What Changes Should Course Designers Make for the 21st Century?
by Charles Boyer on Nov 5, 2010 9:05 AM EDT
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Driving in the the office today, I caught a bit of Matt Adam's "Fairways of Life" program, and on it, he talked about how golf course designers are going to have to do more than make new courses longer and longer to accomodate evolving golf equipment. In other words, courses need more features that challenge a player than a requirement to sling three hundred yard arrows into a given fairway in order to have a good chance to score.
Good point. In my opinion, the best courses have challenges for players of all levels - scratch, low, mid, even high handicappers are confronted with tasks that are suitable for their ability - and have varied and interesting holes. It could be a requirement to shape a shot a certain way, for example, something a scratch player can usually do with ease, while a mid-handicapper might find that task quite challenging. A scratch player might be confronted with a need for precision approach shots over hazards to get into an optimal place to putt, for another. In short, there's a myriad of ways to make a golf courses challenging and fun for everyone...and that's what the great designers do.
Clearly, there's a need for change, but thoughtful and good change.
Writer and course designer Geoff Shackelford also took up the same subject recently on his site. Geoff has some provocative opinions about course design, and he's more than willing to share them. When he says
[G]olf architects have shown almost no daring or creativity since the Golden Age of the 1920's.
he has a point. A lot of courses built since the 1920's or 1930's tend to be cookie-cutter and ultimately very similar.
At the same time, I am not sure that I agree completely with that statement, after all, I live a mere fifteen miles from the Mike Strantz monster known as Tobacco Road. Opened in 1998, "The Road" (as we call it here in central NC) is a unique, challenging, confounding and damnable course that truly requires every club in the bag, plenty of local knowledge and lots of derring-do -- if you want to achieve whatever your normal score is. It's not your run-of-the-mill Donald Ross course (Tobacco Road is surrounded by them) instead, it's something that's completely unique and original. Strantz was a man unafraid to break the mold, and there are two examples of his work within an easy drive of my house. Unfortunately, cancer claimed Strantz at too young an age, cutting short a promising career.
So while Geoff is generally correct, I think that there are specific courses that have recently been built that have modern sensibilities already incorporated into them, but that they are few and far between. Golf is evolving, as it always has, and it will continue to do so. Courses must be part of that evolution, and that's something that courses designers today and from now on really need to think about if they want their creations to last the test of time and be well respected, say, in the 22nd century.
The whole issue begs the question: if you were a course designer, what would you put into your course to make it modern and challenging, all the while staying friendly and welcoming? Here's one minor thing I would do: build two sets of junior teeboxes that young players could use, and not rely on plaques in the middle of the fairway; one set for older jumiors, the other for the little kids who are learning the game.
I'm sure that there are a lot more things that can be done. Thoughts?
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Risk and reward
As stated, todays courses have become so generic, you would could play ten new tracks in a month and be hard pressed to remember any of them with any clarity.
To me, a good golf course, is one that I can go home, relax on the sofa and remember all of the holes. Or being a little selective, the ones I played well! I want a golf course course that can be set up to play like a bitch for the scratch marker and not, for the average player. That means, par fives that are reachable, but penal if you miss. Par 4’s that don’t require driver and then a three wood layup for the 18 handicapper. Long is not always good. In fact in this day and age it’s becoming less and less feasible. I would much rather play a short and tricky track that required a whole lot of imagination and shotmaking, than a “monster” that was both predictable and worse, boring.
Get back to smaller greens and more doglegs. Shotmaking value goes up, accuracy goes up, and courses don’t have the huge cost of keeping these monstrous greens with big peaks and valleys and angles alive and in good shape.
"Fathom the odd hypocrisy that Obama wants every citizen to prove they are insured, but people don't have to prove they are citizens." - Ben Stein
Yep, yep.
I was so impressed, I said it twice. Another thing about course design. Stop watering the damn things to death! Put in turf that is drought resistant and have courses play hard and fast. That is not going to make them easier, but on the contrary, more difficult. It was also make them “greener”, so to speak. Get back to links style golf and play the ball down and as it lies. We have become too pampered in expecting pristine conditions. One dimensional designs lead to one dimensional golf and that takes the creativity away, as well as the fun of it. Stop raking the bunkers too, they are meant to be a hazard. Hell, while we’re at it. bing back caning in schools!! OK, I feel better now…..
