What should Ran do with the Inniscrone review ?

[Mike_Sweeney]

Many on this site are passionate about the renovation/restoration debate of old courses. This site has now been around long enough for a restoration of a GCA Ran reviewed modern course by a different architect.

I just read in a Philly golf magazine about Hurdzan & Fry's planned changes for Gil Hanse's original design at Inniscrone (http://www.golfclubatlas.com/inniscrone1.html) which I believe was a site of an early GCA outing. While the article does not go into great detail, it appears H&F will make some significant changes in the eyes of many Gil Hanse fans here.

The question has always been how to make GCA better and significant in the industry, and clearly Ran's reviews are the highlight for many when they first visit. So the question is how should Ran deal with the "New Inniscrone ?" Should he:

1. Write a new review and post it side by side for comparisons of the before and after that many here argue about for the older courses;

2. Write a new review which credits both designers and eliminate the old;

3. If Hurdzan & Fry's work is not Ran's cup of tea, which seems possible, should he pull the original review completely;

4 Other ?

[JakaB]

3. If Hurdzan & Fry's work is not Ran's cup of tea, which seems possible, should he pull the original review completely;

Yea...like Ran has ever posted a review that was not glowing...I have always wanted to know what was the worst thing Ran ever said in one of his profiles..

I know you guys love Hanse...but Dana Fry is truly one of the good guys of golf...

[Tommy_Naccarato]

John, I agree. Dana Fry is a great guy and so is Dr. Mike.

As far as Inniscrone, nothing disappoints me more then knowing that it will no longer be the same golf course I came to really enjoy. Some awfully good holes out there and four holes that needed some tweaking. Some of it major, some of it just the moving of tees to better, more realistic positions.

When Mike Cirba and Geoff Childs saw Rustic Canyon for the first time, I said to them both, "Can you believe it? I have my own Inniscrone out here!"

As far as keeping it on the list, well that's entirely up to Ran, but more then anything, it will be good for others to see what the course once used to look like when it was at its best.

[TEPaul]

Inniscrone golf course is a very interesting case. It's been in play now for around 5-6 years and that's enough time to allow a golf course to develop a reputation and enough time to be deemed a success or failure or something in between.

In fairness to Inniscrone the golf course, and architect Gil Hanse it's not just the course itself that was the sole factor in the pass its come to now---although the golf course has to be deemed some factor in that for sure.

Right out of the box Inniscrone suffered from being just too much in the wrong general area for what it was trying to accomplish and specifically the site of Inniscrone had a few too many inherent problems to overcome to avoid some serious criticism of some holes.

If Inniscrone hadn't had the competition it did from Fieldstone (ironically Hurzdan & Fry!) when both were starting up about the same time it would be very interesting to see what pass it would be in now. It would've been better but whether or not it would have been enough better to have avoided the situation it's now in is a real poser!

[Willie_Dow]

Mike

Option 1 seems to fit best here.  Inniscrone is too good a course, as is, to let it go without a comparison.  The problem is not the course, but the quality of play.

Hurzdan/Fry will probably soften the obstacles.  Make things easier for those willing to spend dollars to learn the game.  After all, what is the direction of the game after minature golf has consumed your desire.

As Tom has pointed out here "it's not just the course itself", but other factors.  The factors are that the people that play in that area didn't grow up on the Main Line.

Willie

[Dan_Callahan]

At the very least, I think the review should be preceded by the caveat that the the course has undergone significant changes since the publication of Ran's writeup.

[Adam_Messix]

Does anyone know when the course is going to be closed to go under the knife?  What I saw of it sure was interesting.  The sad thing will be to see those bunker disappear.