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Mark Bourgeois

Re: The Evolution and Expropriation of Highlands Links
« Reply #25 on: December 04, 2008, 06:25:20 PM »
Greg, can't read this off a 2 cm screen! These 300 condemnations, they were for the creation of la parque - none involved the dedicated use of a golf course?

M de la Bague, with so much space available, would not a court decide that the public good from going outside that espace was gilding the lily's domaine?

Sans blague!

A bien tot,

Garland Bayley

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Re: The Evolution and Expropriation of Highlands Links
« Reply #26 on: December 04, 2008, 06:39:02 PM »
Greg,

Perhaps you can delete the link you provided and let people use this one. Or push quote on this message to see how I did it and modify your message accordingly.

Jean Paul and Ian, for a more complete understanding of the lead up to the construction of Highlands Links have a look at the following link. Pages 23 to 61 give a good overview of what the thinking was. The creation of the park involved about 300 expropriations.

The Link Greg Provided

Suggest you paste the link into your browser.
"I enjoy a course where the challenges are contained WITHIN it, and recovery is part of the game  not a course where the challenge is to stay ON it." Jeff Warne

Scott Witter

Re: The Evolution and Expropriation of Highlands Links
« Reply #27 on: December 05, 2008, 08:13:07 AM »
Ian;

Related to Thompson, but off this subject...I noticed it again in your rendered proposals in this thread--it seems to me that Thompson placed a lot of bunkers behind his putting surfaces.  From my observations and having played a fair number of his courses, this does appear to be the case.  A couple of examples are the 3rd and 4th holes at LTCC.  The circumstances and physical conditions in many cases don't necessarily seem to be a natural proposal for the bunkers, so can you offer some insight to Thompson's reasoning for these?  If you would like, send me your comments off line so as not to derail this thread.  Thanks.

Greg McMullin

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Re: The Evolution and Expropriation of Highlands Links
« Reply #28 on: December 05, 2008, 08:17:20 AM »
Jean Paul, with regard to your question approximately 30 properties were expropriated for the golf course.

"Greg, can't read this off a 2 cm screen! These 300 condemnations, they were for the creation of la parque - none involved the dedicated use of a golf course?"

Ian Andrew

Re: The Evolution and Expropriation of Highlands Links
« Reply #29 on: December 05, 2008, 11:58:29 AM »
Scott,

It's a great question that I wish I could answer.

Thompson's writings are quite limited so he doesn’t do that for us – or at least to my knowledge anyway. He did give is a few quotes like, “Every now and then I get a mean streak and like to fool the boys a little. But, I never hide any danger. It's all out there for the golfer to see and study."

Your observation about him creating backdrops when there often was not one is very astute. It’s quite amazing how often he pushed up a series of mounds beyond the green to create a clear backdrop despite the trees or view beyond. It’s almost like he felt there needed to be a definitive end to the green complex. He bunkered the backs far more often than most architects and always seemed to flash up the bunkers. I’m hard pressed to come up with an example of anything low and hidden in behind after the earliest years (I can think of a good example at Islington 1921).

I hope someone else has seen something somewhere they can add.

Scott Witter

Re: The Evolution and Expropriation of Highlands Links
« Reply #30 on: December 05, 2008, 12:40:23 PM »
Ian:

I has suspected as much with what limited writings I have found and from what you have stated from your work in the past.  We have to go by what we find in the field and often this can be very telling and fun to find as well.

Since he was the 'terror' I am not surprised that he would want to keep players on their toes, but to me extending the green further and terminating it with additional bunkers and often a support cast of mounds for a back drop doesn't exactly fit his philosophy?  Though I do have to admit it is often a great visual display and I know he was quite fond of that too.

I too find it interesting that he departed from many other architects of his time in creating these back drops and in his use of back bunkering, in the manner he do so anyway, but then again he was clearly an independent and creative thinker and certainly took his own path with design.  At least he was consistent in his flashing of bunkers despite their location and this is a tell tale signature of his work I enjoy.

There are two bunkers behind the 4th green at LTCC and if you know the green site it is significantly raised, naturally so, above the landing area and for the most part only the front of the green is visible to the player.  The green is narrow and fairly deep and here again are 2 small bunkers behind it, but as one approaches the green you can see distinctive mounding that help signal their presence.

Chris Parker

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Re: The Evolution and Expropriation of Highlands Links
« Reply #31 on: December 05, 2008, 06:50:07 PM »
Thanks for the link Greg!  I'll have to get myself a copy of that book for Xmas.  I'm going on the Chapters website now...
"Undulation is the soul of golf." - H.N. Wethered