Handicapping The Olympic Design Finalists
The field has been set for golf architecture’s grandest Grade 1 race. Eight will line up in a fiercely contested battle to become the lucky designer charged with building a course expected to inspire future creations with its environmental sensitivity and playable charm. Here’s a look at the field set to be chosen by a jury panel in late January or early February.
1-2 GOLDEN SWEDE (Jack Nicklaus/Annika Sorenstam) The stalwarts all along draw the rail after lobbying to get golf back into the Olympic Games. However, their offer to do the job pro-bono was negated by Rio committee’s pre-determined $300,000 fee. And this powerful combo still has to answer questions about the lack of a standout minimalist, environmentally-friendly design in the portfolio. But as the only speed in the race, they should set strong early fractions and may run out too far ahead to be caught. Would be careful before taking too short of a price. Still the pick.
4-1 HIGH POINTE (Tom Doak) – Heads the pack of minimalists thanks to stakes-quality efforts at Pacific Dunes and Barnbougle Dunes. Comes armed with the top name recognition among the three juveniles bidding here against some aging vets. Doak has built the kind of courses the committee says it wants to create: minimalist, environmentally sensitive and cool to look at. This one does have a tendency to act up in the paddock, so get a good look at him before hitting the window.
;)
The key players in the Olympic design derby, courtesy of the art department team at La Habra Post Card Company (Click on the image to enlarge)9-2 MY BROMANCE (Robert Trent Jones II/Mario Gonzalez) – Prodigal son of the late racing machine is a bit of a darkhorse. Past performances don’t suggest he’d be a strong contender, but the preferred architect of Bill Clinton has environmental street cred after switching to trainer Jay Blasi’s barn for the reclamation of Chambers Bay. Late jockey change to Brazil’s Mario Gonzalez adds Portugese-speaking legend to woo Brazilians on the jury panel, but age of the team is a huge concern; political acumen makes this one a curious item.
8-1 TRUMP’S GROOM (Martin Hawtree) Only architect who has run at this track, having created a routing planned for the Rio golf course site long before this was viewed as a possible Olympic venue. Has strong R&A ties, major backing of Donald Trump thanks to hot new Scottish links opening in July and carries a British accent known to make committees swoon. Late speed has chance to pass if an early speed duel between emerges; can have a say here if stars align.
9-1 MALVERN MISSILE (Gil Hanse) – Nice longshot possibility also relying on strong early fractions from the frontrunners. Has a few key projects in the Form suggesting talent is there to pull off an upset. Castle Stuart has received raves from Olympic juror Peter Dawson and some famous golfers, while PGA Tour brass can point to TPC Boston redo along with sensitive restorations at Plainfield and Ridgewood in making case. Lacks the Southern hemisphere name recognition of others, but is a trainer’s dream in the paddock.
14-1 GREAT WHITE MEXICAN (Greg Norman/Lorena Ochoa) -- More star power here presents a younger, hipper alternative to the favorites. Norman has a few projects under his name fitting the desired concept for the Olympic site, but those were created by architect Bob Harrison, who thankfully has survived and is thriving after Norman tried to send him to the slaughterhouse. New mother Ochoa has no major courses to her name and is a ceremonial presence. Norman will have to fly out of the gate or hope the fractions are lively enough to somehow cut off the Nicklaus presence without prompting an Inquiry sign. Strictly an exotics play.
60-1 BLACK KNIGHT (Gary Player) – Will be 81 in 2016 and hard to see the jury panel backing a colt even as well known as this one. With so many starts and so few wins to show in nearly 300 opportunities, not sure what the angle is here. Lacks Nicklaus’s influence, Norman’s star power and has no signature effort that would satisfy stated desire to build influential minimalist-style course sensitive to the environment. Looking elsewhere.
99-1 TOMMO (Peter Thomson/Ross Perrett) – Five time Open Championship winner Thomson will be 86 when 2016 games start and its hard to see this as anything more than a political gift from jury panel’s R&A influences looking out for one of their own. No discernable design work to point to as Olympic model and much of this barn’s re-design work has needed fixing by other architects. Pass.
Friday, December 23, 2011 at 10:01 AM
Reader Comments (30)
Merry Christmas!
Brilliantly.
I second an assignment to the Graphics Department to design an appropriate cover for our Racing Form.
Happy holidays all!
You should have had RTJ2 greasing the pockets of the committee.
You heard it here first!
Outstanding work, you two! I do wonder who in the field has a sense of humor.
pasa,
How many greens had to be rebuilt at Dismal after the first year? I'm not sure it's a minimalist triumph when you have to redo more than 2.
Thanks all for the kind words.
Is this site pretty flat? If so - calling the good Doctor from the grave!
Merry Christmas to All
Melvyn
Melvyn
http://www.castleatthebay.com/
And Merry Christmas! to you, too.
Look forward to seeing how Doak's course at Dismal River turns out. I understand he made several trips to the site, spending many days there to find and lay out the routing. (That would be opposed to a certain Escalade driver who reportedly spent four hours on site, leaving "his" routing to his minions. It's now no secret who the members/owners chose.)
No not really, but they are a joke, which I do regret. I wish they had a few grey cells between a few of them and looked to the good of the game and its future as a game called golf. They have happily let riding kill walking in many areas, they have allowed distance aids to numb the mind of golfer and ultimately allowed the challenge that is golf to be surgically removed for what I clearly see as '30 pieces of solver'.
I does pain me to see the R&A struggle with reality, preferring money first - let’s face it they are there to PROTECT the Game Of Golf, but have acted more like Judas or the money lenders at the Temple that Jesus is said to have thrown out. No, not joking, they need to be totally reformed as clearly not protecting that wonderful Royal & Ancient Game of Golf.
Oh Merry Christmas to you and your family.
Before the epic even made it to the screens, every major actress and player in Hollywood was politicking for who they wanted for the part of Scarlett O'Hara. We are taking some major actress in their time and over 1,400 actresses were interviewed for the part of Scarlett O'Hara. 400 were asked to do readings.
Some of the hopefuls were:
•Jean Arthur
•Lucille Ball
•Tallulah Bankhead
•Bette Davis
•Claudette Colbert
•Joan Crawford
•Paulette Goddard
•Katharine Hepburn
•Olivia de Havilland
•Carole Lombard
•Norma Shearer
•Barbara Stanwyck
•Margaret Sullavan
•Louise Platt
•Tallulah Bankhead
•Susan Hayward
•Paulette Goddard
•Lana Turner
•Jean Arthur
•Joan Bennett
At the end of the day, it ended up that a little known English actress named Vivian Leigh was chosen for the part of Scarlett O'Hara.. I say root for the underdog! History can and will repeat itself!