Olympic Design Derby Preview

Thanks to reader Chris for John Paul Newport's reminder that next Tuesday and Wednesday the Olympic golf architecture finalists will be making their pitches to the jury panel, with a decision to come on the winning bid later in the week. Just a month ago, I handicapped the finalists here.

"Ideally what you'd want," said one of the contending architects, "is a course that would deliver the kind of thrilling finale that Augusta National traditionally serves up at the Masters." That is, two or three competitors under knee-buckling pressure battling on the last few holes.

This person didn't want to be named; contenders were required by Rio 2016, the host city's organizing committee, to sign nondisclosure agreements. Mr. Doak, speaking more generally about the competition, said via email, "It's a rare chance to define (or redefine) what a great championship course is supposed to be, on a very big stage."

On that topic, Jack Nicklaus seems to know he's not the one to be doing such a revolutionary design. Steve Elling quotes a surprising admission from Nicklaus at the PGA of America's State of the Game roundtable Thursday:

But there’s plenty of blame for this financial mess to go around. Nicklaus even pointed a finger at himself.

"I'm known for [building] difficult golf courses,” he said. “I'm as much of a culprit as anyone."

Oh to be a fly on the wall for his presentation!

Comments

[Stevie]

Jack won't design it. Someone from the panel told me that his project is about a golf course of 12 holes with eight inches cups.

[elf]

Watching Jack's interview, I'm confused. We need to make the game easier, we need to do something with the golf ball, there is to much separation between club champs and amateurs, but we can't bifurcate.

[Jim S]

What I hope for is a design that actually improves the local environmental conditions for plants and animals both onshore and offshore, retains a natural feel that exploits the attributes of native landscape, and becomes the new gold standard for environmentally sustainable groundskeeping.

Instead, I think they'll bulldoze the land into a copy of a Florida course that is over-fertilized and over-watered.

Other soon-to-be unrealized dreams: they make Olympian golfers carry their own bags and play without caddies, and that Torrey pines removes the trees on the left hand side of the fairway on the North #7 hole so it's a skyline fairway.

[Fester]

Jim S for President of the IOC.