Good point
You’ll never find me sleeping in a tree or even talking about how “green” I am, but I think it only common sense to not try to recreate Augusta National on every course. Let them get harder, that alone will add to the difficulty of long shot making, and make the courses tougher. It is also an additional risk-reward, because if you hit a great drawing drive in the right spot on hard fairways, you get rewarded with extra yardage. On the other hand, poor shots are going to run off into the rough.
Also, I think that some rethinking in the south and the southwest US about bent greens in hot climates needs to change. There are plenty of new strains of grass that require less water and are more drought resistant that could and should be employed there.
by Charles Boyer on Nov 5, 2010 10:13 AM EDT up reply actions
OMP
If you ever get the chance, go and play the courses in Thailand and see how you can have great greens that are not bent. Sure, there is grain, but it’s minimal. Again, it’s golf and you play the conditions that are applicable for the climate and the situation. We all seem to be striving for and expecting Augusta like conditions, as you said. Ain’t going to happen and nor should it.
don’t forget the really hot caddies they use ! :-D
"Fathom the odd hypocrisy that Obama wants every citizen to prove they are insured, but people don't have to prove they are citizens." - Ben Stein
Off topic a little, but
Playing golf in Thailand requires at least one caddy (the locals will have two) and you play in six balls, or rather the locals do. At times it resembles a Tiger Woods entourage at a major, with a little less decorum. Not a good idea to argue with people who have a gun as their 15th club. Fun though and great golf courses.
Played in a six-some in Honolulu at the muni. First tee – everybody tees off at the same time. It’s classic !
Why two caddies ?
"Fathom the odd hypocrisy that Obama wants every citizen to prove they are insured, but people don't have to prove they are citizens." - Ben Stein
One to carry the clubs. The other to carry the fold up chair and provide the back rub. I kid you not.
oh my ! I like it ! :-)
"Fathom the odd hypocrisy that Obama wants every citizen to prove they are insured, but people don't have to prove they are citizens." - Ben Stein
I think Stub is on his way to the airport heading to Thailand. :-D
"Fathom the odd hypocrisy that Obama wants every citizen to prove they are insured, but people don't have to prove they are citizens." - Ben Stein
HOT DAMMM !!! I knew ya'd all miss me...Firstly,let's put thins in
perspective…There are 2 thins ya don’t never do with yur wife, or even someone elses for that matter…They is play golf, or play bridge…Anythin else if fair game…well mostly, anyhoo….Now a true story…
there’s an all mens club here in Dallas (Chip, Wendy, Red, D no ladies rooms } where they play a game called the BONG…no, not the kind ya smoke…real golf…Last time I played in one, there were 15 guys….all teed off and payed together…Yes, the rule is, even if riding, ya takes a caddy…The caddy master has the clip board and keeps track of, and get this, EVERY STROKE BY EVERONE…Why you ask ? heres the fun part….cause your playin all 14 other guys at $100.00 a hole….you want your collar to get tight real quick, try that one….I ended up making 300 bucks, and was damm glad to do that well…putted my you know what off….Now, as ti the courses…let’s discount those that were built to sell subdivisions…the cookie cutters as you’ve called them…Hey, in the boom years, this is what the people wanted….In some areas same today..plush and lush….Still command top dollars for the country club set today…Sure some are in trouble, but they for the most part were in trouble when they were built….asked too much for membership and couldn’t get the fees….I know one club here in Dallas, where the fee is 250 K a pop, and they have a waiting list….
As for the Muni’s…their in trouble for much the same reasons…to much to maintain, lower amount of play, and slashed budgets….When I was startin out, I played a Muni…it got watered when it rained…you could tell the greens, cause they were higher than the fairways, and were mowed shorter….No bunkers, sand was for beaches..or making concrete….Lots a trees and 4-5 inches of rough… They used the land that was there, and didn’t move or bring in dirt….that course played to a 72, and you better bring your A game to shoot it….
