[Colin Sheehan]

http://www.nytimes.com/
Currently a short video on the Times website, Maya Lin is profiled on her three-part series of landscape architecture called Wave Fields. They have a remarkable similarity with the Himalayas Putting Green in St. Andrews, and similar intentions for public usage.

The contours in the latest of the three have the large scale linksland. And from the video, it appears she did a good job stretching the top lines. One of the easiest mistakes in "fake dune" construction is to have peaks too close to one another. Real linksland, I've learned from careful study, the slack between peaks has generous width. I can't wait to make a visit. Perhaps she would allow people to bring a wedge.

Maybe she would like to join the Village Green Creation Society. It is the society's intentions to advocate for their creation throughout America.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suo8D-I61bM

[Tom Naccarato]

Colin,
Interesting stuff which given the different areas throughout the world dunes tend to emulate all three of the "installations" of Lin's art.

Some neat stuff.

Not trying to raise any controversy, nor beat a dead horse, the land or sand which Rees Jones' Sandpines sits was much like the 3rd installment, but I've seen all three types of installments in the Oregon Dunes and even some areas of the Palm Desert.

[Colin Sheehan]

I realize I began discussing dune construction and she, of course, was shaping the contours on the ground to simulate ocean waves. The last being a rather large ocean swell. I do like how they give the impression that some of them are in the process of cresting, as if there is the potential for movement. That's what I love about the Himalayas putting green, how the large swelling contours come and go like ocean waves, with some peaking as high as five and six feet. That's what I want to emulate on projects in the US. As much as I like what the USGA did at Golf House, I'd rather they slowed the green speed down by half and doubled the contours by a factor or two.

[RJ_Daley]

Ms Lin will never get her land waves so right as this:

[RJ_Daley]

The only thing close to the "Himalayas" that I 've seen attempted in the U.S. is the wild putting green that sits fallow at Bayside in Ogallala.  I wish I had a photo handy, but for now I don't.  The problem was of course, mowing and maintenance in terms of cost.  I would estimate that putting green at some 10-11K sqft.  They seemed to try it for a while and it was terribly scalped in the crests and thatchy in the lows.  I don't know if Dave and Dan put the roll frequency too close together or too intense.  It was an exciting idea that I hope would be perfected to a degree that it would be seen more. 

MacKenzie had some things to say about the frequency of the rolls in true sand dunes, that are really the land form of water waves.  He noted the length in the swales and the abruptness in the crests. 

It would be cool if more city rec departments would see merit in providing Himalaya type courses for recreation of urbanites not able to enjoy full blown golf for various reasons.   If they could provide say 25k sq ft of hurty gurty like venues and charge a modest $2 or something for twosomes every 2-3 minutes, providing some 18hole locations, and figure out a foot wear policy that wouldn't be too harsh on compaction and stress; perhaps even if they had to shut it down every couple months for a week of aeration and slit seeding, it might be at least a break even cost venture and a big boon to public recreation.  I'd love to see some numbers run, which includes a park employee mowing and grooming it every day. 

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