the bunker. Those were MEANT to be the green when Raynor designed it and will be again. The green got smaller over decades as the green got cut smaller and smaller...