Some of you might consider this thread a deviant offshoot of the 'thread that will not die', still playing in theater 2 next door....which has mercifully morphed into 'alpinization' [which probably deserves its own thread], but.....
Way back in another era, planners of large estates began to employ a design element called a 'Folly' in simple terms....while over in France the King was building the 'la petite trianon', a Folly of much more complexity
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Follies were generally new temples or ruins, classical in nature but not always, that were constructed within the landscape to provide interest and /or a place to gather.
I like to think that Follies were invented to fulfill a need.
...the Roman Empire had fallen 400 years earlier and probably by then some of their structures probably decayed into what some might find romantic ruins that I am sure dotted the countryside and were visited by many ....if you were lucky enough to have one on your estate, why that was great, but if not, why not create your own and place it where it would serve its best purpose?.....and so it went.
Some years back, after playing many of the great courses, I became intrigued with the use of hardscape elements as part of the strategy of many very successful holes....walls, ruins, structures etc.....and became equally frustrated because it became very hard to find a site that had pre-existing features where one might design with.
So, I decided to start experimenting with creating these same elements that were lacking, but with one proviso, these 'features' had to be central to the strategy of the hole, being only decorative would not do.....and they equally had to be believable, not only as part part of the landscape, but from a historical perspective as well.....i.e. no gothic castles in Kansas.
My first attempt in what I refer to as trying to put Davis Loves career in 'ruins', was with a four hole crossing in a dead flat area on the Love Barefoot course.
Although panned by some, the course was recently ranked by Golf Digest as the best in Myrtle Beach...and I have no doubt it would not be atop that dubious heap if it was not for the little extra provided by the STRATEGIC FOLLY, ...I mean ruins.
Since then I have been building strategic follies in the large scale shape of a civil war era earthen fortress on a course called the Patriot and of late we are building 60 acres of faux strategic ricefields on a course to be named Ricefields.
Like Dyes crossties, I think this design feature use will stand the test of time........I only hope Tom Macwood lives that long to let us know!