"I've been building short par 4 golf holes before that became famous."

Yes, they clearly hit rock bottom at the Turning whatever classic, where Tom Fazio was invited into the press center to help ease the assembled inkslingers into an afternoon siesta.

I really would not read this rambling mess of inanity unless you forgot to get your Lunesta refilled. Really, it's press conferences like this that make you understand why most golf writers think that course design is such a boring field.

The uh, highlights...

Certainly the opportunities are endless, and that is one of the unique things about golf design and what we strive for. We strive to create distinctive, unique, special, one of a kind pieces. The PR people add other words to those word pieces and call them lots of different things. But my goal is always to have it very distinctive.

Again, throughout those decades of my career, I've had the opportunity to do a lot of golf courses. None of them look like this golf course. The next group, assuming I'm fortunate enough to live longer, none of them will look like this golf course. Why would you do it again, the same thing?

Why, oh why? Especially when you can come back and "re-perfect" them 15 years later!

Obviously, you take the character and the style, but in the old days much golf architecture in America, golf is roughly only 120 years old, maybe now it's getting to be 130 from the beginning. Which is not a long time. And not many people knew about golf.

When golf was brought here by the Scots, mostly and some of the Irish and the UK countries, the UK Kingdoms of where golf kind of started the idea was a golf professional or someone who knew golf came over with the idea of building a golf hole in the early days of my career I used to hear the word Rodin greens, and Cardinal bunker, and all those old famous things that you can find in the British Isle golf courses. And people would come here to bring those ideas and incorporate them.

Well, we've had enough of those and plenty of those built. And now over the last, say, 50 to 75 years, five or six decades, we have so many golf courses we're always trying to create different styles. And certainly Turning Stone is a perfect example.

Of what? Yes, we've had enough of those Redans! We want our architecture boring and forgettable!

For example, we could have a U.S. Open here if the golf course is of that quality. But what happened what the USGA would require, and I don't speak for the USGA, even though I've done lots of renovations for U.S. Open golf courses. But you look at the history and their concern is the tee shot landing areas. They want to have a 23-yard fairway where the driving areas are. 30 years ago, that same location was 27 yards.

Uh huh.

So there's been changes even in that evolution, because again, it only makes sense if the golf ball goes straighter because of clubs and technology, why wouldn't you adjust those narratives and widths for the best players.

Now for the majority of us, we don't really know the difference between 23 and 27. You know, 27's not wide enough. We want 30. So there are just so many different ways that that could be done, and you would do that. And it wouldn't necessarily be a change, it would be the process because that's what golf is about. That's how it has evolved forever, decade after decade.

Peachy.

Q. Some people talk about the short par 4, the short risk-reward par 4 as being the most exciting hole in golf. Best tournament hole. Did you consider that when you built Atunyote?

TOM FAZIO: Yes, not individually. And I agree with that. I've been building short par 4 golf holes before that became famous. That became the in thing, because lots of people have.

He's such the innovator and precedent setter!  

You Can Call Me Al

Reader Peter J. was perusing GolfLink.com and caught this course listing. Now, I understand typos as someone who has mastered the art, but this one looks like a silly GolfClubAtlas DG log in name.

The 18-hole "Ardsley" course at the Ardsley Country Club facility in Ardsley On Hudson, New York features 6,522 yards of golf from the longest tees for a par of 72. The course rating is 72.3 and it has a slope rating of 131 on Bent grass.  Designed by Willie Dunn, Jr./(R) Al Stermakenzie, the Ardsley golf course opened in 1895. John Brisson manages the course as the General Manager.

Al Stermakenzie is actually Ali G speak for Alister MacKenzie, no? 

Any Bad Restorations?

MacKenzie or Nicklaus? (click to enlarge this fine piece of work by the La Habra and Minneapolis art departments)I finally had a chance to sit down with Ron Whitten's Golf World column on restoration, and while his early statements are pretty negative regarding the restoration movement, the remainder of the piece and Whitten's positive portrayal of Kris Spense's work in the same issue softens the blow considerably.

I'm curious if anyone has heard of a classic course that chose to undertake a restoration using as much historical information as possible with minimal modification to original design concepts, and come away from that process unhappy that they did so?

