Each year, the American Society of Golf Course Architects conducts our annual meetings – always at a different venue. In April, we held our event at The Woodlands in Houston. Each day is a mixture of business meetings, continuing education, formal dinners and….golf. Golf is always a welcomed activity by our members – imagine that! Some are very […]
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. Where are we now on the whole issue of […]
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. To #17 now, where MacKenzie spouted, “That wonderfully formed pine is gone, I assume you had it removed at some point, Mr. Payne?” “Absolutely not, sir. That tree […]
I had a dream last night. Well, I’m pretty sure it was a dream… Here’s the gist: Alister MacKenzie is not dead. He’s been hiding away in a Tibetan monastery since 1934, the date of what we had presumed to be his death. So deep and powerful has been his inward reflection all these years, […]
When we last paused, Dr. MacKenzie was on his way to the 10th tee. The spirit amongst the group was strained at best as the architect’s criticisms continued to mount. As the group shuffled down the hill from the tee, MacKenzie referred to the relocated green and uttered, “Now this looks more like Maxwell!” Indeed, […]
Ah, yes…. the stimpmeter. A simple tool used to determine consistency on putting green surfaces…. and, obviously, speed. Superintendents check the speed of the greens from time to time in relation to surface contour and slopes, to help in identifying proper cupping areas. And when readings meet the acceptable range, then the green speeds are […]
It seems that golf is at least somewhat inherently fun for most of us, right? Maybe because of the challenge it presents – man against golf course. Perhaps it is the camaraderie one can enjoy with friends. For some it might be the competitive encounters. It could also be because it is an outdoor activity […]
Surely by now the word is out….there is a world class golf resort on the coast of southern Oregon? It’s called Bandon Dunes. There are four 18-hole courses on the property and they’re all ranked among the Top 100 in the US. Yes, you say? You’ve heard of it? Oh, you’ve been there? Great! […]
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 past few years have been exhausting. Golf industry trends have been as depressing as the Nightly News. So when you hear a success story, it really stands out and makes you take pause. One such incidence involves a links style golf course in Rhode Island that I co-designed with Arthur Hills called Newport […]
My friend, writer Chris Santella placed this interesting piece in the NY Times earlier this week called "Pitch and Putt and Behold the Glory." His placement is a timely one now with waves of non-traditional golf facilities popping up all over North American and the World. Why? The people have spoken and their messages are […]
This afternoon, I watched from our deck as my 8 year old son marched through the backyard lugging over his shoulder a bag of mismatched golf clubs, an oversized glove on the wrong hand and a fist full of bright colored pin flags. I slumped in my chair so I could watch his event […]