THE SEVENTEENTH

For everyone on the soggy East Coast:

The back nine at Cypress Point is about as good a nine as there is in golf, but to me it is also the most beautiful landscape that I have ever spent time in. We were blessed to tour the back nine in the evening of a spectacular, early fall day. (Video after the jump)

The sunlight swirled and danced with the Pacific Ocean mist, creating an enchanted aura on the rich and varied coastal flora. The sound of the surf crashing against the rocks, broken by the staccato calls of the sea lions, engages the sense of hearing in away that is extremely rare in the world of golf. Words can not do justice to this experience so I will let the video do the talking.

For the front nine click here.

The ninth at French Creek

French Creek Golf Club in Elverson, PA is often overlooked when people discuss Philadelphia golf. Located across the street from Stonewall, the course occupies much more difficult terrain than its neighbor. Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner did a clever job of routing the course to create a fun, playable course. This video (after the jump) includes Wagner discussing the course and how they decided on its rustic look.

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The idea of genteel neglect is one that needs more exploring, especially in these tough times. It doesn’t mean just letting things go, but rather a conscientious effort to not worry about clean edges and perfect lies. We may be seeing this more and more in golf, not by choice but out of economic necessity and that is not at all a bad thing.- W.S.

This video was taken in April 2008, when I was there doing a few touch-ups on some bunkers.

THE BIARRITZ AT MID OCEAN

In the second part of my interview with Norman Furtado, he discusses the course’s push-up greens. They switched the greens over to Tifeagle a few years ago under the advice of Patrick O’Brien of the USGA. I was somewhat surprised that Mr. O’Brien did not suggest the replacing of the greens with USGA greens. (Video after the jump).

As Norman explains, the amount of surface drainage on Mid Ocean’s greens sheds water before the greens can become soggy, causing problems. Building greens in this manner would obviously be cheaper and lead to more interesting contours, but the trade off is that if they are maintained at too high a speed, they become unplayable. Superintendents on courses with steep, contoured greens are constantly balancing on a high-wire trying to please players and members who want high green speeds but also want to finish their rounds.

The greens at Mid Ocean are an absolute pleasure to play. Greens like the fifth are contoured to effect strategy going all the way back to the tee. Accurate and decisive play is rewarded with easier putts, while indifferent play is met with putts that challenge a players imagination and skill. It would be hard to ask for anything more.

Rees’s redo of Torrey certainly was a great stage for a historic and dramatic U.S. Open last June, but its hard to not see this as a missed opportunity. There was no effort to tie the course into its landscape by using some of the native vegetation that is so beautiful along the cliffs and in the barrancas. While Rees moved and shifted some holes to improve views he made little effort to incorporate the coast and ravines into the routing to create more strategic golf holes. Without the backdrop of the Pacific Ocean this could be Anywhere, U.S.A.

In the second video, Rees runs through the front nine.

The third video runs through holes 10-13 and includes a good Jay Hass/Tiger Woods anecdote.

Rees runs through the rest of the back nine in the fourth video and tells how they widened the landing area on eighteen to encourage players to hit driver and then set up a decision on the second shot.

In this video, Rees compares himself to Barry Bonds and Ken Griffey Jr. He also discusses the profession of golf course architecture and how it has changed. He says that there are a lot of up and coming architects that need a site like Torrey Pines to make names for themselves. I can’t help wondering if a much better golf course would now exist if a different architect had been given the opportunity.

Tom’s enthusiasm for anything related to golf, from green design to siting of the clubhouse, is evident in the fianl product at the Prairie Club. He and Chris decided to route the golf course in a way that was very different from how Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw used the landscape at Sand Hills and Tom Doak did at Ballyneal. The course attacks the dunes and the result is a dramatic course that is still very playable due the course’s width.- WS

Finishing the first green at the Prairie Club

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