"Will you be designing environmentally-friendly golf courses in the future?"

Seems like a dumb question, right? Unfortunately that one was teed up for Tiger Woods and he uncharacteristicaly heel pulled it into the left rough.

But first, other highlights from his sitdown with the laptoppers in Tucson:

Q. I know you're concentrating on this week, but in the buildup to coming over here, I've read a lot in the media about the dialogue or lack of dialogue between you and the commissioner, about the schedule for this year. Can you tell us anything about that?

TIGER WOODS: I've talked to him quite a bit (smiling), so I don't know where that comes from.

Q. Well, there's been talk about given the new sort of format this year that -- is there a situation where you could maybe fall short of the minimum requirements of playing this year and maybe miss out on some of the climax to the FedExCup?

TIGER WOODS: I've just got to play 15 events, right? That's what I did last year.

Gee, what a ringing endorsement for the FedEx Cup and the PGA Tour!

Q. I don't know if you're reading the same stuff as me, but basically they were saying that there is a kind of atmosphere between you and the commissioner.

TIGER WOODS: We talk about once a week, so I don't know where that comes from. He's got my cell phone and we talk. It's funny, we just missed each other skiing. I have no idea where that's coming from.

How sweet, just missed each other on the slopes. Let's hope they don't run into each other.

Which reminds me, this slug for the Lakers Radmanovic slipped in Park City, separated his shoulder and already they're calls for a contract reading to see if he violated a clause by skiing (oh wait, he was in Park City for the great sidewalk shopping, forgive me).

As much as they are paying him, does Nike really let Tiger ski? Guess so. Anyway...

 Q. As a budding golf course architect, when you come to a new venue, come to a new community that has such a historic golfing tradition, do you approach it a little bit differently than when you were just playing, or have you always taken the mindset that, could I come here and design a golf course in place like that?

TIGER WOODS: It's interesting, since I started to get into that part of my life, every golf course I play, I look at the golf course differently now. Why would they construct that? Why would they build this? What were they thinking here? Trying to understand it instead of just plotting my way around the golf course. I do look at golf courses now, and it is kind of fun.

And...

 Q. In your design career and with a new baby on the way, where do you stand in terms of the environmental aspects of golf, and where will you be designing environmentally-friendly golf courses in the future?

TIGER WOODS: That's the whole idea. That's the challenge of it. As an architect, that's what your responsibility is to do, to also provide a wonderful playing environment. That's a task that I think is going to be -- that's been at the forefront for all architects for decades.

Uh, Tiger, they mean are you going to build a wetlands at Al Jambajuicia to mitigate the puddle that you are bulldozing over. Your architecture buddy,
Geoff

No Longer Tempting, Still Interesting

First, let's get the Faldo-Nantz question out of the way. During Sunday's telecast, they apparently asked why architects can't build holes like the 10th at Riviera anymore.

I wish Jim had asked me earlier in the week. The answer is so simple!

Most of today's architects haven't got a clue what makes No. 10 work, which makes it kind of hard to design a hole like it. Sorry boys. Your ordinary short par-4 portfolios back me up on this one.

Okay, now that we settled that, let's consider about what happened this year.  

The tiny little green was firmer and faster than ever. A positive change was made by Tom Marzolf (to offset the really lousy ones) when the bunker face in the back left was lowered, bringing the green and fringe right up to the bunker, making the right side that much more daunting.

Yet, for the first time in the governing bodies-failing-the-game-on-distance era, nearly everyone in the field believes the only play is to drive the 10th. Even Jose Maria Olazabal was doing it.  

Mickelson approaches No. 10 in the 2007 Nissan Open playoff from an odd angle (click to enlarge)I asked Phil Mickelson in his post-Sunday round session why he doesn't consider the lay-up optoin, which seemed to startle him based on the unusual pause before answering.

