Drew's Blog
MacKenzie Meets Augusta One Last Time (The Big Finish)
Having nearly completed the back nine tour, MacKenzie was regaining his humor, at least somewhat, and seemed to be tiring a bit as they finished at #16.
MacKenzie Meets Augusta One Last Time (Front Nine Tour)
I had a dream last night. Alister MacKenzie is not dead. He's been hiding away since 1934 and he is completely unaware of the state of our game much less his designs. During his 82-year absence, MacKenzie has never once taken notice of The Masters......until now.
March Madness at Doral
In an era where golf courses have fallen defenseless to the almighty length of touring professionals, we've seen fairways narrowed, bunkers added, trees planted, higher rough, conditions firmed up and green speeds lowered to the point that balls roll well beyond the tolerance of designed contours. Why? Because yes, "these guys are THAT good".
Girding for the Aftermath of Winter's Wrath
If you're living most anywhere in the Eastern US, chances are good the winter of 2014 has been a long, cold and entirely forgettable stretch.
Stuck on the Stimp
While the stimpmeter has been around since 1977, the years to follow now have American golf heading to the dark side, being completely obsessed with green speed.
What to Make of a Golf Course Restoration
A number of years ago, Brad Klein invited me to speak at Golfweek's Restoration Conference in Williamsburg, Virginia. So as I prepared for my talk, I thought it might be high time to explore just what we all refer to as a "restoration" and how that differs from a "renovation"...
Jens Jensen & the Evolution of Today's Landscape
Now I can recall sitting in a college lecture hall, over 20 years ago, listening to my Landscape Architecture History professor babble on about English gardens, pocket parks, Sir Humphrey Repton, Capability Brown.and a fellow by the name of Jens Jensen.
Golf Courses and Machu Pichu; A Connection?
Several weeks ago, I found myself channel surfing (a common, last ditch effort before going to bed). I happened to stumble upon a program on PBS on Machu Pichu.
Why is Golf Fun?
I'm not attempting to be trite here! The subject of "fun" has become a trendy topic of late and, in all seriousness, fun is something that has frankly been overlooked in our fine game for some time. Not because of lack of interest, but because the game became perhaps a bit too serious on the business front.
A Lengthy Discussion
Long has been the debate over the perceived push for longer courses or the accommodation thereof in the game. Frankly, this turns into a much broader topic than should be attempted in one post, but let's take a shot and see where this goes.