THE SIXTEENTH AT MACH DUNES

In this third and final part of my interview with David McLay Kidd about Mach Dunes (part 1 and part 2, here), the architect refutes one of my and others’ main criticisms of the course- an unwieldy routing with lots of blind shots and long transitions between greens and tees. It was my thought that if David and his team had compacted the routing at Mach Dunes and created a shorter course (7,200 yards was about the yardage from the tips) that wandered over less of the site, than maybe the environmentalists would have been more willing to make a few concessions and allow slightly more grading in the affected areas, resulting in a more playable and walkable course.

David refutes this by saying that he believed that they would look at it in the complete opposite way, that making the affected areas more compact would increase the overall degradation of the natural environment of the site. He also defends the length by saying that Tom Doak has made building shorter courses “half trendy”  and he was trying to build something that would still be a challenge 100 years from now and was different from its 6,400 yard neighbor. If only David was accurate in saying that a trend was developing around shorter courses golf would be in a much better and more sustainable place. (Video after the jump).

Our conversation shifted to the cost of building an extreme minimalist course like Mach Dunes. David shared that the construction cost of the course was half of what Bandon Dunes  cost a decade earlier. This was partly because of the restrictions and also because it was a project without significant backing.

David is very frank in saying that the course may not meet people expectations if they are hoping for a modern, polished golf course- “it could be that people’s expectations are far higher than what the course is not capable of delivering today.” He goes on to say that Mach Dunes is “a step way the hell back in time,” but the fundamentals are there and it will take time for the course to evolve in to greatness.

We also talk about his design at the Gleneagles West development which may open in 2012 and then we talk about an amazing site on the Washington coast that is permitted and was once under construction. Unfortunately the environmental restrictions are such, that in my opinion, a good course could not be built. David poses the question about how far we as golf guys would be willing to go to be able to build a course on sand next to the ocean. And that ultimately is the question. At Mach Dunes, David gives his answer. It is my sincere hope for David and the game of golf, that the course is given the time to evolve and change into the great course that it could be.

THE BEAUTIFUL SETTING AT MACH DUNES

This is the second part of my lengthy discussion with David McLay Kidd about his new course Mach Dunes in Scotland (Part One, here). One aspect of Kidd’s perspective on the course that I really respect is his bravery to put a product out there that he and the rest of the team knows has flaws. As he tells me, he wants the course to be judged on what it will become in fifty years when it has had a chance to evolve through grow in, management and environmentally sensitive alterations and not in one snap shot on opening day. You don’t hear an architect say this very often because it is sign of his lack of control. It is also show of humility that is often wanting in today’s top architects. (Video and Interview after the jump)

As Kidd says, getting the course in the ground was only the first step of many which may be tough story for many golfers to understand after making the trek out to the Mull of Kintyre. I am looking forward to seeing how the course changes over the decades, and I do think that is time frame we are looking at without a major change in environmental regulation.

Mach Dunes is a rarity in modern golf, a throwback to the 19th century where man did not have the ability to move large amounts of earth. Of course many of these course have been altered over the past century to make them more playable. At Mach Dunes, Kidd and team certainly had the technological ability to move dirt, but they were simply not allowed to. The restrictions seemed draconian and it seems like every minor grassing line, bunker, and tee site were endlessly argued over. The question is whether enough golfers will enjoy this rugged and different form of golf to make Mach Dunes a regular stop on their tour of Scotland.

One element that I did not get to experience is the grazing of sheep to control the rough. When I was there the rough was very thick as there had been very little play to thin it out. Kidd points out that the sheep had always been part of the ecology of the site and in fact the construction period was the only time that they not been on the site for as long as he can remember which has led to a denser native rough at opening. “The sheep are not a tourist attraction,” says Kidd. The black faced sheep were chosen because of they type of vegetation that they do or do not eat. As Kidd points out, Mach Dunes is breaking ground when it comes to looking at a site’s ecology and how it functions before and after the construction of the golf course. Golf will only benefit from this holistic approach.

AN ERODED BUNKER AT MACH DUNES

Mach Dunes opened in July of this past year at roughly the same time as Castle Stuart to the north. Neither is in the heart of Scottish golf touring area and so few if any have played them both. I did make it out to the Mull of Kintyre a few weeks before it opened and I had been warned in an email from architect David McLay Kidd, to, “just remember it’s a work in progress not a Fazio-esque insta-course!” I took this to heart and did not worry about conditioning as I played my way around. (Video and Interview with DMK after the jump)

There were some aspects of Mach Dunes that I thoroughly enjoyed. I thought the bunker work was excellent. The hazards look very natural and the chunks and clods of the faces that had fallen away and eroded really gave the course a rustic and ancient feel. Much has been made of the wild contours on the greens at the Kidd’s Castle course on the East coast, and similar contours can be found here. I did not find them overwhelming and if kept at the right speed, they will be enjoyable.

