My essay in Paul Daley's GAVIII

[Mike Nuzzo]

Paul Daley's GAV III is great. There have been several threads about the book and I recommend searching for those, as well as picking up his books.  I have really enjoyed every essay I've read - I have a few to go yet...

I hope there has been enough time for many of you to have picked up a copy.

To date I have had very good feedback on my essay:
"Non-traditional paths to becoming a golf course designer"
Would anyone who has read my essay please share their opinions?
If you don't have a copy, you can find it on my website.  Which will hopefully entice you to pick up a copy too!

Thank you.

Mike

Here is Paul's site:
http://www.fullswinggolf.com.au/

[GregRamsay]

Mike, greatly enjoyed your essay, and your personal illustration of the many and varied routes people take to get into golf course architecture!  It will give heart to the many readers of Paul's excellent book, who are no doubt fantasising about chucking in their current life and hitting the road to lay out golf courses!

I had no idea Walter Travis was a machinery merchant before dabbling in golf course architecture, and enjoyed the story about how Rod Whitman met Bill Coore- and now Rod finds himself reading contours and shaping greens, instead of using his pyschology degree to read minds and shape mentality.

Like yourself, Greg Norman's head designer Bob Harrison is a trained engineer, and he has certainly put those skills to good effect on 2 courses that come to mind- Sanctuary Lakes which was just an awful old saltpan south of Melbourne which now has a thousand homesites and 18very good golf holes (albeit they are somewhat compromised by the crowding of the homesites), and Brookwater up in tropical Queensland-, a rollercoast ride up and down some enormous hills and through some very deep gullys, which has drainage pipes on some holes so large a man can walk through them.

All the best with Bull Creek Golf Club Mike,

Greg Ramsay

[Jason Topp]

Mike:

I found your article interesting as well.  I'm a lawyer and it is interesting how people wound up in that profession.  I got there after an essentially unmarketable psychology degree.  My wife was an English teacher.  Other friends included:

several engineers
newspaper reporter
construction worker
lead singer for a band that played at a local amusement park
figure skater
accountant

In law school, my experience was that those with engineering and science backgrounds flourished while those with english backgrounds struggled.  I think the discipline of writing and defending scientific writings translates pretty well to arguing legal issues.

[RJ_Daley]

Mike,  You described how hurricane Allison gave you an opportunity to make lemonaide out of that lemon event, what did you get out of Rita?

[Philip Gawith]

Mike - I read and enjoyed your essay. It does confirm that people with certain skills/backgrounds (such as yourself) might be able to redeploy those skills to fashion a career in golf course architecture.

But what of people whose skills are not so easily transferred? Who don't have engineering or software backgrounds? If I am specialist in anything it is communications. I am not sure your article would give anyone of my background comfort that they can make their way in GCA (not that you make that claim).

I suppose you might argue that people like Tom Doak and Geoff Shackelford have got into architecture in part through golf journalism. But somehow I don't see GCA practices welcoming the thought of lots of CV's (resumes? sp?) dropping through the post-box from sundry humanities students.

[Lou_Duran]

Mike,

With a bit of intelligence, great passion, a feel for the game, and extraordinary self-discipline, I have no doubt that one can become successful in gca.  Of course, like in golf, practice makes perfect.

OT, I looked for the memorial plaque in the unchartered territory left of #10 at WP this Saturday, but it was too overgrown to traverse.  I suppose no one has been through there in the intervening three years.

Firm and fast, the course was not short of fantastic; quite possibly in my top three in TX.  Certainly, the best bermuda (Champion) greens I've ever putted, and even at 13', very entertaining and "fair".  If you can get by there before they close in Dec., I think you would be impressed.  I still played like a dog for the most part, but it was a great revelation (just how important the proper maintenance is in bringing out the architectural features).

[Tom_Doak]

Mark:

Of course my college training was in Landscape Architecture, and when starting college everyone thought I should be an engineer   , so my background is more like Mike Nuzzo's than like most writers'.  However, my mom had a BA in Journalism (U of Missouri 1940) so I had the basics of writing instilled in me quite young.

[PThomas]

Lou - I have to disagree with your first sentence:  I think i have at least some of each of the 4 qualities you describe in your first sentence - no smart remarks anyone re the intelligence factor! , but I don't  see how I could EVER be a GCA...

at least to me it seems that , for sure re great courses and probably for most others as well, a GCA is definitely an artist to some degree, a skill  I have absolutely none of, unfortunately

[Mike Nuzzo]

Greg,
Thank you for the compliments.
Interesting to hear about Bob Harrison - I've heard nothing but good stuff here and first hand about his work.
While Bull Creek may be on the back burner - for now - my new project has a surprisingly similar name - which might not be such a coincidence.

Jason,
I wish I had an english degree and a psychology degree - and I guess I am getting closer to both.  

RJ,
Rita - well it created a bond with my current owner / project - I was on site when everyone started to evacuate - I got into Houston pretty quickly - but was then stuck... He had to evacuate, and has asked for provisions for a hurrican shelter in the clubhouse.  

Philip,
I agree you need to have lots of skills, and maybe they are lying dormant.  As for communications and PR - the golf industry is sorely needing sophisticated versions of both, and helping a builder or architet can be leverage to learn more of what someone doesn't know.

Lou,
Fortunately I have more than a wee bit of intelligence...  
I will say visualization and creativity are also most important - aside from salesmanship...
I'll have to petition WP's for my plaque.   Thanks for looking.
My latest project will be FIRM and FAST!!!
Can't wait to get you out there.

Tom,
I don't remember any engineering classes that I liked in total.
Figuring out the really hard stuff had it's rewards, but fun???  Not.  How much fun is it taking tests where the means are in the 30% range.

Paul,
I agree - see above.

Should another thread be started?
GAVII POLL
Who has the great book?
I would have thought more do, but I've heard there may have only been a modest dent made by the treehouse.

Cheers

[Jeff_Mingay]

Seriously, if anyone who frequents this web site doesn't have ALL of Paul Daley's books, it should be a crime.

If not a crime, you must be put on "the cheapsake list"  

[Joe Hancock]

Jeff,

If you have an entrepeneurial (?) bone in your body, you will get Paul's books into mp3 format and market them. That way, I can listen to them while bulldozing!

You are one of them entre-manure fellars, aren't ya?

Joe