Q.    Can you talk about your playing strategy on 10 and why you don't lay up, what's your approach to that [hole]?

PHIL MICKELSON:  The only way to play that hole is to get past the hole. The real question why didn't I hit driver and get it for sure past the hole.  I thought with a little bit of help, 3 wood would be enough.  You can't hold that section of the green, short of the pin.  There is no way.  It's was too firm and it's angled six or seven degrees away from you, it's just not possible.

Final round ShotLink data for No. 10. Note how few layed up. (click to enlarge)The concept of laying up left and having a wedge in? Not even in the cards anymore.

And that's not just for a long hitter like Mickelson.

Consider eventual winner Charles Howell's comments:

Q.    Charles, during the ride past on the playoff on the tenth hole, Jim Nantz and Nick Faldo were talking about world ten what's the history with that whole number?

CHARLES HOWELL III:  We've had a love/hate relationship, I think it's one of the greatest par4's that we play and it was different this year, and I think you saw more guys go at that green off the tee because the green was so hard.  In the years passed here, that green has been so soft with all of the rain you can lay the ball up to the left and hit a wedge in there and hold it.  I saw a lot of great wedge shots this week land on the green and end up in the bunker.  With the greens being as firm as it was, around the green, as to why we don't have more, I don't know.  Because that one there is every bit as nerve-racking and exciting as we need.

Q.    Where are you trying to play it on 10 when you are playing?

CHARLES HOWELL III:  Anything.  Anything at this front edge of the green or just left of it and pinhigh.  So the reason that hole is so good is that the golf ball is going so far now that a driver actually gets past that and you end up chipping back this way.   So Phil hit a 3wood, I hit 3wood, we've got to hit those 3woods pretty darn good to carry that last bunker to left.  So it's really hard to get that ball pinhigh left.  Like I said with that green firm, that front right bunker is no bargain. 

So I'm not sure if this is a statement about the (lack of) confidence Tour players have from 110-75 yards, or simply a statement about the sheer ignorance of the world's greats.

I'm still not convinced that driving the green is the percentage play, when, as Steve Elkington told a few of us earlier in the week: laying up all four days, he'll never take more than 16 for the week on No. 10, and he'll probably play it 2 under.

Either way, one thing became clear.

The tempting quality of the hole that Jim Murray so beautiful described years ago has become a casualty of unharnessed distance.

This does not make it a lesser hole, just a little less interesting and a whole lot different than just a few years ago. 

"The first Tiger Woods course cannot be a course Tiger likes to play on."

Blasphemy! We're talking about a man who loves Firestone, so I'm sure he can find Al Jumbalya to his liking. Ron Fream does not agree.

Fream told The New Paper: 'Tiger Woods' first golf course will be the product of the ability and talent, knowledge and experience of those who surround him.

'Tiger learned nothing of golf course architecture at Stanford University.

'His ability to focus is so intense that when he walks a golf course, he does not see the course or the surroundings.

'He only sees his ball, his target and then the next target.

'The first Tiger Woods course cannot be a course Tiger likes to play on.

'His design will most likely accommodate many expected tourist visitors and average players and, maybe one day, play host to a championship.

'Tiger knows nothing of land use master planning and, therefore, cannot contribute significantly to the interface of golf and adjacent housing development, which will be a source of revenue to pay off his huge design fee.

'Tiger knows nothing of golf course construction methods. He knows nothing of technical turf-grass maintenance.

'Building a golf course in Dubai, where temperatures often exceed 45 degrees Celsius, gets special expectations for construction and maintenance.'

So how will his course look like?

He said: 'The Tiger Woods course will have dramatic terrain changes as the site is flat now.

'It will use a lot of water for lakes and maybe streams.

'A large number of date palm trees will surround the golf holes.

'Greens cannot be overly contoured. Sand bunkering will be a major attraction.'

More Changes to Riviera's 10th?

