Architect Gene Hamm?

[Greg Holland]

In "Carolina Fairways," Gene Hamm was recently profiled.  The article stated "The North Carolina native is not often mentioned among the demigods of golf course architecture, but Hamm, who enjoyed a distinguished 40-year career from the late 1940s to the late 1980s, was involved in the design of more than 60 layouts in Virginia, Tennessee, New York and throughout the Carolinas.  The article states:

"Hamm’s architectural style was greatly influenced by his forebears, he says. “A lot of the mounding in the greens was inspired by Ross, and the approach I took with the large bunkering came directly from Jones.”

"His mantra was to “work with what you got” and Hamm remained steadfast in his dedication to routing courses within the existing environment. “Sometimes, I would base my success on whether or not golfers could tell if I had moved any dirt,” he says.

"To a certain degree, says Hamm, the technology of the 1950s and ’60s also dictated his approach. “We had to do a lot of the work by hand,” he says.

"Hamm was also working with budgets a fraction of what most architects have today. “Most every course I built cost less than $500,000,” he adds."

Anyone familiar with his work?  Was he truly a minimalist? Which courses are his best work?  I believe he did Beacon Ridge and Foxfire in Pinehurst, NC.  

[Mike_Cirba]

He also did a slew of courses in the Myrtle Beach area, which while minimalist, are also pretty boring fare on flat land.  

I have to admit that his approach is not offensive to the eye, and is certainly economical, but on dead flat land, there is not a lot going on in many cases.

[Allan Long]

I would agree with Mike. I have played a dozen or so Hamm courses, and although I would consider his work minimalsit, I did not walk away from his designs overwhelmed with what I saw. Good tests of golf, yes. Spectacular golf, probably not.

[Scott_Burroughs]

I've played 12 Gene Hamm designs in NC and SC, including 4 in the Myrtle Beach area. While several of the Myrtle Beach area courses are pretty nondescript, a few aren't boring for the lack of earth moved, such as Burning Ridge, Indian Wells, and River Oaks.  But all of his MB area courses are on the budget packages, so you aren't getting a "signature" or anything tricked up, but you're not going to pay a lot.

Besides Beacon Ridge and both courses at Foxfire, he also designed the original course at Pinewild in Pinehurst.

The two courses of his I'm most familiar with are The Cape in Wilmington, on which my Mom and Stepdad live on the 10th tee, and Wake Forest GC, my home course.  The Cape is a fun course with lots of water that is made more fun by the everpresent wind.  Two tough par 3's from the tips.

I've been a member at Wake Forest GC since 1996, and I never get tired of it.  Just the lay of the land, hilly and rolling, uphill/downhill/sidehill lies, several two-tiered greens, two greens with hogbacks in them, and a great set of par 5's, though the signature hole, the 711 yard 1st, is the least interesting from the back tees.  It is a good hole from all of the other tees.  Two of the toughest holes are short par 4's, one of which has no bunkers, as none are needed.

Cheviot Hills, an affordable public course in north Raleigh, is a fun course.  A very uphill par 3 and a drop shot one too.

Henderson CC is a fun and sporty private club 25 minutes form my home.  includes a very uphill par 3 ninth with a green with the least proportion of pinnable space of any green I've ever seen.  I don't know why the green site wasn't flattened out more, unless green speeds when it was built were slow enough to pin other areas on the green.

The private North Ridge CC in north Raleigh has always looked like a fun course, but I've never played either course.

Mr. Hamm is retired and lives in north Raleigh, about 10 miles from my home, and is a member of North Ridge.

[Joe Hancock]

Is Bald Head one of Mr. Hamms?...can't remember...


Joe

[Mike_Cirba]

Bald Head is George Cobb..

[Joe Hancock]

thats right...sorry!

Joe