Since Tom brings up Kingsbarns, it is important to recognize that Mark's ideas and concepts in taking a design and bringing it to fruition are consistent.
Here is what he wrote about his goal in the creation of the greens at Kingsbarns. They will look a bit similar:
GREENS CONCEPT
• The greens should stand out as a unique aspect of the course; let them test ones perceptual ability, judgment, decision-making, and emotional poise. Let them be more than bland targets; let them require consideration and be engaging for approach shot-making and greenside recoveries.
• Green contours should reflect the topography of surrounding landforms and let them be seen or at least intuited from considerable distance.
• Intuitive perception from distance is important because green contours should have meaning to the links-style forward release of the ball and therefore to angles of approach which results from lines of play chosen at the tee.
• Aggressive driving lines should be rewarded with angles into green contours which are favorable (e.g. – that can gather a releasing ball toward a desirable position or deflect a release from an undesirable one) or which are easy to gauge (e.g. – that allow a straight-and-true release rather than a deflecting one); conversely, safe driving lines should result in approach angles which turn green contours from supportive or manageable to troublesome or confounding.
• The more severe contours should sometimes divide the very large greens into separate ‘smaller greens’; these contours should be ‘hazard-like’ where considered aim means playing away from them. Leaving such a contour in ones putting line should require ‘recovery-like’ putting skill.
• Let the player come to realize that some contours are to be used while others are to be avoided and that contours are always to be considered.
• Greenside bunkers should be coordinated with the concept of contours and approach angles.
• Emotionally ‘settling’ and ‘unsettling’ visual perspectives should also be coordinated with angles of play, i.e. an aggressive or bold line of playoff a tee should be rewarded with a ‘settling’ approach perspective while a safer play off a tee should contend with an ‘unsettling’ perspective.
• Greens should in general be asymmetrical, with recovery issues differing substantially left vs. right and long vs. short.
• Greens should be large enough to be manageable targets under windy conditions and, as far as possible, should provide for running shots under the wind, especially from the preferred angle of approach.
• Approach issues to greens should be simple to grasp and visually profound enough to dominate the mind. Insofar as possible, greens should be visible from tees, allowing ones intuition to grasp the issues of the hole in question.
• May the heart, soul and intellect of Kingsbarns be absorbing and a source of pleasure for all golfers.
To me what is interesting with Mark is his ability to define what he believes good course design should bring about and then turn those beliefs into a concrete reality.
Just as important as his ideas about Green concepts are the goals he sets for himself and the architects he works with to accomplish them. This is how he puts it:
“Golf is in large part a game of emotions and how we manage them. Consciously or not, course designers create the stage for an unfolding emotional drama that the game of golf entails.” Mark Parsinen.
COURSE DESIGN GOALS
• The course should elicit anticipation and hopefulness in players of all skill levels; let it test one’s perceptual ability, judgment, decision-making, shot-making and emotional poise; let it not be difficult for the sake of being difficult, rather let it be interesting and engaging.
• Provide wide latitude for choice (wide fairways and play areas) but never let this lead to indifference (to line of play or length of shot); let asymmetry rule.
• Limit choice in some instances; but let the stern tests be ones to embrace, not to fear.
• As far as possible, keep the issues simple yet profound enough to engage and occupy the mind; let the issues be visual and dominating.
• Punctuate with blind issues, let mystery have a place.
• On the whole, let the player see the result of a good play; let him see his shot carry a hazard, his driver take a favorable contour, or his approach nestle close to a pin.
• Bring the sea into active shot-making frame as much as possible; let it be a real shot-making issue or visually unsettling when illusory.
• As far as possible, focus visual awareness on the course itself or on vistas of the sea and its surge against the rocky foreshore; minimize distance inland visual aspects; let the sea dominate.
• Use the topography to its fullest; let the play twist and turn, flowing over, around, through, into and atop the array of landforms.
• Provide dynamic holes, ones likely to yield a broad versus narrow distribution of scores; let short par fours, long par fours, and short par fives be a major aspect of the course.
• Let there be variety and seduction to the rhythm and flow of holes; let there be respites.
• Let the course and its implicit test show a true champion’s full set of skills.
I believe that his career as a developer who wants to create great and memorable courses will be interesting to observe over the years.
He may be the only golf course architectural junkie to actually put his money where his mouth is!