Yes, there are always going to be unhappy members, but I'm wondering about an entire restoration-driven project that was considered a mistake.

To put it another way, has anyone undertaken a serious attempt at restoration that came back a few years later and went with a modern design redesign that was considered an improvement?
 

Another Castle Stuart Video

The previous making of videos for Scotland's Castle Stuart resort are posted here, here, here and here. Volume 5 looks at the heather "chunking" work taking place. That does not sound very interesting, I know, but it's the best one yet, especially in showing how little about this natural looking links style course is shaping up to be quite...natural.Oh, and I have no idea who the fellow is who is talking throughout the video.

Tilly Journal 2

The second Tillinghast Journal has been posted at Tillinghast.net.

"I don't understand golfers one lick"

John Paul Newport profiles Pete Dye and his new course just 30 miles from Manhattan. Thanks to reader John for this.

Never formally trained as an architect, he calls excessive dependence on computer-aided design "rubbish," pointing out that all the classic courses, including nearby ones like Winged Foot and Baltusrol, were built essentially by feel. He says his primary goal is to create a pleasing and surprising variety of looks and challenges.

Why are his courses so hard? "You might as well ask why people who are members of perfectly good golf clubs fly to Scotland and Ireland to play golf in the rain for a week and never come close to breaking 90," he said. Most of his designs are for destination resorts that people will only play a handful of times a year -- and difficulty seems to be what they are after.

"I don't understand golfers one lick," he said. "Personally, if I couldn't break 90 on a course, I'd probably never want to play it again."

The Donald Gets Approval...Maybe

Now, last week we learned that Martin Hawtree had been hired to do Donald Trump's future Open Championship host site course in Northern Scotland.  Well it seems the project has been approved according to the Times, or has it?

Of 432 letters received by the council, 105 objected and 327 supported the proposal. A 28-signature petition against was also received. Objectors said that it was the whim of one rich individual; it would increase house prices; and most of the jobs would be seasonal and low-paid. It was inappropriate in scale and would destroy wildlife and the rare sand dune system.

Those in favour, however, described it as the best thing to happen since North Sea oil; it was vital economically; and no other country would pass up such an opportunity.

Raymond Reid, Aberdeenshire Council’s head of development, said that the golf resort proposal was an occasion where the social and economic benefits were of national importance and these did override the adverse environmental impacts.

Tom Fazio, a leading American golf architect, has been appointed to design the courses around the dunes, which will be stabilised by planting marram grass.

Since Tom Fazio was never involved and Tommy Fazio was dumped in favor of Martin Hawtree so that The Donald could lure an Open, I'm not sure how much validity this story has. 

Par-3's As Finishers

Steve Elling weighs the pros and cons of par-3 finishes and tries to understand why people don't like them.

Warning, I'm quoted. 

"Restoration is the narrow-minded substitute for imagination."

I only had time to peruse this, so I need to go back and read it more thoroughly, but Ron Whitten pretty much shoots down the notion of golf course restoration even though so many courses have reported increased playing pleasure after undergoing a pure restoration (and I bet Inverness and Oak Hill wish they got the same treatment!).

Restoration is the narrow-minded substitute for imagination. It doesn't honor Ross (below), it insults him. It presumes the man never grew, never evolved as an architect in his 50-year career.

It would also presume there are architects talented enough today to put themselves in Ross's shoes and then take his designs to another level.  

"You might think making the same nine-hole loop time after time would grow tedious, but nothing could be further from the truth."

John Paul Newport celebrates the beauties of nine-hole rounds with his Saturday WSJ column. And yes, I supplied the image of Marion's 9th that accompanies the piece.

As always, thanks to reader John for sending the link.

I Wonder If...

...the brand platforming experts down in Ponte Vedra will note TPC Boston 4th hole's impact on day one Deutsche Bank play. Tiger Woods's double bogey 6 and Phil Mickelson's eagle 2 were run on sports highlight shows across the country.

I did notice that TGC/NBC showed it quite a bit more than any other front nine hole.

