The importance of being first...

[Philippe Binette]

If a Doak, or a C&C or anybody else showed up tomorrow and built a course in a sandy pine forest with open sand-area, bushes and eveything (you know I mean Pine Valley) awesome greens and strategy...

Will this course have a chance to be in the top 100 in the world or just called a good course like Pine Valley and because it's the second course like that, it won't be nowhere in the rankings?

So design is not only about the product, but also about having the idea?

[Joe Hancock]

I think most strive to be original to whatever extent that's possible.

By the way, I feel important by being the first to respond.

Joe

[Sean Leary]

While the courses aren't very similar, didn't this happen when Pacific Dunes was built?  Granted, Bandon Dunes is no Pine Valley, but Pacific has certainly achieved higher acclaim.

[Jason Blasberg]

World Woods Pine Barrens is highly ranked by at least one major publication.  Perhaps b/c it's in FL it stand out more than say being in the NJ Pine Barrens, but Galloway and Hidden Creek have also both been well received.  

As far as World Top-100, I think Boston Golf Club has got the best chance of any Pine Valley-like topography that I've seen.  It certainly has some holes that appear as if they could be in the NJ Pine Barrens.      

[RJ_Daley]

Firsts of a golf design-environment genre seems like they will be very hard to come by.  What manner of land hasn't a course been built upon.  Once you've seen one course built on crushed lava fields, you've seen them all...

[Jay Flemma]

Yeah, I also really love World Woods and even like some of the work at Pine Hill as well.  Both are still ranked quite well.  I think there's room for two in the marketplace if their are executed correctly. There's so many factors to consider besides the general "statement of purpose"...

[Tom_Doak]

Philippe:

I think being first counts for something.  The TPC at Sawgrass is ranked and PGA West isn't, even though they are quite similar in strategy.  Mauna Kea is still ranked because it was the first course on lava.  Sand Hills will probably always be ahead of other courses in the same setting, no matter how good they are, because it's the granddaddy.  And Pine Valley will always be Pine Valley.

But, as Pine Barrens at World Woods proves, you can have another course in a similar style to one of the leaders and still make the list.  If not, there wouldn't be room for any heathland course except Sunningdale and any Sand Belt course except Royal Melbourne, and there wouldn't be any Seth Raynor courses on there at all  

[Wayne Freeman]

Philippe-  in medicine we have a saying that even in a crowded area "there's always room for another good man" (or woman).  Find a great piece of property, put a lot of care and thoughtfulness in and you can have another top 100-  witness Whistling Straits,  Friar's Head, and Old Sandwich.  All three were masterfully crafted and look like they've been around for years.  Yes, they have similarities to others, but they are still very unique and wonderful in their own way.