There were other elements of the course that I did not like nearly as much, such as its playability and routing. I knew that Kidd had been under very tight environmental restrictions on this project, and when I left the course, I leaned toward believing that if this was the best that could be produced than maybe the land even though it consisted of beautiful dunes should not have been converted into a golf course. Others who have made the trek out to Mach Dunes have had mixed things to say. This site’s co-creator Colin Sheehan who played the course just after its opening went further by writing a negative post on golfclubatlas.com, which immediately met with criticism from a number of sources.

I decided to go directly to David McLay Kidd and get the whole story. The result was a very interesting conversation that I recorded and have edited into a series of videos. In this first video, David explains in detail the background of the project. You can clearly hear his passion for this project. While each of the videos are long, I do believe that they shed some light on how Mach Dunes came to be, why the course is the way it is and where golf course design and development is heading in the face of stricter and stricter environmental restrictions.

The second video will cover the decision to build Mach Dunes, the expectations of the golfing public, and a discussion of using sheep to manage the roughs.

The third video will cover the routing and the future of environmentally sensitive golf projects.

ARMY NAVY CC- THE 6TH ON THE RENOVATED BLUE NINE

This video (after the jump) is the second half of my interview with golf course architect Richard Mandell. The first half can be seen here. In this section, Rich talks about his project at Army Navy Country Club in northern Virginia. He stresses his firms ability to phase the project to allow for members to play at least eighteen holes at each of the club’s twenty-seven hole venues and the need to keep to a tight budget. Richard believes that golf architects and will need to keep a firm control on costs if they want to have a chance at growing the game in today’s economic climate. He has some good thoughts on how to go about doing this.

MANDELL ON SITE AT ARMY NAVY COUNTRY CLUB

I first met Richard Mandell when I was at graduate school at the University of Georgia. Richard is a graduate of UGA and had come back to give a talk about the realities of the field of golf course design. I found his talk informative and entertaining.

I was able to track Richard down this summer on a site at Army Navy Country Club where he was completing a large, phased renovation of the club’s 54 holes. It was great to catch up and watch how he works in the field. While I have not had the opportunity to play any of Richard’s new courses or his renovations, I was impressed by the work that I saw as we toured some of the finished holes.

Richard has made his living as a golf course architect since 1992 but has not yet qualified for the ASGCA because he has not completed the requisite number of new courses needed to gain entrance into that esteemed group. He has been an advocate and educator in the field though, contributing to many publications, authoring Pinehurst: Home of American Golf, and teaching a golf architecture class at NC State. Like my first encounter, I found Richard engaging, passionate, and a true credit to the field. (Video interview after the jump)

As a Macdonald and Raynor fan, I was very keen to see the original redan and it was indeed a treat to see. Many have said that the fourth at National is a better hole and I have to agree. The redan at National is better defined which adds to the uniqueness of it as it is even harder to make the correct play away from the flag when it is right there in front of you.

But the redan is not the only hole at North Berwick that reminded me of National. The cape tee shot on the second is clearly similar to the the fourteenth tee shot at NGLA. The par three sixth is reminiscent of many Macdonald/Raynor short holes and its fronting bunker immediately reminded my of the great bunker in front of the bottle hole at National. Of course the routing is out and back as well. Whatever it is, these two courses are two of my favorites and it is simply because they are a blast to play.

You can find the front nine here and my interview with course manager Stuart Greenwod, here.

Here is a video of the front nine at the West Links at North Berwick. I will hopefully have a some time to write up a few thoughts with the back nine video.

Also, check out my interview with course manager Stuart Greenwood.

THE HOME GREEN AT NORTH BERWICK

One of my favorite rounds this year was at North Berwick, a course I would be content to play the rest of my life. While there, I caught up with course manager Stuart Greenwood, the course manger. The interview can be seen after the jump. I am on the road so I will keep this brief. I just want to commend  Mr. Greenwood for the amazing job he  does preparing a course that gets 52,000 rounds a year. He is engaging man and I wish I had been able to spend more time with him. (Video after the jump)

This was only my third to time around with my sticks, although I have walked it a few other times, and what really jumped out at me was the contour of the greens. I have seen a lot of modern courses with truly wild rolls and dips and I believe many architects would point to the Old Course as precedent. Sure, the contours at the The Old Course are crazy but for the most part they are on the outside edges of the putting surface. The actual area where the pin is most likely located is actually quite tame. I had a case of the lefts that day which left me with lots of long putts from the wrong half of the double greens. It was rare if I had a putt that broke more than six inches. (more commentary and video after the jump)

I know Mark Parsinen and Gil Hanse closely studied this phenomenon and incorporated it on the greens at Castle Stuart. To me it makes perfect sense especially on a site as windy as Castle Stuart where there are worries of balls moving on the greens. It creates interesting recovery shots for errant approaches and rewards stellar shots with makeable putts. Many modern greens are so rumpled that making putts is almost a crap shoot. By keeping the most extreme contour to the front, back and sides an architect can produce greens that are interesting visually and strategically without totally sacrificing playability.

A quick video of a Sunday drive on one of the prettiest roads in the world.