Rio Olympic Golf Course Visit, May 2013

I made a visit to Rio last week to see the Olympic golf course in the early stages of construction and with things just now moving ahead down there--albeit still too slowly--I'll share some random thoughts for those interested in Gil Hanse's design, Rio and the Olympic course's potential.

--The site exceeded expectations in terms of potential for a "great" golf course (very much so) and its setting in Rio (you know you are in Rio but not excessively so). Gil's also done a super job routing what will be a fun, walker friendly course long after the Olympics. It's the type of site a lot of architects would call boring or flattish, but it's far from that.

-By now most have seen the images with sandy scrub, nice plant material and other attributes that give off a "sandbelt" essence. About half the property is set on dunesy land with the initial clearing exposing some tremendously good bumps, hillocks and swales. The "lower" section is on wetlands created after the original dunes were stripped off the property decades ago.

-With the unfortunately slow pace of the project--has at least afforded Gil the chance to gently scrape off the grasses to preserve these features and to isolate plants, cactus and grasses for preservation or transplanting.

- The quality of the ground on these "upper" dunes holes, along with the potential for some attractive (but not excessive) water holes and a few holes playing through a more forested section down by the water, means the routing will have a bit of everything. But mostly it will exude a very open feel, with links and sandbelt elements (if they had condo buildings and stunning mountain ranges in the distance). If given the time to develop the features--a big "if" as the clock ticks and the host countries' lack of urgency continues--re-vegetating the natives and growing in the course properly becomes a concern. However, if this process is allowed to move along at a proper pace, the Olympic course should exude the type of rugged, natural sense that organizers hope to show the world.

- Design discussions were focused on the 6th, 7th and 16th holes. The 6th is a par-3 playing over a dune in similar fashion to the long-lost Maiden at Royal St. George's. The "bowl" the green will sit it in is essentially there, with almost no modification needed. There will be tees from three different angles and a wide array of yardages possible. I can't wait to play this one and even better, watch Olympic golf played on this one-shotter where there is an ideal spot for a grandstand that will allow crowds to react to the shots for the benefit of players on the tee. Throw in the chance to watch the reachable par-5 5th green and 7th tee shots, and it'll be an electric spectating spot on the course.

- Discussed was how this obstructed view 6th hole--sure to be controversial the first time around depending on hole location and tee used and general revulsion by modern players toward any hint of blindness--will fit in the context of the Olympics. But as I preached to Gil, other Olympic sports with playing fields unique to their respective games where local knowlege is rewarded (downhill skiing, luge, road races, etc…), players will merely have to play practice rounds. No more semi-blindness then!

-I never want to hear how Los Angeles can't host another Olympics until LAX is expanded. It looks like Heaven's airport compared to what Rio currently offers. I can't fathom how Rio will handle the number of visitors expected for the games. The 40 minutes I spent in the customs line snaking around the baggage carousel, did, however, allow for the penning of the first lyrics to my new hit single, "The Customs Line From Ipanema."

-Also strange is the lack of any nod to the Olympics in Rio via logos, signage or any other hint that the country is excited to be hosting. It wasn't something I went looking for, but instead realized upon leaving. Not a big deal 3 years out, just weird.

Below are just a few images, including some dirt shots and the required Christ The Redeemer photo and the view from this engineering, construction and spiritual marvel. One the golf side, I've included a view from the 6th tee playing over the existing dune, as well as the approach to the par-4 7th green where you can see some bunkers rough-shaped in.

Bill Geist Video: "Mini golf course designers? Who knew?"

Bill Geist's Sunday Morning segment featured a wonderful visit to the Jersey Shore to meet mini-golf architect Glenn Lynn. He is resurrecting Hurricane Sandy victim Barnacle Bill's miniature golf course, a community centerpiece.



The show also featured a segment on Thomas Burke's birdhouses, one of which is the Augusta National Clubhouse.

Fate Of Keiser's Bandon Muni TBD

Matt Ginella with an update from Mike Keiser on his attempts to acquire a parcel of land in a state parks land swap to build a muni for the town of Bandon.

It doesn't sound great...

“It’s no better than 50/50 that this will happen,” says Mike Keiser, owner of Bandon Dunes, the five-course resort on the Southwest Coast of Oregon.

Keiser’s admittedly frustrated. He has land, money, a vision for a lasting legacy that would continue to positively impact the locals and the local economy, and yet he’s having a hard time giving it away. He has been trying to negotiate a land swap with the Oregon State Parks Department for four years. He’s set to meet again on Wednesday, May 15, where he says he will make his final offer.

Delicate-Pitch One-Shotters, Or What's Left Of Them

In Golf World's recent Architecture Issue, Ron Whitten highlighted a handful of the game's great 120 yards and less pitch par-3s.

The collection is posted at GolfDigest.com, and of course any nominations you might have for others he left out are welcomed. The only one missing for my money was the 16th at Engineers, the infamous "2 or 20" hole. You can see it and read about it on GolfClubAtlas.com's write up.

Included in Whitten's group was The Los Angeles Country Club's recently restored bye hole on the North Course, Little 17. (Pictured right.)

Doak & Urbina Reunite For A Bandon Himalayas Course

Matt Ginella reports that Mike Keiser has reunited architect Tom Doak with the longtime associate he let go about the time the duo opened the magnificent Old Macdonald course.

This time Doak will be designing and Jim Urbina will be shaping a Himalayas-style putting course at Bandon Dunes resort.

Punchbowl will utilize 125,000- to 150,000-square feet of dunesland between the clubhouse at Pacific Dunes and the Pacific Ocean. The eighth green at Old Macdonald is 25,000 square feet and is currently the biggest single green on property. The Himalayas at the Old Course is roughly 140,000 square feet.

