[Jimmy Chandler]

I'm surprised this wasn't mentioned in the forum yet, from an interview on espn.com: http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/columns/story?columnist=sobel_jason&id=3139457

"Q: What are some of your favorite courses around the world?
A: I love links courses, so I would say Scotland and Ireland, however I would say the best golf course is probably Pine Valley. I had a chance to play there two years ago and I loved it. But I love old, traditional courses, you know, with a bit more narrow fairways and smaller greens where you have to work the ball a little bit. It's not always about distance, even though it's becoming a power game. I do think if you have power, then you need to be straight. Course management is probably one of my strengths and that's something that I think is very important."

Is she mixing things up because "classic courses" are set up with more narrow fairways for the pros, even if that's not the way they were intended to play?  How could someone both extol the virtues of Pine Valley and then wish for more narrow fairways?

There's more on GCA in the interview, but I thought I'd get the discussion rolling.

[RJ_Daley]

I'll have to check her blog.  If she is as active on the internet as stated in the interview, and seeking more exposure to golf architecture, do you think she might be a lurker here?  

Her general attitude about entering the player-design world seems well balanced.  So, Thomas McBroom is her supporting archie, or is that on a project by project basis?  I like it that she is inclined to pay respect to "old school" golf course features and styles.  I wonder how much exposure she has had, apart from competitive play, to experience any of our usual suspect darling courses of GCA.com favorite sons... ?

[Jeff_Mingay]

Mr. Daley,

Chatting with McBroom a few weeks ago, I understand they're simply doing a project near Rossland, British Columbia together, at Red Mountain, to start. In other words, Tom's not her "supporting architect". They're doing this one project together, for now.

[RJ_Daley]

Mr. Mingay, I'll pass that along to my Dad, Mr. Daley  

If she has the affinity for the ODGs, and some links style courses, I'm sure this group would give her plenty of references for future player-archie collaborations.  Actually, I'd hope she'd team up with one of the newer, talented archies, that is not in the upper eschlon of GCAs, who might not get a prime piece of property to work with, if not for collaboration with her name, and that they'd hit a home run on a design.  

[PThomas]

I can she where she might design narrow fairways...at her peak she used to hit 80% of of her fairways!

[Ian Andrew]

 Actually, I'd hope she'd team up with one of the newer, talented archies,

Instead of a neighbour who happens to live in the same community in Florida. They were introduced through mutual friends.

[Dan Herrmann]

Joe Logan of the Philly Inquirer wrote a great article on her round at Pine Valley.  It was right after the LPGA Championship at Bulle Rock.

Apparently, she was treated as golf royalty there and had a wonderful time.  IIRC, she shot in the low 70's.

[Philippe Binette]

I kind of understand what Annika means by narrow fairways on classic courses...

I think that compare to a new design where mounds, other shaping etc push back the trees another 15 yards on each side. That makes the playing corridor (or visual corridor) wider compare to classic courses where the trees have grown and are inside the initial shaping.

When building a new course in a forest, it seems hard (maybe impossible) to clear up the underbrush and end up with nice specimen trees close to the playing corridor... and have a course that looks like Winged Foot or Baltusrol or stuff like that

[Paul Stephenson]

I'm surprised this wasn't mentioned in the forum yet, from an interview on espn.com: http://sports.espn.go.com/golf/columns/story?columnist=sobel_jason&id=3139457

"Q: What are some of your favorite courses around the world?
A: I love links courses, so I would say Scotland and Ireland, however I would say the best golf course is probably Pine Valley. I had a chance to play there two years ago and I loved it. But I love old, traditional courses, you know, with a bit more narrow fairways and smaller greens where you have to work the ball a little bit. It's not always about distance, even though it's becoming a power game. I do think if you have power, then you need to be straight. Course management is probably one of my strengths and that's something that I think is very important."

Is she mixing things up because "classic courses" are set up with more narrow fairways for the pros, even if that's not the way they were intended to play?  How could someone both extol the virtues of Pine Valley and then wish for more narrow fairways?

There's more on GCA in the interview, but I thought I'd get the discussion rolling.

I read an interesting quote in a 1946 article about Stanley Thompson that Ian Andrew passed around at the Toronto gathering.  Thompson is quoted as saying that fairways were narrower 20 years ago (the 20s).  It caught me by surprise, and I maybe should have pointed it out at the time.  Annika may not be that far off with this quote.

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