Architect Drawings

« **on:** April 29, 2005, 06:01:12 PM »

I was just thumbing through Ross' "Golf Has Never Failed Me" and I noticed how wonderful some of his drawings were. Beautiful hand lettering and attention to detail in textures and whatnot.

Who do you find to do interesting drawings? And can you show any examples?

How important for the architect is the ability to draw in order to quickly illustrate concepts?

« **Reply #1 on:** April 29, 2005, 06:27:28 PM »

Adam,

If I'm not mistaken, most of those nice Ross drawings are the handiwork of Walter Irving Johnson - Ross' draftsman at Pinehurst.

Tom Simpson's drawing is wonderful. Check out his book, with H.N. Wethered, The Architectural Side of Golf. The book features some very attractive Simpson drawings, that actually make me think of Mike Strantz' stuff. It's somewhat similiar art.

I also enjoy Dr. Mackenzie's "loose" plans. His original routing maps for Alwoodley, Augusta, Ohio State, and others aren't technical, but very attractive nonetheless.

As for modern architects, Don Placek, from Doak's office, has dome some very nice work. I also like some sketches I've seen by Kyle Phillips, Ron Prichard, and Gil Hanse - who's style seems to be an interesting cross between Johnson and Flynn.

Perhaps the best though, based on his work in Paul Daley's Favourite Holes by Design and those wonderful sketches of each hole at Barnbougle Dunes, is Michael Cocking of Australia.

In fact, Daley's aforementioned book presents an interesting study of the drafting/sketching work of many contemporary architects throughout the world.

« **Reply #2 on:** April 29, 2005, 08:17:56 PM »

Few drawings can compare in style and accuracy of Flynn's drawings. Most of the presentation drawings in India Ink on linen were done in pencil by Flynn and the inking done by W.S. Nichols of Philadelphia. They are amazing, especially the WSN's drawing of the proposed Miami Beach Polo Club clubhouse.

« **Reply #3 on:** April 29, 2005, 10:20:11 PM »

Jeff

Michael is terrific - his dad paints and he has spent time with a friend of mine,Bob Wade who is one of Australia's best water colourists.
Bob does a little golf work and it is outstanding.
Ben Crenshaw has Bob's painting of the 11th at The Country Club and almost every leading club on the sandbelt has examples of his work.

« **Reply #4 on:** April 30, 2005, 09:03:00 AM »

Strantz does some wondeful sketches, check them out on his website.

http://www.mikestrantzdesign.com/sketches.html

« **Reply #5 on:** April 30, 2005, 09:21:19 AM »

I actually have a few Bill Coore hole drawings! Now that might not be as non-existent as a Bill Coore email but it could be really rare nonetheless!

But the rarest might be a Geo Crump drawing. It looks like the drawing of a ten year old which is sort of odd as he had truly stylish hand-writing.

Hugh Alison hole drawings are very interesting too---they have that typical sort of English drawing style "wind-blown" look.

« **Reply #6 on:** April 30, 2005, 10:43:18 AM »

Adam,

Contour lines on plan drawings can mean nothing to some shapers, and therefore require the architect to sketch up the green complex. So it is important to be able to draw well enough to communicate your ideas to the people building your design, although to be as artistic and talented as Mike Strantz or Tom Simpson - not mandatory.

I believe Pete Dye would often sculpt his ideas in the dirt as a means of communicating his ideas, and I known Stanley Thompson used plasticine models of green complexes to express his design intentions to the shapers.

TK

« **Reply #7 on:** April 30, 2005, 11:38:38 AM »

Most of the drawings that are in scale or with contour lines are easy enough to figure out for length and width but the height dimensions need that usual numbered list of so-called "construction instructions" on the side of the hole drawing. That's the way William Flynn did it and the way Ross/Johnson did it.

« **Reply #8 on:** April 30, 2005, 01:04:43 PM »

I also like the drawings of Johnson/Ross and Flynn -- very clean and precise. Willie Park's were similar. MacKenzie's free hand ink and water color drawing are fabulous--his drawing of the Old course might be the most famous GA drawing of all time. Simpson was probably the most artistic of the old guys. RTJ was a very good artist as well. I'd like to see more Stanley Thompson drawings...I suspect he had some talent too.

How would you describe Travis and Raynor's drawing style?

« **Reply #9 on:** April 30, 2005, 01:16:40 PM »

"How would you describe Travis and Raynor's drawing style?"

I'd describe their drawing style as remarkably like their architectural style on the gournd. Raynor's whole course drawing of the Creek Club feels a lot like the Raynor style of architecture, straigthish and squarish lines--sort of boxy. That course plan of the Creek is unusual in that it's about five feet long and about 1 1/2 feet wide. Never saw a plan in that size before but it does sort of fit the basic shape of the property. Travis's PVGC drawings are a very unusual style too--also sort of boxy and bold.

« **Reply #10 on:** April 30, 2005, 01:19:31 PM »

TE
Did Travis draw those hole plans used in the reverse PV article?

« **Reply #11 on:** April 30, 2005, 02:17:03 PM »

"TE
Did Travis draw those hole plans used in the reverse PV article?"