Here's what first round leader Camillo Villegas said about the hole:

Q. You talked about the new hole at No. 4. Can you give me your general impressions of that hole beyond the birdie?

CAMILO VILLEGAS: Tricky one. It's a tricky one. There's obviously -- the green just goes away. I think we should play that hole from the front tee all week, just because from the back tee it's a little too funky. You're going to be hitting maybe a 5-wood into a very narrow space, and it's going to be hard to even hold the green from 100 yards, and then if you hit driver and you get it up there where you have 50 yards, you can be in the middle of the fairway and I don't think you're going to be able to hold the green.

It's a tricky one. It's a good hole from the front, I believe, and I'm just trying to get it over that green somehow and just chip it back up. 

Here's what Tiger said about his surprising double...

Q. Can you talk about the 4th hole?

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, the 4th hole I was telling Stevie, we've got to be committed to hitting the ball right of the green. I could hit the ball 50 yards right of the green. I was just trying to hit the ball right, right, right, and I just pulled it about five yards left of the flag. I was in the bunker, the only place you can't be.

Q. We couldn't see it from where we were standing. What were you trying to do with that shot?

TIGER WOODS: I was just trying to keep the ball on the green. Trying to keep it on the green.

Q. Runs away from you?

TIGER WOODS: Yeah, big-time. I wasn't even trying to get cute with it. I said, well, if I make a mistake, make this mistake long, hit the ball over the green, chip back and try and make par that way. It just came out soft and buried under the lip.

 Q. Still in the sand?

TIGER WOODS: It was actually underneath the lip, so I couldn't get it out. 

And here's what Mike Weir said after his 65:

Q. So you liked everything?

MIKE WEIR: I liked everything, yeah (laughter).

I heard that No. 4, that that was kind of a narrow tee shot and a big -- I like the drivable par 4s because you miss it in the wrong spot with these firm, fast greens, and you're going to be struggling for par. Good risk-reward hole.

Q. As an example, and I could ask this of someone who had an eight-foot eagle putt, where could you miss it where you do get in some deep doo-doo?

MIKE WEIR: Left. I played with J.J. and he hit it left, and he had to hit it just right to get it barely on the green, and he hit a good shot and it rolled all the way down the hill and he had to make a really good up-and-down for par. That's a really good hole. If you miss it in the wrong spot, even though he was in the fairway you don't have much. Even if you miss it right, you can pitch it up the green. 

Weighing Options On TPC Boston's 4th

As expected, the Hanse-Faxon-Wagner redesign of TPC Boston's 4th hole is generating the most discussion, fueled in part by the possibility that officials may play the 356-yard tee for two rounds. Since that tee was never intended to be used for Deutsche Bank tournament play, it appears the Tour officials have decided to play it at around 300 yards all four days.

Until we see actual tournament play, we won't know which option players will most often chose to take. Just from observing some play on it, the hole looks like a Redan merged with elements of Riviera's 10th. It seems that a few will lay-up with a four or five iron, most will hit three wood at the front opening or into the front bunker, while some will take driver and err on the long side of the green.

A few images, starting with the view from the tee.

 

And the view from the left center of the fairway...

 

And the view from the right center, which is the ideal layup angle.

 

Finally, the rear view which flattens out some of the neat features over the green (fall off, bumps, etc...) that may make the player driving it long think twice. There are some small mounds meant to look like the old style New England bumps that are often found in this area when crews would bury large rocks instead of trying to cart them off property. 

"Chunking" On YouTube

Jim Wagner, who did the bunker work that will be on display next week at the TPC Boston, talks on the latest Castle Stuart video about the "chunking" process that gives his bunkering such a unique look.

Tilly Illustrated

The Tillinghast Society has launched a new online (PDF) journal devoted to all things Tilly.

Picking Favorites and Riviera's 10th**

Tom Cunneff picks his nine favorite holes in golf. The piece also includes a link to Tom Doak's dicussion of Riviera's 10th, which I don't believe appeared online earlier this year. It's worth reading, and I say that not because I was included. Just a good read.

Golf.com also includes their 18 favorites with many killer photos. It was done in conjunction with the new Golf Magazine ranking. Lo and behold, Riviera's 10th made their list as the penultimate hole. Unfortunately they ran a photo of Riviera's 9th green in its place. 

**With working links now...