The land is being cleared now. Urbina says the goal is to have it seeded by May and the first putt might be as soon as the fall.

Couples On Riviera's 10th: "It's not as fun because it's more of a struggle."

As the Northern Trust Open first round neared a conclusion before play was called at 5:43, Riviera's 10th was playing to a 4.056 average and for the first time several players suggested that maybe the short par-4 beloved by so many wasn't as fun as it used to be.

Several players referred to "changes" but the only difference this year is the Stimpmeter reading of 12 and increased firmness from a lack of rain. The last major changes to the green caem in 2009 when the surrounding bunker lips were lowered.

Fred Couples after an opening 68:

Q.  Since you've been here, how have you played 10 in the past?  Do you feel like it's been one of your better holes here at Riviera?

FRED COUPLES:  Yeah, I said that yesterday.  I used to tell my caddie being a little cocky that when we teed off, just put the 3 on the card, because I birdied it so many times, and now I think if you look at the last four years I've played, I barely make pars on it.  I bogeyed it last year twice.  They might need to re‑evaluate that green here in the near future.

It's really slopey, and the front of the green goes up and the back goes like that and the balls are rolling over.  It's all fun and hunky‑dory when you try to drive the green but when you get around the green and you're playing 35 feet left of the flag because there's nowhere to go, it kind of defeats the purpose.

And...

Q.  Is it fun?

FRED COUPLES:  It's not as fun because it's more of a struggle.  There's nowhere to drive it.  If you're good enough to drive it in that grass and pop it up in the air and have it trickle on the front of the green, you're really a good player.

But if you drive it on the green, it rolls down across and they have shaved it and it just rolls to where there's nowhere to go, except when the pin is in the very front.  But the other three days, you're chipping 40 feet from the hole.

Lee Westwood, making his first Riviera appearance in six years, opened with 68 and said after the round:

They have changed it since I played it, six or seven years ago.  There's like a run‑off area down the left if you hit driver, so it runs too far and then you've got to come around the bunker to a back right flag.

So it's really difficult to play it now, and there's no fringe around the green, around the bunkers.  So anything, it's a very severe green, it's very quick and anything that spins off goes in the trap.  It's significantly harder than the last time I played it.  I probably still haven't quite figured out how you play it but I think most of the people will be in the same position to be honest.

Phil Mickelson, birdied the hole en route to an opening 71:

Q.  Would 10 be any better, if they worked with it more, could it be a better hole than it already is?

PHIL MICKELSON:  Well, I think it was ten years ago, but over time, greens are going to shrink, kikuyu is going to keep in.  As we have got firmer greens, it's become a hole that you used to try to make a three on and you're pretty happy today to make a four.

I got lucky today in the sense that I hit a perfect chip shot and made a great putt but this hole is going to play over par.  It's very difficult to make threes there right now.

Q.  On 11, you turned and watched Westwood play his shot; is that one hole you can sit and watch out of curiosity how guys play and what they do?
   
PHIL MICKELSON:  Yeah, I always enjoy watching him chip around the greens, too, though.

It is fascinating how, as the green has sped up and the hole becomes more difficult, how much it seems to be in the heads of the world's best. I'm not sure it's quite as extreme as some are describing simply because so few actually lay-up off the tee in the proper area.

Either way, Doug Ferguson filed a fun summary of the early morning antics Thursday worth a look. Most notably, Humana Challenge winner Brian Gay opened with a triple bogey 7.

He's among the shorter hitters in golf, and chose to lay up to the left. He had 58 yards left and a decent angle to the diagonal green. The safe shot would have been a pitch that landed on the front of the green and rolled up to about 20 feet. Gay realized the middle part of the green sloped hard to the left, so he took on a small gap just to the left of the front bunker.

It was a smaller margin of error, and he made an error. The shot was too far to the right and went into the sand. He compounded that by aiming at the flag, and his bunker shot went through the green into the back bunker. His next shot hit the 8-inch lip of the bunker and rolled back to the sand. He hit the next onto the green about 7 feet away, and the missed his putt. Triple bogey.

His caddie, Kip Henley, walked over to the 11th tee and said, "What the hell just happened?"

He added a few minutes later, "This has got to be one of the top five holes on tour. Maybe the best. And I'm saying that after my man made triple."

Mark Lamport Stokes reports on the first round, where Matt Kuchar's 64 led the way.

A few images from the opening day, including Jonas Blixt's hot pink shoes, Adam Scott's range bag-turned-putter cover and the tallest professional basketball player in the world making an appearance.

IGF "Very Concerned" Over Rio Golf Construction Delay

AroundtheRings.com scores an exclusive chat with International Golf Federation head Antony Scanlon, who is hoping to bring attention to the stalled Rio 2016 golf course project on the eve of the IOC Coordination Commission's visit to Rio.

“We are very concerned,” Scanlon admits to ATR. “The IGF are anxiously waiting for the necessary legislation to be passed at the next sitting of the Rio de Janeiro council and that all the required contracts, licenses and permits are issued and able to be executed immediately so that construction proper can commence as soon as possible.”

Meanwhile the Rio people responded by saying everything is A-okay, according to their communications director, Carlos Villanova.

"The Organizing Committee has been keeping IGF informed of all developments and counted on its expertise in several occasions, including the selection of the design for a new golf course.

"American designer Gil Hanse has already relocated to Rio as planned, to oversee the construction works.

"The necessary legislation has been voted by the Rio de Janeiro Council; hence the start of construction remains on track for April."

The project was originally slated to commence in October...of last year.