If you could only play the courses of five (5) golf course architects

[JMorgan]

... AND you could choose either:

1. Three (3) since passed and two (2) still living, or;
2. Two gone to other pastures (2) and three (3) still at home, or;
3. Five (5) dead, or;
4. Five (5) alive.

Who would they be?

And if you'd like, tell us why you made your choices.

[Bart Bradley]

Just one list for me...

1. Doak
2. C & C
3. Mackenzie
4. Old Tom Morris
5. Ellis Maples..I just love my home course and I don't want to give it up...

This list should let me play at home and abroad...many, many of the old, new and greats yet to come..

Bart

[David Stamm]

JM, if picking dead archs, what's the critieria? Can we pick the work as it was then, or the way it sits now?

If then:

Alister MacKenzie
George Thomas
Max Behr
AW Tillinghast
William Flynn


If the way they sit now, since virtually all of Behr's work has been wiped out for the most part, I would insert CBM/Raynor.


And since I don't want to be biased to the old guys


Gil Hanse
Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw
Tom Doak
Steve Smyers
Mike Devries

[JMorgan]

JM, if picking dead archs, what's the critieria? Can we pick the work as it was then, or the way it sits now?

If then:

Alister MacKenzie
George Thomas
Max Behr
AW Tillinghast
William Flynn


If the way they sit now, since virtually all of Behr's work has been wiped out for the most part, I would insert CBM/Raynor.


And since I don't want to be biased to the old guys


Gil Hanse
Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw
Tom Doak
Steve Smyers
Mike Devries

David, any way you want to play it. -JM

[David Stamm]

JM, if picking dead archs, what's the critieria? Can we pick the work as it was then, or the way it sits now?

If then:

Alister MacKenzie
George Thomas
Max Behr
AW Tillinghast
William Flynn


If the way they sit now, since virtually all of Behr's work has been wiped out for the most part, I would insert CBM/Raynor.


And since I don't want to be biased to the old guys


Gil Hanse
Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw
Tom Doak
Steve Smyers
Mike Devries

David, any way you want to play it. -JM

Sorry I didn't stick to your requirements. If I have to choose between the old guys and new ones, well, I'm sure you know which I would pick.  

[Garland Bayley]

since I live in the PNW, I choose Vernon Macan, Chandler Egan, George Junor, RTJ II, John Harbottle.

[Jim Sweeney]

Really difficult, but...

Ross- so much to choose from
McKenzie- variation, locations, green complexes
Raynor- interesting variations of template holes
Doak- bold minimalism
Coore and Crenshaw- quiet, subtle, emphsis on strategy

and all of them fun.

Actually, once Old McDonald is built, I guess I could just go to Bandon and stay there, with an occasional foray to Pinehurst area.

[Andy Troeger]

Thankfully I don't expect we'll ever have to make this choice as its darn near impossible. I thought about my favorite 20 courses, and they are designed by 15 (!) different architects.

Two were represented three times each though so they'd be included I suppose...one classic and one modern, but going beyond that would be impossible for me.

Those two:
Alister MacKenzie and Pete Dye

[wsmorrison]

Harry Colt (perhaps my favorite of all)

William Flynn (I get to include Merion, Pine Valley and TCC, Brookline among the original Flynns)

Tom Morris (I belong to one of his courses, so I have to include him)


Three are enough for me

[Mike Mosely]

Mackenzie
Macdonald
Ross
Colt
Morris

[Andrew Summerell]

I can’t believe it took 8 posts to mention Colt.

I was going to say it was easy. Just name Colt 5 times, but that would just be a little precious.

1.   Colt – I’m the same as Wayne. Colt is my favourite of all time
2.   MacKenzie – Great strategy & variety
3.   Apperly – A routing genius
4.   Old Tom Morris – Beautiful simplicity
5.   Willie Park, Jr – I just love some of that old stuff

To fit the criteria, I had to go with all old guys. I would have liked to include Coore & Crenshaw, as well as Doak.

[Tommy Williamsen]

Fowler
Colt
Tillinghast
Doak
Pete Dye

Nice combination of British classics and US diversity.

[J_ Crisham]

Ross,Tilly,Raynor,CBM,Old Tom-Definitely the classics In 50 yrs Doak, Crenshaw/Coore,Kidd,Moorish,Weiskopf

[Peter Pallotta]

JM - a 2 dead / 3 alive ratio for me, based on specific courses (I wouldn't need to play more than 5) that I haven't played but that feel right:

Herbert Fowler – Walton Heath
Perry Maxwell – Prairie Dunes
Tom Doak – Ballyneal
Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw – Friar’s Head
Mike Devries – Marquette (Greywalls)

Peter

[John Mayhugh]

Interesting question.  My choices:

Old Tom Morris
Macdonald
Raynor (unless you let me count him with CBM, then I'll add Mackenzie)
Dye
Fazio

Fazio & Dye aren't necessarily my favorite modern architects, but each has done a lot of good courses, meaning I would have no shortage of playing options.  I would have put Mr. Doak on the list, but I've yet to play any of his courses so I stuck with who I have experience with.

[Bill Brightly]

MacRaynor
Tillinghast
C & C
Doak
Crump (I would get to play to Pine Valley!)

[Sam Morrow]

I'd go with Tillinghast, Maxwell, Coore/Crenshaw, Engh, and Doak.

[Mike Erdmann]

A. Mackenzie
William Flynn
Old Tom Morris
CB Macdonald
Harry Colt

I could pick one living architect to replace one of the above, but not two

[Ken Moum]

My experience is limited, and so is my list.

James Braid.

Ken

[Kyle Henderson]

1) Mike Strantz
2) John Harbottle III
3) Kyle Phillips
4) Jim Engh
5) Bob Moore (JMP Design)

[Mike_Trenham]

Hackett
Tillinghast
Donald Ross
Flynn
Tom Doak (Just for his restoration portfolio alone)

Close Seconds

Pete Dye - I can barely play easy courses
Old Tom Morris - His two best courses are too busy

[Sean_A]

Like Mike E, I can't find two living archies I would throw in the pot and the one I would pick (Doak), is a bit of a flyer.  I don't really know much about the guy.  So my list is and I do reserve the right to alter it at any time:

Ross
Colt
Fowler
Braid
Dr Mac (a bit of a flyer cause I actually haven't played any great course he has built).

Maxwell is a very close 6th and if I knew more of his stuff he could very well make the top 5.  

[Tony_Muldoon]

I’ve often wondered how much opinions on here are a sort of longing for something you can’t see as much as you’d like or based on “the other mans grass is always…”.

I’ve been lucky enough to play a fair smattering of great courses by old dead guys.  I had dinner with Mike Whittaker a couple a months a go and he was surprised when I said the one guy who I’d love to play a selection of courses by is


Pete Dye.


Ain’t gonna happen until I cross the pond with my sticks.

[Gary Slatter]

Stanley Thompson
Dick Wilson
Pete Dye
MacKenzie
Kidd

tie for 6th: Colt, Morris, Cupp, 2 of the 3 Jones

[Rich Goodale]

Morris (god doesn't make them like that any more)
Mackenzie (great variety and geographic diversity)
Ross (you will never have trouble finding another great course if you get bored with he ones you have already played)
Raynor (the genius behind CB's egomania)
A Player to be Named Later (we have yet to identify a truly great modern architect--some show promise, but as Chou en-Lai said when asked what he thought about the French Revollution, "It's too early to tell."