Beloved, admired, and an inspiration to everyone around him, the death of rising star golf architect Mike Strantz at age 51 was a crushing loss to all of golf, not just his many friends, fans, and family. Oral cancer claimed his life just as he was reaching virtuoso heights in his profession. Time and again he worked in the shadow of greatness and designed a world-class course to stand shoulder to shoulder as an equal to the timeless classics nearby. Caledonia has been the number one course in Myrtle Beach since it opened in 1994, rugged Tobacco Road – called by Golf Magazine “the most adventurous golf course in America” – is a proper rejoinder to stately Pinehurst, and Monterey Peninsula Shore Course is spoken of in the same holy whispers as Pebble Beach and Cypress Point. The golf design world hasn’t suffered the premature loss of such an incendiary talent since Seth Raynor died of pneumonia in 1926 at age 51.
There is, however, a shining silver lining. His home, Bulls Bay Golf Club in Awendaw, South Carolina has become a shrine to his memory, a living museum of sorts where those who revere both great golf course architecture and a fun-loving, laid-back private club membership gather to carry on his legacy and celebrate their love of the game.
Mike’s portrait, capturing him forever young with his bushy moustache and cowboy hat, stands sentinel over the staircase in the entrance of the clubhouse so his friends can still greet The Maverick each day. More importantly, his touch is still everywhere at the club, from the ingenious and visually arresting golf course to the country music and classic rock and roll that play in the clubhouse where denim is not only allowed, but encouraged. Mike’s puckish sense of humor is even reflected in the course mascot, Titleist the Bull – who I call “The Number One Bull in Golf” – who spends his days in the shade of a tree near the sixteenth fairway.
Yet there is a more significant way in which the club reminds us of Mike: His love of the game and the great good golf can to for individuals, families, and communities is shared by the members and staff alike. Mike both was a character and had character, if you understand the nuance, and his infectious good humor made everyone around him a better person. He knew what it meant to start with nothing and work his way up through the ranks, so he saw the good in everyone and treated everyone the same, beggar and King alike. Everyone at Bulls Bay exemplifies that same altruism. And whether it’s the Hootie and the Blowfish Collegiate Invitational which raises over $100,000 per year for cash-strapped public schools or any of the other myriad charitable events they host, they all realize that it’s not what they do for a living that makes them great, it’s what they do for others.
One anecdote from Mike’s life provides some insight. Yes, we all know that when Hurricane Hugo destroyed much of the South Carolina coast, Mike helped rebuild holes at Wild Dunes Golf resort in Isle of Palms, but did you also know he helped rebuild Sunrise Presbyterian Church after it was destroyed? While services were held in a big blue tent, Mike was designing the stained glass window – in the shape of a cross. When you look at it, the tiles not only resemble Jesus crucified, but also Jesus ascending into Heaven. It’s even more astounding than any golf hole he gave us.
Just like Mike showed you can destroy a church but you can’t destroy faith, so to does Bulls Bay show that we can lose a man but we can never lose our love for him and the values for which he stood. That’s the true greatness of Bulls Bay. They keep Mike’s memory in their hearts and in their deeds, so they’ll always be together.
