How was this created? The more great golf holes and courses I saw, the more frequently that question popped into my head. So began my journey down the rabbit hole of golf course architecture. Routing, contours, grass lines, hazards, greens. The history, the architects, the clubs. The deeper I go, the more fascinated I become.
My novice perspective includes a healthy respect and admiration for the talents and dedication necessary to design, build and maintain a golf course. It is mind boggling in many regards. That is why you won’t see much criticism in my writing. The world already has enough armchair architecture critics. I am here to learn and celebrate.
This is an art and science – a craft – the study of which can never be exhausted. Come on down the rabbit hole with me…
MOST RECENT ARCHITECTURE POST
LANGUAGE MATTERS
It is a common tendency to label and categorize the things and experiences in our lives. That is part of the way that we understand and make sense of the world around us, and it is useful to a point. When applied to works of art, an argument can be made that our impulse to categorize can be a hindering distraction. If a song kicks ass, does it matter if it is labeled hard rock or heavy metal? Of course not. Read more…
MORE GOLF COURSE ARCHITECTURE
DEGREES OF INTERVENTION – ARCHITECTS ROUNDTABLE
The earliest golf courses were truly minimalist. Laid out over rumpled linksland with blowouts for hazards and greens in rabbit-nibbled hollows. It didn’t take long for man to begin imposing his vision and will on the landscape, especially as course building moved inland and the horse was replaced by the steamshovel. This progression would give birth to the discipline of golf course architecture, and through the years a spectrum of design intervention developed. Read more on TheFriedEgg.com…
SCHOOLS OF DESIGN
The schools of architecture are like musical genres, and understanding the schools helps a player appreciate the artform. To be more precise, “schools” is a categorical reference to how the designers arrange the elements of a hole to produce a particular experience for the player. Aesthetics and design style are a different matter. Read more on TheFriedEgg.com…
MY FAVORITE TEMPLATE
When it comes to golf course architecture, it doesn’t get much geekier than MacRaynor templates. It should come s no surprise that I love the templates, and the one I love most of all is the Leven. In an age when length is dominating the consciousness of the game, the Leven stands as a testament to strategic principles. I have not yet met one that isn’t one of my favorite holes, and I wanted to learn more. Read more…
WHAT MY KIDS TAUGHT ME ABOUT ARCHITECTURE
My son Jack is 15 years old and my son Henry is 7 years old. This season, I officially became one of those lucky golf geek dads whose kids are golf-crazed. We play most of our golf together at Canal Shores, but we also had outings over the summer at Kingsley Club, Champion Hill, and Arcadia Bluffs. Read more…
AMERICA’S GREAT 18s
After seeing an article in a golf magazine about the perfect 18 holes, I got to thinking about what my favorite 18 holes would be. After all, I love a good list. With no offense to the publication in question, I find the typical lists to be a bit too easy to create. Read more…
RIGHT ON THE SWEET SPOT
This time around it was different. They changed the name, and they changed their game. The third installment of Architecture Week on Golf Channel’s Morning Drive took a different approach, and for me, it hit the sweet spot. Read more…
A DOAKY SEASON
My season started with Streamsong Blue and will hopefully include a fall stop at Lost Dunes. Those courses have received considerable attention, for good reason. This season, through happenstance, I have been lucky enough to play 4 of Tom’s perhaps lesser-known courses – Black Forest, The Rawls Course, CommonGround, and Apache Stronghold. I thought it might be interesting to highlight, compare and contrast those courses here. Read more…
COORE & CRENSHAW’S GREAT 18
Playing C&C’s courses never fails to be a joy for me. Their courses just look right to my eye, and they are a challenging blast to play. The broad strokes of routing, green siting, and undulation are masterful, and the attention to the little details is always off the charts. Read more…
AN HOMAGE TO THE SHORT PAR 3
“In this era of obscene power, the likes of which the game has never witnessed, why not strive to induce a little fun into the mix and at the same time present a true test of delicacy and accuracy?” – Ben Crenshaw. This quote from an essay in Geoff Shackelford’s book Masters of the Links resonates with me. Read more…
AN EVENING WITH JIM URBINA
As a member of GolfClubAtlas.com, I was fortunate to be able to attend a dinner with my fellow GCA geeks this week at which Jim Urbina gave an insightful talk that he themed, The Evolution of a Golf Course. From his original collaborations with Tom Doak on courses such as Pacific Dunes, Old Macdonald and Sebonack, to his restorations of classics such as Pasatiempo and Valley Club of Montecito, Jim continues to make his mark and connect us to the soul of the game. Read more…
ARCHITECTS WEEK II IS IN THE BOOKS
Once again, the folks at Golf Channel have put together a nice Architects week feature. Matt Ginella continues to evolve as a voice for the good of the game, giving us a break from Tour & Tip coverage, to help us connect to the soul of the game – golf courses and the people who create them. Read more…
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO DONALD ROSS
Today is the birthday of my favorite golf course architect – Donald Ross. Having grown up caddying and playing on a Ross course, I admit to my bias. Ross was a creative genius, and is arguably the most prolific architect in history with involvement in 400+ courses across the U.S. (not to mention that he was also a fine player and pro). Read more…
THE ART OF COURSE
There is much hand-wringing and serious conversation these days about the state of the game. Rounds are down, and so are the total number of players playing. The talk revolves around how to get the game growing again through future-forward change and progress. Read more…
TAKE THE RISK, GET THE REWARD
Whenever I can, I sneak away on my frequent business trips to Arizona to play one of my favorites – the Coore & Crenshaw gem, Talking Stick. On my most recent outing to Talking Stick, one of my all-time favorite holes, the short par-4 12th (more on that hole later), got me to thinking about risk-reward holes par 4s, and why they are so great. Read more…
Copyright 2017 – Jason Way, GeekedOnGolf
You don’t really have a Lido tattoo, do you?
I really do. Somebody had to do it.