All,
I just got off the phone reading our guys comments to Jim and Gil, and many of them are going to be looked at and considered in the scheme and time of things.
To answer some questions for them: (If I might be so bold)
The 9th green is my favorite on the golf course and I was shocked when Lynn told me that Geoff and Gil did little more than formalize the natural contours into putting surface. C.B. was correct, there is no improving on nature.
Gib, Jim was disappointed that you gave Geoff credit for this one, because it was pretty much Jim Wagner hisself that managed to preserve that contour. (It was actually all three of them and the response was made it jest
)
They also are asking exactly which fairway bunker on #9 you are talking about the extreme semi-blind right one called "Serge" or "Coffin" which lies blind over the other side of the rise?
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It seems just a tweak here and there, and Rustic could go from excellent to otherworldy. If Geoff and Gil made it a special project over a few years, I envision Rustic becoming a shrine of sorts, a mandatory visit on the resume of any aspiring architect. That's not hyperbole. Just close your eyes, think about what is there . . . . . and then what could be with a little money and the undivided attention of a couple geniuses.
They were very flattered and thanked you for such a high compliment.
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For instance, Lynn and I were discussing the third hole. We had some odd Santa Ana winds blowing off the hills, but the prevailing breeze is in the opposite direction. What happens is the left fairway is reoriented a bit and a Leven hole bunker/mounding feature is installed to block a clear view 25 yards in front of the green on the right side?
Maybe a bit artificial looking unless you move a lot of dirt to tie everything together, but strategically it would be astounding.
This one, personally I believe and so do they, (Jim and Gil) that your going to have to play this one a few more times to really see how unique it really is, especially in the prevailing wind vs. the Santa Ana conditions we have been experiencing a lot of in the last year. I constantly remind myself of a famed scribe whose opinion I greatly admire, who saw little need for the left side, and thats a common mis-conception about the hole which warrants not just another look but several different looks on how to play it. Its also perfectly situated in the round and (Chris, this is just one of the many reasons why the nines should NEVER be reversed!
) I have played successfully more times from over there then I have from the right side, which features my shot of shots--the bump and run, and also, I always remind myself of certain long players seem to think they can play the hole and reach the green or close-cropped approach everytime, yet walk away with a three-putt after not properly reading the green, which is that gentle, subtle nature running back up the hill.
It has also been my experience to see many a very fine golfer claim dominance over this hole and many others at RC, yet, I have yet to see them score well on it. They know they can birdie or eagle it, but they just haven't done it yet!
Re: #12 From the moment it was laid out, the talk of putting one solitary bunker right of the 12th green has been much discussed and debated. There were days out there where Geoff and I talked about pulling a fast one on Jim and digging out the bunker, getting it all shaped-out and then acting like, "who did that?!?!?" Even after debating it with David Moriarty for several hours, (and we all know how long David likes to debate!:)) he finally convinced me that the subtle nature of the hole without the bunker is pretty good, although I still conould be 50-50 on it! It doesn't matter really, because if you don't understand that the everything breaks on that green like M.C Hammer, then you'll know for sure where the charm lies. Its subtle, maybe too subtle, still.....
Pete,
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I think the collars of rough around the fairway bunkers are too wide and to thick; they lessen the severity and impact of their nature as a hazard. I spoke briefly with Geoff and he indicated that Gil would be trying to redefine their borders this week. Although I would prefer them eliminated, making them narrower would at least allow some shots to hop or skip in, and they would then be more effective at dictating strategy.
Both Gil and Jim have taken note and are going to look at it tomorrow.
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I've always wondered why the practice greens do not have the extended bent grass collars found on the course. Players have no chance to refine their techniques or warm up before the round.
Probably a really valid critique, but that could occur later. Jeff Hicks was the one who built the practice greens and maybe he can comment or I'll ask him about it later.
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The idea of something to block the line of sight to the 5th green from the 2cnd tee has great merit. Not more than a few minutes before Gib made this obervation I found myself scouting the 5th for the days pin, after over a dozen rounds under my belt. Although I soon realized my error, a small copse of trees would also help emphasize the stategy of the tee shot on 2, how close to the out of bounds on the left do I dare place my tee shot to gain the angle that defeats the tendency of the 2cnd green to shrug off shots fom the direct line to the back left of the green.
We part on this one Pete. Haven't you ever heard of the deceptive value of the 2nd shot at Hole O' The Cross on the Old Course, where your visually impared by the 5th green? Plant one conifer on my golf course and I'm loading up a van full of fertilizer and nitromethane and parking it in front of a Arts & Crafts house in Old Town!
Margarita Benham,
That being said, I visited the GCA write-up on Rustic this morning and I was shocked at the photos then compared to what we saw this past weekend. The photos show a more manicured course then what we saw. In fact, I loved the bunkers on #8 as we saw them (thankfully I wasn't in them), very natural looking, while the photos in the write-up were a tad too neat ...
You bring up a great point about Rustic Canyon. Since its such a natural golf course, we get very different clothes for it to dress up in during the year. This weekend you saw Fuzzy Green Foxtails, which in about two to three weeks are going to be gold in color and the entire landscape of Rustic will go into its prime spring and summer mode. When those pictures were taken, it was the first weekend in May of 2001, so you'll can get a good idea how it will look in just over a month. At the same time, the foxtails tend to break down a bit, exposing some of the really good-looking bunker work that is situated in front of the tee up to the turf that starts up to the hole. This is something you may or may not have noticed when you were there, but it looks eerily similar to me to bunker work I have found in the sticks at Pine Valley, and it does all kinds of twists and turns below you while yor on the tee, not really coming into play, unless your like me who has chilly-dipped a few of them in there a couple of times!
Late tomorrow or Wednesday, that green will be slightly extended right to allow for more pinnable space, as the right back contour is just a bit too bold for the green-speeds to keep it consistent with the others. If it was a private club, the size of the green is more then enough, but for a 80,000 round a year golf course, they need a bit more.
Another thing is that when the pictures were taken Rustic Canyon had the same glimmer as a new car being picked up from the dealer. Things do evolve, and at RC, despite all of the elements of Mother Nature that have wreeked havoc, each and everyone of them has also uniquely have had a postive effect too! Why else would Gil and Jim be there this week to repair a few things, yet make the few tweaks hey feel are needed to make it that much more of a better golf course.
Adam,
It took about 4:15 minutes tops to play Saturday, and this was a golf course that was carts on paths only. there are a few harmonious walks there, and that was just the nature of the place because of the eco-friendly wash.