For several years now, a spring gathering of golf geeks has taken place in Kohler, WI. We drive up, play 36 holes, and drive home. It is a gloriously exhausting day with a great group of guys on courses I enjoy – and I don’t think I’m ever going back. Here’s why. This year, weContinue reading “So Long Kohler”
Category Archives: Golf Course Architecture
Whippoorwill Club Tour by Jon Cavalier
WHIPPOORWILL CLUB – A COURSE TOUR & APPRECIATION Armonk, NY – Charles Banks Whippoorwill, in my view, is one of the most underrated clubs in the United States. I played Whippoorwill in the fall, and I found the course to have a distinct flavor, and one worth the time to display. As you’ll see in theseContinue reading “Whippoorwill Club Tour by Jon Cavalier”
Journey Along the Shores – Part 21 (Burn Baby Burn)
There’s a new boss at Canal Shores – a Burn Boss, that is – and his name is Steve Neumann. Steve is the Chair of our Grounds Committee as well as the Eco Committee that recently completed creation of the Ecological Component of our Master Plan (click here to see the Eco plan). Being aContinue reading “Journey Along the Shores – Part 21 (Burn Baby Burn)”
The Next 99 – Scott Pavalko & Jim Urbina at Bob O’Link
This post was a long time in the making. Like Bob O’Link’s architectural history – first with Ross, then with Alison, and now with Urbina – it involves intertwined threads. Growing up on the North Shore and caddying at Old Elm Club, I was aware of Bob O’Link, but had never seen or played it. Continue reading “The Next 99 – Scott Pavalko & Jim Urbina at Bob O’Link”
Musings on Greenkeeping
Okay, that title is a bit click-baity. These musings are not exactly about greenkeeping. I know only enough to be dangerous. What I do know with certainty is that a Golf Course Superintendent’s job is hard. I have the good fortune of counting among my friends quite a few greenkeepers. I watch them work andContinue reading “Musings on Greenkeeping”
THE MAN, THE MYTH – KYLE HEGLAND & SAND HILLS
Sand Hills Golf Club was more a myth than a real place for me. Located in Nebraska, Coore & Crenshaw’s modern masterpiece sparked a golf architecture renaissance that has fueled my passion for the subject, and the game itself. I had heard stories that one could write a polite letter to Sand Hills’s owner, Mr.Continue reading “THE MAN, THE MYTH – KYLE HEGLAND & SAND HILLS”
Desert Forest Daydreaming
This post started as a cure for the winter blues. My business travels usually take me to Scottsdale in December, affording an opportunity to see my favorite desert golf course – Desert Forest. No such luck in 2017, and I found myself missing it greatly. My first visit to Desert Forest was with Dan Moore,Continue reading “Desert Forest Daydreaming”
Journey Along the Shores – Part 20 (Spring Project)
Our Superintendent Tony Frandria and Assistant Superintendent John Lee have worked wonders to continue the improvement of our putting surfaces. However, there is not much that they can do when those surfaces have shrunk to a size much smaller than originally intended. Such is the case on our 17th and 18th greens. It is alsoContinue reading “Journey Along the Shores – Part 20 (Spring Project)”
Journey Along the Shores – Part 19 (All About the Trees)
Over the past several years, countless hours have been spent in the field and in meetings to assess the state of our tree population, and to chart a course forward toward making that population larger and significantly healthier. Our findings will not be a surprise to anyone who has taken the time to look closelyContinue reading “Journey Along the Shores – Part 19 (All About the Trees)”
MUSINGS ON GREATNESS
First things first – there is no such thing as objectivity when it comes to assessing the greatness of a golf course. And objectivity in ranking one golf course’s greatness versus another? Please. Fortunately though when it comes to having good geeky fun with your buddies talking golf courses, objectivity is irrelevant. What isContinue reading “MUSINGS ON GREATNESS”