What we have today, are RESORTS that cater to the richer folks, andthey want plush and lush…Think about yourselves….would you go some place and spend all that money to play some burned out course, after spending all that loot to get there and how much per day ? Be honest now…would you really?
Well, I guess I’m on the side of bringing back the old timy layouts that reward good shot making, and the imagination the play the shots…..Woof Chip….STUB
hey now – I can get you a nice bungalo in Port St Lucie, FL for around $150k with 3 courses to play !
Must be a fun bunch teeing it up for BONG. Is it just straight up golf ? Dot game ? How often does the game happen ?
"Fathom the odd hypocrisy that Obama wants every citizen to prove they are insured, but people don't have to prove they are citizens." - Ben Stein
Court...no handicaps...everone has 14 tools..tee it up and go
they play it whenever they get the guys to agree to..sometimes every day….I’ve seen more money change hands during the lunch time at the gin rummy games, than most banks took in in a week….these ol boys will take your scalp for a buck…All good friends too….most have dinner on Saturday nights together, or are drinking each others sour mash at their homes….wifes all doing charity work together or hospital volenteer work….These ol Oil boys are one tough bunch, but will help out anyone in need at the drop of a hat….I know of one time, a long time caddy at the club, didn’t have enough money to bury his Momma….two of the guys gave her a sendoff that I couldn’t afford today….STUB
wow – that sounds like a great club ! And some real players, too. I need to get my buddy Brian in that game sometime.
"Fathom the odd hypocrisy that Obama wants every citizen to prove they are insured, but people don't have to prove they are citizens." - Ben Stein
It's like Lee said...Pressure ?
you don;t know what pressure is until your playing a 10.00 dollar game with only 5.00 in your pocket….STUB
no back rubs on Quantas ?
"Fathom the odd hypocrisy that Obama wants every citizen to prove they are insured, but people don't have to prove they are citizens." - Ben Stein
No U either. They seem to be dropping engines rather carelessly and right about where I sometimes play golf.
lol ! hadn’t heard that. Quantas is still the safest airline in the world.
"Fathom the odd hypocrisy that Obama wants every citizen to prove they are insured, but people don't have to prove they are citizens." - Ben Stein
That wasn't over New Zealand...
what the heck you doing playing golf there ? don’t be givin me that poor pitafil Pearl stuff….you sashying all over the planet with them custom made tools…you got to be a hustler….an than tellin Wendy that story about not playin much anymore…you ought to be ashamed a yur self….STUB
I live in Singapore Stub. The bits of the plane that fell off, fell in Batam, Indonesia where I sometimes play golf. These days, I’m lucky to play once a month and then it’s badly – seriously.
Yea sure...an iffin
I do swallow that yarn, I’m gonna be sicker than last years flu shot,,,I thought ya tol us u was in NZ….Once a month?…ok, I’ll play ya for the Martinis and cigars….an hell, I’m so old they lost the calander…but than, who’s countin any more…still hit it 20 ft on a good day, but than who’s counting…yur on woof…STUB
Stub
I’m a Kiwi who has lived in Singapore for 13 years and before that, Melbourne for 18. I’m just a lowly teaching pro living the good life in the tropics and lovin it!
Damnation, and allthins
soft and cuddly…there it is…a TEACHIN PRO….Wendy darlin, don’t ya feel takin in? and she playin on yur symp-a-these….women are so …well, you know what….I had the gut feelin that ya wasn’t jist a scrape it around hacker….an I’ll tell ya what….I’ll get on my boat and come down an woo ya…hell, I’m only 80, so i gues I got a gud chance a training you to make Martinis and light cigars, and whatever…Woof ya sweet thin….STUB
Stubbo – if you insist on eating yarn – I hope you’ll at least go with the natural fibers. Those polymers can really mess up the digestion. :-)
"Fathom the odd hypocrisy that Obama wants every citizen to prove they are insured, but people don't have to prove they are citizens." - Ben Stein
no need to eat anythin Court...Chip
fessed up….I’m on my way down to meet that lovely lass and train her in the gud life…Hey Wendy, it’s gettin cold, time to take the lounger in…Did ya get all the potatoes dug up? STUB
I get it!
