Josh's Painting of the Seventh at Ballyneal

The first time I met Josh Smith was in Valentine, NE. I had just hit a grouse with my sweet PT Cruiser rental. The grouse had gone through the grill and completely disabled the car. I pulled up in front of the hotel after the lone taxi in the area had come fetch me forty miles down the highway. I was short on cash and Josh was quick to cover the last twenty that I owed. I knew I would like the guy right away.

Josh is one of the most interesting people I have come across in the world of golf course design, construction and maintenance. He has seen the business from a wide variety of angles, but perhaps his most unique perspective stems from his immense talents as an oil painter. (Video interview after the jump)

Josh’s path in the world of golf has been long and winding. Like many in the business, Josh has worked hard to find a niche that allows him to be intimately involved in the game he loves. I see some similarities in his story and mine. First and most interesting is the effect that Pacific Dunes had on his thinking on golf course architecture and his desire to be involved in golf course design and construction. Secondly, is the kindness showed to him by the likes of Tom Doak and Mike DeVries. The world of golf is often cutthroat but I know how much effort some in the business take in fostering the dreams and ambitions of people just starting out.

The video above features a number of Josh’s paintings and Josh tells the tale of of his circuitous path in golf. For anyone considering a career in golf, it is an educational and enlightening story. The second part of the video will follow soon.

PACIFIC"S AMAZING THIRTEENTH (COURTESY OF LARRY LAMBRECHT)

On my trip to Bandon in February, I played Pacific Dunes for the first time since the Renaissance Cup, six or seven years ago. I was relatively new to golf course design and certainly new to the construction side of things when I last played there and I have since seen a lot more great courses. I was anxious to see if the course was as good as I remembered it. It was and then some. While playing I filmed a little video and took a few pictures which can be seen after the jump.

The routing explores the property that produces a golf course that has a wonderful rhythm and pace. The Pacific is encountered and then turned away from only to be embraced a few holes later. The interior holes like seven and eight are as good as the clifftop fourth and thirteenth. The tenth and eleventh are such outstanding holes that it far exceeds the awkwardness of having back to back par threes.

The bunkers are some of the best in golf. They have evolved and eroded to look even more natural than they did when the course opened. The staff does an amazing job of getting the course to play firm and fast. I love the way the greens seamlessly bleed into the surrounds with no definition to the green edge. This encourages players to play the ball along and use the great contours that surround the greens.

The thing that really stood out to me though was the greens themselves. Much has been said about how the owner Mike Keiser wanted somewhat conservative green contours because he believed that is what the retail golfer (the resort guest) would prefer. Under these constraints, the Renaissance team produced an amazing set of greens that are in no way boring. There are filled with lots of small scale humps and rolls that make putting fun but nothing goofy that can lead to a long day. You feel that if you are having a good day on the greens, reading them well and putting a good stroke on the ball, than you can make some putts. I love wild green contour, but the greens at Pacific Dunes are an excellent example of how to use small scale contour in a way that produces exciting and interesting greens.

Seeing the first eleven holes at Pacific Dunes under hydroseed was one of the reasons that I decided to get into the golf course design business. I was happy that after a long time away, the course still inspired me. Thanks Tom, Jim, Brian, Bruce, Don and the rest of the Renaissance crew.

A few videos of Old Mac have popped up on You Tube, so I thought I would post them here for posterity. The quality is not that good, but they give you a feel of the place. On the second video there is a brief interview with Mike Keiser. John Grothe, director of golf of the resort, discusses the four courses.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r22993dvmq0[/youtube]

The last portion of the second video consists of the beginning of an interview with Tom Doak, which is finished on the third video.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mRPBLht9MkU[/youtube]

The videos definitely wet the appetite for the course. The overall theme is that the course is very different from the other three, which certainly must have been one of the design teams primary goals. It appears that I might be heading out that way in a few weeks, so I hope to be able to give a first hand report soon. I also hope to track down Jim Urbina to get his version of the story.