Just as I remember, like playing golf on the moon. If only that place could be maintained as Strantz would have liked.
Actually RNK is the basis for one of my main GCA questions. I've asked it on here several times and get some good answers from the pros, but why is there such an apparent disconnect between the architect and his vision and the ongoing presentation (maintenance primarily) of the golf course? No answer needed, I just wanted to mention that RNK is the epitome of this problem for me because I thought the course was just unbelievable but seemingly misplaced.
JES,
Just wondering - why would you ask the pros, rather than the superintendents?
The old "design triangle" of strategy, aesthetics and maintenance is still intact for all but a handful of rich clubs. For most designs, those factors should be something near an equilateral triangle, or at least a 1-2-3 (30-60-90 degree) triangle.
Strantz was an artistic genius, but his design triangles had a very strong lean to the artistic! He hardly considered maintenance aspects, which is why they can't be maintained to his vision as play/revenue declines. (Some would say he considered play aspects less than the artwork as well.)
BTW, its not always pure money. For instance, my Cowboys club, which is knocking them dead at almost 50,000 rounds at $165 greens fees re-did some steep bunkers and eliminated some "less important" ones. For superintendents its just the hassle of using your whole crew for bunker shoveling at a moments notice that makes them want to flatten / eliminate /simplify, bunkers. Like golfers in general, only a few supers really care about design over their admittedly substantial every day maintenance problems of "doing more with less."
There results a design question (sometimes) of whether to design something great and flashy (including steep bunkers) that may not last, or to design something pretty good, and easy enough to maintain when times are bad that probably will last. Most of us who have designed great, but hard to maintain things have seen them redone, and get more conservative over time.
It would have been interesting to see if Mike would have changed his style as time went on in response to such real world problems.