I’m now just an old potato scrubber put away for the winter now that you are off to Singapore to meet Chip. Good luck with the training – got a feeling you’ll end up learning to make Singapore Slings instead!
NO – I don’t feel taken in. I actually read & RETAIN what she says, so it was pretty obvious that she was professionally involved in golf, you old coot (that’s a term of affection, of course).
Just keep in mind that golf is one of the two things in life that you can do badly and still enjoy the heck out of, Chip… :-)
by Charles Boyer on Nov 6, 2010 9:32 AM EDT up reply actions
about what?
Golfing is great exersize, healthy and outdoors, keeping that in mind i mostly have fun, not to say i don’t enjoy a good game and rave when the puts are going in, but when I hit a bad shot I remidn myself its the exersize I come for as well, to many bad shots, i do sometimes lose it, i must admit.
"If it doesn't work, you are trying to hard."
http://twitter.com/Roy_Ko
we all "lose it" from time to time
Over the years, my temper on the course has all but disappeared, but then again, when I hit the inevitable awful shot, I still get hot under the collar. These days, however, I just rap my club on the ground and walk away grimacing.
Years ago, it was a different story.
by Charles Boyer on Nov 6, 2010 9:40 AM EDT up reply actions
Been there, done that!
But, like you it has gotten better over the years.
The Saints ARE the SUPER BOWL CHAMPS....WHO DAT!
age...
We all get softer with age, maybe not Court…:)
"If it doesn't work, you are trying to hard."
http://twitter.com/Roy_Ko
There are a lot of ads for that during tournaments
for that special moment, you CAN be ready.
With that stuff, apparently ou can ride around listening to blues-rock on a new motorcycle that your wife will climb aboard when you bring it home — and not yell at you for spending some $17K on without begging for permission. Of course, she’s completely READY for a surprise trip to a resort hotel room.
Realistic, yeah. I can just imagine what would happen here if I toted home a new Harley as a surprise. It would not be pretty, and the only pills I would need would probably be for pain.
by Charles Boyer on Nov 6, 2010 10:12 AM EDT up reply actions
OMP.....or a Life Ins. Policy.....lol
I found out a year ago that I had Low Testosterone. My doctor prescribed a creme that I applied to my shoulders daily. I noticed right after I started the treatment that I would just explode for no reason. If I didn’t hit a perfect shot, I went bananas. I finally figured out that it was the Testosterone. My doctor changed my medicine to a shot and I’ve not had any problems since, but for awhile it was crazy. I also gained 25 pounds in 8 weeks….the weight gain also stopped with the shot, and I’m still working on losing the weight. You never know how some medicines will affect you. Thankfully I’ve not needed those little blue pills.
The Saints ARE the SUPER BOWL CHAMPS....WHO DAT!
OMP - I agree that the club now
gets rapped on the ground now rather than hurled after a bad shot. I also swear more quietly although I think the actual words remain the same.
Courses do use the best possible grass they can to conserve water. Just because a course is green doesn’t mean it has been watered constantly. Green comes from being fed correctly, not necessarily watered constantly.
Overseeding, however, during the winter does require a lot of watering. And I’m with you guys – forget the overseeding. It’s winter – grass isn’t supposed to look like spring or summer. I don’t even mind grass getting a litle brown in the summer.
How about this one – let the grass grow ! Why do we need fairways that are less than 1/2" long ? Keep the ball from rolling so far and you don’t need 7500 yard long courses.
"Fathom the odd hypocrisy that Obama wants every citizen to prove they are insured, but people don't have to prove they are citizens." - Ben Stein
I don’t think playing out of long Tifway bermuda would make golf a lot more fun. In fact, it would make it a living hell for the average player who doesn’t have the swing speed or power to lift a ball through that wirebrush grass. Lots of courses already have it installed in their fairways.
by Charles Boyer on Nov 5, 2010 11:22 AM EDT up reply actions
I didn’t mean growing 6" fairways – but fairways are cut ridiculously short, as are greens. Why ? Because that’s what the pros play on. Let them grow just a little longer and the ball will sit up a touch and make it easier to play shots.
