Together with Kai, we made a walk though of the property, discussing completed work, future work and a variety of design schemes and possibilities that hit on virtually every aspect of the design.
Golf architecture is an adventure, because what is planned on paper doesn’t always turn out in the field. There are always opportunities to uncover that couldn’t be foreseen during planning. It is why one famous contemporary architect said “Plans are only the starting point” and Donald Ross, a historic architect said “Design on land not on paper.” They know what we know; Design and construction are not different jobs, but different parts of the same job. It’s all about design.
Opportunities present themselves often and randomly, and the best courses have someone present with authority to refine the design as construction progresses. Otherwise they are lost. Missing opportunities do not show up on the plans as errors, but they are errors of omission; valuable natural resources gone to waste. It is why Donald Ross’s best course is Pinehurst No.2. He crafted it over 35 years. We don’t have that much time, but we have 24 hours a day to seek and think about opportunities. We have maximum flexibility. These are luxuries we have that most modern projects lack.
One of these elements of exploration and after thought is the bunker style to be implemented. Plans were made for a formal bunker style that would cast shadows in the early morning and late afternoon. A design trait Pete Dye instituted and others have repeatedly copied. But what about the rest of the time, when there are no shadows and most golfers are out attacking the course? Others styles offer drama and a richer beauty regardless the position of the sun. They also offer an individuality that is difficult to copy. Time will tell if the gravitation will be towards the handcrafted, raw, natural bunkers advocated by Robert Hunter in his book The Links, or if the formal, clean model will be used. The benefits of the raw, natural bunkers are multiple. They would be dramatically different from virtually every other course on the continent. They reflect nature, and here at
A decision for placing the electrical supply under ground was reached on-site this evening with the local authorities. Moments like this can be a tug-of-war, a learning experience, and some good laughs. Today we had all three.
Discussing where the last mast is before the electric line goes underground. A railroad parallels the length of the 6th hole. Many of the great older courses were built in close proximity to rail lines.
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