Tom:

I don't know but it would certainly seem logical to assume he did since the article by him mentions how interested he was in that PVGC reverse routing and how hard he worked on it (and those few holes drawings are of a PVGC reverse routing). Also those PVGC reverse routing drawings from the magazine are identical in style to that set that Gil got from PVGC's archives years ago and gave me a copy of. Who drew that 18 hole set was always a mystery to me and Gil but I distinctly remember you saying on here within the last six months that they were Travis. Gil sure always wanted to know who they were as he always thought that drawing style was so unusual.

« **Reply #12 on:** April 30, 2005, 02:37:04 PM »

Like his golf courses , in some way I quite liked Desmond Muirheads drawings . I really wish I had saved all of the ones on his website . You can still find some through archive.org , but some days they work and others they dont , but with paitence you can still find some like these of Crestview .

Please tell me the 12th hole was built like that .

Regards
Brian

http://web.archive.org/web/20011224185408/www.golfdesigner.com/Drawings/crestview/Crestview_Hole_12.JPG

http://web.archive.org/web/20011225090356/www.golfdesigner.com/Drawings/crestview/Crestview_Hole_17.JPG

http://web.archive.org/web/20020622130558/www.golfdesigner.com/Drawings/crestview/Crestview_Hole_7.JPG

http://web.archive.org/web/20011224200249/www.golfdesigner.com/Drawings/crestview/Crestview_Hole_10.JPG

« **Reply #13 on:** April 30, 2005, 03:05:15 PM »

Brian,
I don't know if that golf course even got built!

Desmond would draw those out and then send them to his daughter Romy who would then colorize them. (She is an exceptional artist in her own right) Father & daughter working simpatico. How often do you see that?

Some of her original paintings of his golf holes are very "Realist" in their own way. He used to have some of her paintings on his website.

« **Reply #14 on:** April 30, 2005, 03:18:54 PM »

TE
Its a mystery to me too.

Brian/Tommy
About what year are those Muirhead drawings?

« **Reply #15 on:** April 30, 2005, 03:32:42 PM »

"TE
Its a mystery to me too."

Tom:

I'm almost certain you said on here in the last six months that set of 18 hole drawings of PVGC were Travis.

Travis certainly used the individual hole drawings of that set in his article as the "before" hole drawings to his "after" reverse routed holes in the article in American Golfer.

The style of those PVGC hole drawings and Travis's reverse hole drawing are very similar but they don't appear exactly similar. The "Ts" for instance, are not the same, the flags are not identical, as well as a few other stylistic differerences.

Well, then, maybe that initially mysterious set of PVGC hole drawings goes back to being a mystery again. If so I guess the most logical conclusion at this point would be that they're Crump's drawings. I could be more sure if they were or weren't Crump's if I could ever find that drawing Crump did of #17 for a local newspaper or magazine. That's the only truly attributed Crump hole drawing I've ever heard of but I've never seen it.

« **Reply #16 on:** April 30, 2005, 04:17:00 PM »

Tom
I guess around 1997 .

You can still get all his articles here , some have more of the sketches .
http://web.archive.org/web/20000301233759/www.golfdesigner.com/news.htm

Tommy
Unfortunately I guess you are right . There is also sketches of Green Valley on the website , which was planned for Aythuya in Thailand , and it was never built also .

Brian

« **Reply #17 on:** April 30, 2005, 04:51:39 PM »

The time frame for the images should range from 1987 to 1996 or theraabouts. He didn't start having Romy color them until he recommitted to designing golf coures in 1984 - 86 (It took him a bit to get a project, althoughhis most trusted assistant, Ella claims to me that he neer ever really left golf course design at all. He just like to claim he did while persuing other interests like the art gallery and surfing.

« **Reply #18 on:** April 30, 2005, 05:31:04 PM »

A friend sent me this picture of the field drawing that he used at one of his designs. Might be sort of cool to have 18 random "thoughts" like this mounted on the wall of the clubhouse.

« **Reply #19 on:** April 30, 2005, 05:40:41 PM »

Schmuck, (

)

Is this some sort of sandstone or flattish rock? If so, was he using it for the contours and shapes in the rock, as much as he was using it for something to write on?

« **Reply #20 on:** April 30, 2005, 05:47:42 PM »

How great of a tee sign would that make? A few yardages hand painted on there and you have some distinctive signs.

Of course, i dislike signs...but if one must.....

Joe

« **Reply #21 on:** May 02, 2005, 10:50:33 AM »

I've got to say, I don't know much about him, but I find Muirhead to be one of the most interesting architects - I just love his bold, artistic approach to golf course design - I think he showed a lot of balls.

Those pics on the links that Brian posted are great - they fly in the face of tradition - and I think that makes them very interesting.

« **Reply #22 on:** May 02, 2005, 11:07:53 AM »

Are there any copies of these drawings and sketches available for purchase? When playing Chechessesse Creek Club they had several sketches of the holes and possible layouts framed throughout the clubhouse as done by Bill Coore. They were very well presented and I thought that they would look handsome in ones home or office.

« **Reply #23 on:** January 03, 2006, 02:22:57 PM »

Nicklaus drawings are terrible - I don't know how he get's anything across with them...

« **Reply #24 on:** January 03, 2006, 02:45:55 PM »

Pete Dye's are the best...I have one up on the wall in the office, I will take a pic of and try and post it.

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