"Fathom the odd hypocrisy that Obama wants every citizen to prove they are insured, but people don't have to prove they are citizens." - Ben Stein
Fair enough and a good point. Our fairways here already get shaggy though, so my pithy reply probably comes from the memories of landing in patches of “short grass” that were actually a little longer than my wallet would have preferred.
I suppose that makes me sound like someone who doesn’t understand ‘the rub of the green’ — I do — but at times I think that the greenskeepers here have been smoking some of the fairway grass Bill Murray advocated in Caddyshack.
by Charles Boyer on Nov 6, 2010 9:34 AM EDT up reply actions
Links
I am truely a lover of links courses, they change throughout the year, sometimes the week, and no two days are the same. I find the modern Bermuda grass golf courses like a production line, and what is truely my pet peeve is houses a round the course. I play golf to get away form it all, some time in the country, not listening to peoples party’s, dogs barking and screaming kids, or fat Joe hangingbover his fence burping on a beer while I am T’ing off. I also like alot of fairway bunkers and of course water and hilly fairways.
"If it doesn't work, you are trying to hard."
http://twitter.com/Roy_Ko
Definitely agree with you on core golf courses. Easier to play, walk, and keep up. Usually easier on the eyes – though some of the houses you can see along Pebble are “ok”. :-D
Hard to get the developers to go along with you, though. They get a premium on lots on the golf course.
"Fathom the odd hypocrisy that Obama wants every citizen to prove they are insured, but people don't have to prove they are citizens." - Ben Stein
Subdivision golf is so much fun. A developer builds a house on an otherwise perfectly good golf course. The golfer hits an errant shot (hey, everyone does it occasionally), breaking a window in the house. The golfer is responsible for the damage. I think the person who put the house there in the first place should be responsible.
"(I)f you think you've got an inside track to absolute truth, you become doctrinaire, humorless and intellectually constipated." Saul Alinsky
Ha! That's the kind of place where I live!
The course here was built as a centerpiece for a “planned urban development” and the neighborhood and the course have a very symbiotic relationship: one would not exist without the other, and even though it is not an optimal setting for a golf course, it is still a pleasant place to live and to play the game.
We don’t have problems with the neighbors on the course, other than the occasional teenager playing ball on the edges of the fairways, or perhaps a neighbor like me firing at the pin from the top of their driveway. In fact, that’s a fun little hobby of mine — returning wayward balls from the yard to the course from the edge of the front yard, because it is an incredibly difficult 3-par: a 175 yard shot, all carry to a narrow green protected by a sharp drop and a creek on the front and bunkers behind. When no one is on the course, it is my personal hole to play and par there is very well earned.
by Charles Boyer on Nov 6, 2010 9:39 AM EDT up reply actions
Interesting comments...
but lately my mind has been thinking about ways courses might be able to save money and still be able to provide a decent golfing experience for players of all abilities. As someone who plays on mostly all muni courses, we are finding play/revenues leveling off leading to tight budgets. All areas of the golf course start to suffer if you can’t afford to get all of the maintenance done.
What I have found is…our course created more “natural grass areas”…the long fescue stuff in between holes or along the woods line. This has really saved on mowing time and it does add a visual element to each hole that has it. The downside…slower play! On one hole the fescue was grown on one side between the men’s tee and fairway…just far enough out so that a bad drive would find it – lots of looking for balls there.
I also noticed this year that some of our greens were “reshaped” to be smaller, more fringe, less putting area…I’m not sure it really saved on mowing time, but it did lower my GIR %.
Fairway bunkers sure make a hole look neat, but they are a bear to maintain…espeically if you have animals that like to prance through them regularly. It’s no fun when you hit into one and are in a foot print, hoof print, or washout area. I think I would much rather have a strategically place tree or two to change things up rather than a fairway bunker.
It’s been a challenge to have an appealing course and make sure it’s well maintained…but I’d rather play an “easier” course if it meant that I could keep affording it…or more importantly, making sure it can survive in our community.
I write about golf at www.tees2greens.com, too.
good ideas ! bummer on the GIR stat, but keeping greens in shape is costly – extra cutting, extra feeding and watering, etc.
