“I believe they were actually judging other architects, and this in terms of their grasp of fundamental principles and their ability to actualize them on the ground. All of which suggests to me that there is something OBJECTIVE about great architecture; and no amount of trying to elevate my SUBJECTIVE opinions can change that fact. So, until I feel that I'm beginning to approach the level of insight or understanding about golf course design that a MacKenzie or a Macdonald had, I don't think I'll be trusting much my subjective opinions about an objective reality.”
You know, Peter, as much as we seem to agree on these kinds of things I don’t think I agree with that. I may have once but I feel I’m getting away from it now (but who knows maybe next month I’ll be back to it).
"Objectivism: n. 1. a tendency to lay stress on the objective or external elements of cognition. 2. The tendency, as of a writer, to deal with things external to the mind rather than with thoughts and feelings. 3. A doctrine characterized by this tendency."
I don’t know that there really is some kind of objective great architecture or at least not without some enormous consensus of subjective opinion. If it were otherwise what are people to do---eg just continue to tell others that their true feelings (subjective feelings) about some things they believe they like are wrong?
So, if there is no real objective great architecture wouldn’t that call into question certain assumed fundamental principles of golf course architecture?
I don’t know, Peter, much of this with golf course architecture just may revolve around the unique dynamic of golf architecture and golf itself. Is there any other combination like that in the world? If GCA is some kind of art form and artistic expression, is it the only one in the world that has to share and interact to this extent with a human game and human beings and their interactive physical recreation that has so many other aspects and ramifications to it than just art?
I’m beginning to feel that there’s just so damn much going on both in and around GCA with golf itself that it probably never was or ever will be anything but massively subjective.
And, I, for one, think I’m coming to be pretty comfortable with that. I may be getting to the point of really trusting my own feelings and emotions and instincts about GCA and in the process I may be losing my inclination to proselytize others both with and about my own feelings about it.