A look at Tom Doak’s brilliant reversible design, The Loop at Forest Dunes Golf Club “Golf is a science, the study of a lifetime, in which you can exhaust yourself but never your subject.” – David Forgan A golf course that can be readily grasped after a single round is not likely to ever beContinue reading “LIGHT BULB MOMENTS AT THE LOOP”
Category Archives: Golf Course Architecture
COURSE WORK AT KAMPEN
The third edition of this season’s Upping My Dye-Q series takes a look into the multi-dimensional Kampen Course at Purdue University’s Birck Boilermaker Golf Complex As an alum of the University of Illinois, it is not easy to give praise to Purdue. The simple truth, however, is that the golf geeks in West Lafayette haveContinue reading “COURSE WORK AT KAMPEN”
A WEE CHANGE AT CANAL SHORES
Part 26 of the Journey Along the Shores series takes a look at the creation of the Wee Burn When Cypress Point opened, it received universal praise. One would assume that a categorically positive reaction would please the architect. Instead, Dr. Alister MacKenzie famously expressed concern—in his experience, any golf course that didn’t turn offContinue reading “A WEE CHANGE AT CANAL SHORES”
BOLD, BEAUTIFUL BAYONNE
A LinksGems course tour and appreciation of the Eric Bergstol designed Bayonne Golf Club by Jon Cavalier Bayonne Golf Club is, to put it mildly, one of the more unique golf clubs in the United States. Built entirely from scratch by Eric Bergstol, the course represents the antithesis of the “minimalist” trend in golf course architecture,Continue reading “BOLD, BEAUTIFUL BAYONNE”
LANGUAGE MATTERS
Getting back on track with use of the term ‘minimalism’, among others in golf course architecture 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 aContinue reading “LANGUAGE MATTERS”
THE MIDWEST MACKENZIE – CRYSTAL DOWNS
An in-depth look at the collaboration of Dr. Alister MacKenzie and Perry Maxwell at Crystal Downs C.C. Crystal Downs is not Dr. Alister MacKenzie’s only Midwest design, but it is certainly his most highly regarded work in the region. The greatness of the course can be linked to the interest and variety inherent in theContinue reading “THE MIDWEST MACKENZIE – CRYSTAL DOWNS”
THE WRAP-AROUND AT CANAL SHORES
Part 25 of the Journey Along the Shores series recaps our off-season projects Much like the modern PGA Tour, the work season at Canal Shores never ends. Long after players have hung up their clubs in Chicagoland, our staff and volunteers keep plugging away on course improvements, deterred only by blizzards, bitter cold or torrentialContinue reading “THE WRAP-AROUND AT CANAL SHORES”
TILLIE’S TALE AT SOMERSET HILLS
An in-depth look at the A.W. Tillinghast designed Somerset Hills Country Club Somerset Hills embodies a rare opportunity for golf architecture aficionados and players alike. For the design enthusiast, it is a course to be studied closely as an integral step in the progression of one of America’s greatest architects, A.W. Tillinghast. This pivotal workContinue reading “TILLIE’S TALE AT SOMERSET HILLS”
FAIR IS A FOUR LETTER WORD AT FRENCH LICK
The second edition of this season’s Upping My Dye-Q series takes a look at The Pete Dye Course at French Lick Resort The devilish designer himself greets visitors to The Pete Dye Course at French Lick Resort. A statue of the creator of nearly one hundred golf courses over a decades-long career stands by theContinue reading “FAIR IS A FOUR LETTER WORD AT FRENCH LICK”
ROUTING PERFECTION AT SAND HILLS
A look at routing and the creation of Coore & Crenshaw’s modern masterpiece, Sand Hills Golf Club Sand Hills Golf Club is generally considered to be a modern masterpiece. Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw’s design has been credited as the original spark that lit the fire of the minimalist movement in golf course architecture, andContinue reading “ROUTING PERFECTION AT SAND HILLS”