Love the muni’s – how about cutting welfare spending and investing that extra cash into the lives of the people it was taken from in the first place ? (yes – I said that just to needle D a bit before the weekend) :-D
"Fathom the odd hypocrisy that Obama wants every citizen to prove they are insured, but people don't have to prove they are citizens." - Ben Stein
A wreck!
Other day I was playing on a subdision golf course, it was saturday and next thing there were two woemn and about 8 kids under 10 sitting ont he fairway near a house having a friffin picknick!!! Sked em to move and one of the B..er women said no the golf course belonsg to the home owners and they can do what they want…Marshal had to call security to get em off, what a mess.
Of course when I tried to explain to em that a stray ball could kill one of those beautiful children she told me I am being rediculous, players can see them sitting there and wont hit balls that way…LOL woman needs some education on slices and hooks and such…
"If it doesn't work, you are trying to hard."
http://twitter.com/Roy_Ko
Not sure about 21 century but in the 26th century ...
We’d like to see the world’s first exoskeleton (think villain from Avatar) golf course. Just imagine taking a divot and having an elk (not Steve Elkington) running for cover from the flying divot.
http://thegreenblazer.blogspot.com
Ppphhhhttttt – by the 24th century, we’ll be playing on holodecks on star ships wearing really uncomfortable looking jump suits….possibly against Vulcans or Klingons !
"Fathom the odd hypocrisy that Obama wants every citizen to prove they are insured, but people don't have to prove they are citizens." - Ben Stein
Court... I bet D would like that
and Wendy would put 2 bob on the Vulcans…..jis sayin….STUB
Japanese courses are great!
I don’t know what kind of grass they use on their courses, it dies out in winter during the dry season, and all but the greens is yellow…strange but most of them courses are surrounded by cedars and pine trees or whatever evergreen conifers present on the ilands. Strangely, the grass to the touch is the same all year round (it only takes fire really quick in winter…burned down my beautiful picturesque japanese garden once while burning leaves…:( ). The typical japanese course is often built on a hill side where the holes are running up, down and around the mountain. Narrow fairways (the ruff is more than fair, but a crooked ball will be as good as lost coz of the thick forest) , huge elevations, there’s one course i’ve played near Kyoto where you’d be driving on a par 4 with the green 200 m below the tee box and the view on the Fuji was breath taking! Doglegs, blind shots more than you can dream of. Not a lot of bunkers though, i am guessing coz of the typhoons they would be unplayable in summer, but a lot of grass bunkers, and ponds. Everywhere i’ve played there was a winter and a summer green, wich were mostly identical, but on certain holes would force you to change your game plan off the tee. All in all, very enjoyable and technical courses, not long, but one needs to be sharp with his irons too score. All that to say, i, ve never hit a spinkler in japan for there are none…Muni courses are mostly found near rivers and are not as enjoyable, flat and very windy. price range is around 50 to a 100 for a muni with Obento!! :) 200 to 500 for the rest without the Obento…I know…golf ain’t cheap.
by the way, what about a course build with synthetic grass? In a desertic area for exemple. I’ve seen greens like that on short courses in japan but never on a full scale course.
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Vivid description
Need to be pretty fit to play these courses (or does everyone use carts?). Had to look up Obento – love the idea of it being included in green fee!
I have played on a desert golf course in Kuwait which had grass here & there, but mainly sandy earth (& black “greens”). All shots CAN be played off a little mat which you carry round with you. Can’t see the pros playing on that, but it was good fun.
On that particular..
course in Kyoto, you had to take a cart, which by the way was driving itself along the course!! Weird and VERY scary!! i jumped off of my seat on every steep downhills!! And there were some crazy downhills on that course. The only thing i was allowed to do was to press a button on a controler to stop the car, which i used quite frenquently.
I’ve seen a golf course as the one you mention Wendy only it was in southern Libya, in a abandoned army base of the province of al koufrah. I had only a 9 iron which i always carry along with some balls everywhere i go (in my car not at the restaurant ;) ) but it was pretty fun. The strange thing was, and i have no idea for how long that course was deserted (oh oh) , some grass on the greens were still growing!!
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by Saint-just71 on Nov 11, 2010 7:46 PM EST up reply actions
was not were...oups :(
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by Saint-just71 on Nov 11, 2010 7:49 PM EST up reply actions
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