Riviera's 10th, circa 1930 (Click to enlarge image)Recently profiled in Links and pretty much declared the best short par-4 in golf by, among others, architect Tom Doak, what better license for the Tom Fazio gang to start changing the hole!

From Thomas Bonk in today's L.A. Times: 

Phil Mickelson has played the Nissan Open only seven times, but he knows the strategy at the 315-yard 10th. He hit his drive at the par four 307 yards, into the back bunker, but he got up and down for a birdie. Mickelson said he's always going to try to drive the green, and over the green isn't bad.

Told that an alteration is in store for the back of the 10th green, where a dirt road may be restored to the barranca that used to be in that location, Mickelson had a quick reply.

"Well, it looks like this one won't be back on the rotation," said Mickelson, who shot a 66.

He said he was joking.

If anyone can spot this barranca that needs to be "restored" in the old photo above, please point it out!

2012 Curtis Cup To Nairn

With all of the great old courses getting passed by the ball better athleticism in the men's game, women's golf keeps picking up classic venues. With the R&A announcement of the 2012 Curtis Cup site, check out the next three fun, quirky, cool courses they get to play:

2008 The Old Course, St Andrews , 30 May-1 June

2010 Essex County Club, Manchester-by-the-Sea , Massachusetts , 11-13 June

2012 The Nairn Golf Club, 8 – 10 June

Targets on The Driving Range

Riviera's Renovated Range (Click to enlarge)I had an enjoyable chat and stroll around Riviera Tuesday with Mike Clayton and Steve Wenzloff, the PGA Tour's VP of Design Services. Among other topics, I pointed out Riviera's redesign of the driving range landing area. It mostly consisted of taking some nice (albeit in need of freshening) targets, and leveling the landing area into a boring patch of flags and green grass.

Wenzloff said that in his polling of PGA Tour players, the overwhelming majority would rather hit to a flat, boring field than one with really interesting target greens guarded by bunkering.

Am I alone in preferring targets that reflect what you would hit to on the course?

The Cro$$ings at Carlsbad

Barbara Henry in the North County Times looks at the swollen price tag of that Carlsbad muni course under construction. It's up to $73.8 million.

Pebble's 9th...Why Can't There Be More Holes Like It?

I watched five minutes of the Crosby AT&T today. Between the blinding white bunker sand (thanks Arnold) and Kenny G talking to the camera, I just couldn't take it. And that was before the traditional blimp shot showing the 9th and reminding me of what a simple, elegant and strategically sound hole Chandler Egan created.

Notice how simple the strategy is. You play right and flirt with the ocean, you open up the better angle of attack. You play left, you have to come over that massive greenside bunker. This isn't rocket surgery, and yet...no one builds 'em like this anymore.

No. 9 sketch by Joe Mayo
No. 9 at Pebble Beach circa 1929 (click to enlarge) 

The 17th at Pebble Beach, Circa 1929

A nice reminder of how Pebble Beach's 17th looked after Chandler Egan's 1928 renovation and before years of flying bunker sand reduced the size of the green:

The 17th at Pebble Beach, circa 1929 (click on image to enlarge)

Update on 2007-02-08 06:50 by Geoff

P.S. - the yacht in the background belonged to Howard Hughes.

"Whenever you have golfers making decisions they don't want to make, golf is a better game to watch."

From Geoff Ogilvy's WGC Match Play defending champion press conference:

Q. Is there such thing as a good match play course? And if so, what elements go into making a good match play course?

GEOFF OGILVY: I guess there probably are good courses for match play courses. Four par 5s that people can get to. If there's holes that people have to make decisions, it's going to a good match play course because there might be a guy who might want to lay it up on a par 5, and if his opponent has pulled a 3-wood and hits it on the green then he has to go for the green. I mean that sort of stuff; it's interesting, whereas if it's just an obvious everyone lays it up and everyone hits the same shots all day, then it's not going to create the excitement and the decisions.

