Do you have a favourite course designer?

[Wolf]

I'm only just really starting to get into course design and would love to play some of Tillinghast's courses like Baltusrol, San Francisco and Bethpage.

But that being said I don't pick a course to play based on who designed it, if I like it then I don't care who laid it out..

 

[Norrin Radd]

who is Alistair McKenzie ,its not Alistair its ALISTER [pedant mode off]
for me McKenzie is the man ,ok I play a course designed by said but having played others and looking at Augusta with its tricky greens you can see a definate theme of tough to read greens ,as my course ,Willingdon ,will testify to.

 

[USER1999]

I don't like Harry Colts upturned saucer greens. He uses them too much, and it ruins good layouts to me. A few, ok, but often it is too many.

 

[Crow]

I have Alistair MacKenzie's 'spirit of st Andrews's'. It's pretty interesting. Gives an historical perspective on golf course construction, as well as discussing the principals on which he based his designs.
Turns out that he was extremely concerned that the golf ball was starting to go too far, and thought that socialism was the enemy of golf (well, pretty much everything actually).
I bought my copy quite cheaply from an American website selling off old library books...

Do you mean "The Spirit of Adventure" by R.F. Fletcher?

If so I have that too, excellent book.

 

[VVega]

Any recommendations for books?

Tom Doak’s Red book and the Confidential Guide.

 

[richart]

I don't like Harry Colts upturned saucer greens. He uses them too much, and it ruins good layouts to me. A few, ok, but often it is too many.

Means they drain great in the winter though.

 

[Deleted member 17920]

I have really got into golf course architecture this year and I think it's a really interesting side of the game that few get into.

I have a couple of favourite architects, golden age would be C.B. MacDonald and newer would be Tom Doak.

I like C.B.'s use of template holes in a time when machinery wasn't great, some of the courses he build in the time are increadable. The National and Chicago golf club to name a couple.

For Doak I like the simplicity of his courses. He doesn't try to do things just for the sake of it, he likes to use the land as it is if he can. He's created some of the modern classics, such as Tara Iti and Barnbougle Dunes.

There are many others I like their styles and features of the courses they built. I think it's an interesting topic to read up on, there's many books available. Currently working my way through a selection of books and always looking out for deals on other books.

After the work he has done on the Hotchkin I have looked at the other courses Tom Doak has designed and my god he has some crackers, cape kidnappers and Tara iti are 👌

Tom did a talk to the membership about the work he has done and he doesn’t try and trick the course up, just seems things from a amateur golfer as well.

 

[Slab]

Didn't think I had one but I guess by default my fav will need to be the guy who designed my favourite course, Heritage GC (sometimes known as Golf du Chateau) chap called Peter Matkovich
Doubt he's done anything in the northern hemisphere, think it'll be mostly courses in Africa. A former ET player in the late 60's early 70's
Of the courses he's done that I've played he seems to favour a medium to long par 4 to start with a wide fairway, very inventive with his par 3 designs, usually slips in a driveable par 4 somewhere (not driveable for me though) lost of variety of hole layouts and uses the natural topography well

 

[Deleted member 21258]

No, not sure why I would. I like golf courses not designers.

Bit like following bands, I liked songs not bands.

 

[Garush34]

After the work he has done on the Hotchkin I have looked at the other courses Tom Doak has designed and my god he has some crackers, cape kidnappers and Tara iti are 👌

Tom did a talk to the membership about the work he has done and he doesn’t try and trick the course up, just seems things from a amateur golfer as well.

He certainly does. Has Tom and team finished the work on the Hotchkin? I know they were just doing it in stages over the last few winters.

 

[Deleted member 17920]

He certainly does. Has Tom and team finished the work on the Hotchkin? I know they were just doing it in stages over the last few winters.

We have just completed the major work over the last 3 years doing 6 holes a year with his guidance.

There are still a few more tweaks but the major work has now finished and its just incredible what he has done.