Conflicting interests - Golf, Architecture and Environmental issues

[Mark Chaplin]

Whilst this topic has moved on somewhat, as an environmentally sensitive golfer I personally avoid courses wedged between lines of condos and villas. Golf courses can be advantagous to local residents by keeping land away from the developer. TOC, Sunningdale, St Georges Hill will never be built on hence the huge premium of property overlooking the course. I was lucky to play Kennendy Bay, WA in Dec 2005, the course was invisible from the road and in keeping with the beauty of the surrounding bush and dunes. Sadly huge development is commencing which will surround the course with homes, will the golfing experience be the same in the future, I doubt it and understand why lobbyists would have objected to the course being built in the first place.

I understand development funding the course but we can make a difference by spending our pounds and dollars at enviromentally sensitive clubs and those where the housing fits the land as well as the course.

[Ryan Farrow]

The stream is located in between 10 green and 11 tee. There is even a little bridge you have to cross if you take the path directly behind 10 green to get to the next green. This area receives excess water from the trenches running between 10 and 11, the source is Oakmont. There is a pretty nice buffer of woods running parallel to the turnpike on both sides and a larger chunk of woods between the river and the golf course that is home to these animals. Pat, I’m surprised you didn't know deer and turkey live in the river? Maybe it’s just the ones in Pittsburgh



"Outlandish and/or absurd responses should be exposed for what they are."

-This is the reason I decided to post in this thread, because of your outlandish and absurd responses.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Ryan,

In which direction does that stream run ?

Where does it begin, and where does it end ?

Are you sure that entities other than Oakmont aren't the source of the conditions that you allude to ?

[Ryan Farrow]

The stream starts right between the two holes. it basically acts as a low point on the front 9 so there is always some kind of water flow in the stream. The further back near the turnpike it gets the bigger the stream is. From what I heard it runs along the turnpike and into the Allegheny. I would imagine the road drainage would end up running into the water from the golf course. There are also similar steams that have denser vegetation between 17&16 behind the tree line and another near 7 tee, also beyond the tree line. I never got to see if they suffered the same fate.

Could it be caused by something other than the golf course? I would say there is almost no chance. It is set pretty deep into the golf course and surrounded by acres of turf grass. It would be interesting to see what exactly is in the water and if it is actually toxic. One thing is for sure, it is not natural.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Ryan,

It's hard to believe that a stream starts between # 10 green and # 11 tee, and that its sole source of water is run-off from those two holes, especially when you examine the elevations of the surrounding area.

Take a look at the stream on Google Earth.

If it was fed solely by run-off, it would be dry for much of the year, especially in the fall with less rainfall.

If it's a running stream, as you described, the water has to come from somewhere else.