Pine Valley Meets Bighorn in the Vein of St. Andrews

Golf World repeats the Larry Bohannan Desert Sun story on Bill Gates becoming a founding member of the “ultra-exclusive” Stone Eagle Club under construction in the hills above Palm Desert. The article also quotes Tom Doak as saying the course has the potential of becoming "the Pine Valley of the West."

Doak was quick to point out that the members want something more playable than Pine Valley.

The current tendency of architects to characterize their work by invoking the names of famous courses reminds me of that epic opening scene in The Player, where writers pitch ideas and blend classic movies.

“Picture this: it’s a planet with two suns,” says one writer. “Who plays the sons?” asks studio exec Griffin Mill before hearing pitches for a Goldie Hawn vehicle that’s “Out of Africa meets Pretty Woman” and a Bruce Willis pitch that’s “Ghost meets Manchurian Candidate.”

Doak has a ways to go before sinking into the depths only scoured by Hollywood, so may I suggest that in the future, a much tighter description would be, “it’s Pine Valley meets Bighorn in the vein of St. Andrews.”