The funnest part about golf is watching us struggle with the decision whether to go over the water or not go over the water, should I go for it or not go for it, then go for it. That's the funnest part about watching golf, isn't it? If you've got four par 5s that you can reach and two par 4s that you can drive it on, then you've got decisions. It's nice to have a few holes like that, but this one you're going to have more holes like that I'd suggest. Whenever you have golfers making decisions they don't want to make, golf is a better game to watch.

Golf Digest 50 Toughest...

...Courses For Couples To Play Without Bickering?

No, they haven't gone that far yet in Wilton. This time, it's a retro list of the toughest 50 courses, so says Jerry Tarde.

According to the story:

This is not a scientific or even definitive ranking. It's our list of layouts that have battered and bruised us, ruined our scorecards and made us want to weep.

Translation: we editors decided not to use the "Resistance To Scoring" category because our panel is clueless.  

Here's the list, starting with Kiawah in the #1 spot.  

The Future of Bandon

Peter Sleeth offers the most in depth look I've read into Mike Keiser's future plans for Bandon.

The Chicago greeting card magnate who turned a stretch of isolated coastal dunes into one of the most highly rated golf complexes in the world has been quietly buying up nearly 1,000 more acres of land on the Southern Oregon coast, according to land records in Curry and Coos counties.

Michael Keiser also has taken the unusual step of helping finance a proposed 90-foot dam just two miles outside this coastal town -- an attempt to help local cranberry farmers flood their bogs, which will provide more capacity to an expanding Bandon and, potentially, to water new golf courses.

And...

Keiser said last week that he is considering building at least one more golf course on his property south of Bandon -- in addition to the four, 18-hole courses he owns north of the city. Further, another golf course owned by a Eugene couple is under construction south of Bandon.

The rest of Keiser's land, including more than 300 acres on the Pistol River in Curry County, will mostly be used as conservation areas to preserve the beauty of the south Coast, he said. The multiple purchases range from 10 acres to 235 acres in Coos County, and are primarily farms.

The news of another golf course brings mixed feelings to local residents. With another course south of town, Bandon could easily become a new golf destination, "probably like no other place in the nation, or the world," Winkel said.

And...

Keiser said he bought into a 15 percent share of the Johnson Creek dam out of both altruism and investment savvy. The cranberry farmers who first conceived the dam were short of the expected $9 million to $12 million the dam would cost.

"Water's the new resource everybody wants," Keiser said.

The story goes on to talk about some local opposition to the dam.

Renovating Southland

Jim Valli details what appears to be a promising Scott Macpherson-Greg Turner collaboration in New Zealand.

You Gotta Love...

...Peter Harradine. Invited guest in Dubai telling the developers overpaying player architects that they're idiots.

In the liveliest debate of the first day of GolfEx Dubai 2007, Harradine questioned whether money is becoming the only criteria for course designs.

"The whole world is based on marketing," said Harradine. "Tiger is the best athlete that's ever walked the earth, but as a golf architect? If a top player is involved in a course design, it usually means it will be over budget and over schedule. My signature stands for quality, built on time and on budget."

Harradine didn't reserve criticism for the players so much as developers and owners. "The players aren't daft, if they know they can ask for $1 million or $2 million more they will, and good luck to them - they realise that daft people will pay them."

Oh and this is beautiful:

Jeremy Slessor, Managing Director of European Golf Design, defended the use of top players putting their names to projects, saying the increased pulling power invariably leads to higher revenues.

"It may be marketing, but as a mechanism it works. If you put Langer's name on a course you know it will be played by Germans," he said.

"Golf’s Dream Team Blows into Dubai"

I would insert pithy jokes into this press release, but why when it so masterfully does the job all on its own: 

Golf’s Dream Team Blows into Dubai

“El Nino” unveiled as designer of Wind course at Jumeirah Golf Estates

Garcia to work in unique collaboration with Greg Norman and ‘father of modern golf course design’ Pete Dye

Fourth course at Jumeirah Golf Estates to take inspiration from the earliest traditions of golf – creating Dubai’s first links-style course

Dubai, UAE:  Sergio Garcia was today unveiled as one of the designers of the fourth course – Wind – at Dubai’s premier residential golf community development, Jumeirah Golf Estates.

