Tom MacWood: I was thinking about the 12th at Shoreacres as well as an example of a template hole being well-fitted into a natural setting, with another being the 16th at Sleepy Hollow.
TEPaul: One of the most impressive things about Yeamans Hall was that it used the ideal terrain so well. The rolling aspects of the course are used perfectly on holes like 7, 8, 11, 14, and 18. At the same time, the course possesses easily identifiable as manufactured, particularly 3 and 14 greens. Both of these holes are two of my favorites.
Why are these features so good? I'm guessing it's because, even though they are clearly man-made, they are not at odds with the land. You see this juxtaposition of man-made and natural features (14 falls over ideal rolling terrain, and the raised green fits right in with these features) working well because the features don't clash. The Ocean Course (same city but completely different land) executes this well too. Dye had only a flat beach to work with, but he molded dunes to fit a natural vision for the course. If he had laid out wall-to-wall turf (an extreme example), this would not have appeared to fit with the surroundings, and would therefore have been a flaw in the design, no matter how great the individual holes were. Mr. Paul, you mention basic design principles. I maintain (from my limited expertise) that either being or appearing natural is one of the key principles of design, if not THE key principle. While the Country Club is a highly natural design and the Ocean Course is highly manufactured, both (with the exception of Kiawah's 17th) appear natural in construction
The Falling Waters example fits with this as well. Certainly it does not appear natural instead of man-made. At the same time, it is in harmony with its surroundings. It is juxtaposition of man and nature, but the two forces are not at odds, quite the opposite in fact.
My question still remains: where do you draw the line for manufactured features between creative and forced, between being in harmony and being at odds with the surrounds??? Clearly Raynor didn't cross this line at Shoreacres and Yeamans Hall. Did he, MacDonald, or Banks ever cross it??? If so, what are examples??? Why might these examples gain favorability over designs of the 'big builders' of the 1960s???