Remembering back to the time Rupert and his brother Jim were first contemplating the project, and some thoughts were posted, then Dave Wilbur chimed in with detailed discussion of what he was seeing out there for prospects of great F&F turf, managed in an old sod traditional manner, then Doak adding architectural analysis to the potentials he felt were out there, and all the photographers that went there - before, during, and after it was built... I think Adam is quite right that BallyNeal is something of a spin-off or product of the GCA.com collective effort to draw new attention to these traditional issues of design and turf. I have to figure that the O'Neils had thier antenna up, to at least tap into the frequencies that were being broadcast in our little collective discussion.
I certainly haven't seen but a tiny fraction of all the great golf courses in the world (who could realistically expect to?) Yet, in being lucky enough to actually see BallyNeal before, during, and after the construction/design of the course, along with my equally fortuitous chances at Sand Hills; I think I can say I've seen the epitome in so much that other greats may come along, but not much will ever be better.
To be melodramatic and romantic, and fawning just a little bit; if you are nuts for the golf course architecture - it seems comparable to living in the times of around in 1504 when they rolled out David...
... hopefully Tony P didn't just throw up on his keyboard!