Garcia is to work on the design of Dubai’s first links-style course, taking its inspiration from the earliest forms of golf, in which uneven fairways, thick rough, small greens and pot bunkers create an exciting golfing challenge – which is then made even more memorable by the swirling patterns
of the wind.

In a world first, “El Nino” – so named because of the energy and dynamism of his game - will be joined by two of the world’s leading golf course designers in creating the Wind course.

Huh, and here I was thinking it had something to do with him being Spanish! Oh wait, I said I wasn't going to interrupt. Sorry.

Greg Norman, one of the world’s most successful player-turned-designers, has signature courses around the world.  Already working on the Fire and Earth courses at Jumeirah Golf Estates, Norman will work closely with Garcia in creating the Wind design.

And in his first project in the Middle East, Pete Dye – known as “the father of modern golf course design” – is to collaborate with Norman and Garcia on the project.

David Spencer, chief executive officer of Jumeirah Golf Estates, said:

“We promised something special for Wind and we’re definitely delivering it.

“Garcia is one of the most exciting raw talents in golf today. The excitement and raw energy he brings to the game will be balanced by the maturity and sophistication of Norman and Dye.

Key word here, raw.

“No course in the world has been able to bring together three such major talents.  This is a truly unique collaboration.

“Wind is without a doubt going to become one of the most stunning courses
in world golf.  It will be a natural work of art – a masterpiece.”

A natural work of art completely manufactured out of desert. Uh huh. Just like Joan Rivers's is a natural work of art.

Scheduled for completion in 2009, Wind joins Fire and Earth – each designed by Greg Norman – and Water, designed by Vijay Singh, in creating one of the world’s leading golf developments.

And on a side note, Philip Bayley will be joining Vijay on the Water Course design, and to return the favor, Vijay in turn will be on backing vocals for Earth, Wind and Fire's joint billing with the Credence Clearwater Revisited this summer at the Fort Lauderdale Center For The Performing Arts and Fair Grounds.

Sergio Garcia said: “I love the demands of links golf.  A great links-style course means it is both a physical challenge and a mental test – and offers the most enjoyable golf there is.  That’s exactly what we want to create with Wind at Jumeirah Golf Estates."

It almost reads like he wrote that himself.

“I’m really excited to be working with Pete Dye and with Greg Norman on the design.  I cannot think of a more experienced and successful pair of golf course designers in the world today.

Oh I can.

Odds that Sergio has ever met Pete Dye?

Greg Norman said:  “I don’t know of another project anywhere in the world that has brought together three internationally recognized figures to collaborate on one golf course. Sergio Garcia brings enthusiasm and excitement to this project that is contagious.  I'm looking forward to keeping him away from my daughter during his two contractually obligated site visits.

Oh wait, that last sentence shouldn't have gotten in there! 

"And working with Pete Dye again is fantastic.  There is nobody in the world today that knows more about golf course design – especially links golf.

Pete Dye was champion golfer in his own right, before turning to golf course design nearly 50 years ago.  Heavily influenced by his early trips to Scotland, the home of golf, Dye’s designs have established new levels of quality and challenge for golfers over the last four-plus decades.  Wind marks his first project in the Middle East and his first collaboration with Garcia.

Pete Dye said: “The Dubai desert provides what every golf course designer dreams of – a completely blank canvas on which to work. 

Well, not every designer.

"I’ve always believed the traditional elements of real golf in Scotland offer the greatest test for
golfers and that is what we want to create here.

“You will see the undulating fairways, pot bunkers and protected greens that you’ll find in all the best links courses.  We’re determined to create a truly memorable experience.”

Oh yeah, Pete said that!