Rubenstein talks to Fazio

[Greg McMullin]

Fazio says courses created during the 90's are the best. In todays Globe and Mail - Canada's National Newspaper

http://www.globesports.com/servlet/story/LAC.20090117.RUBE17/TPStory/Sports/columnists

[Jim_Kennedy]

Greg,
TF should stay away from using movie analogies, much of their product is remakes of old classics. Some modern architects protest too loudly, especially in light of how successful they are in their own time.



 

[David Stamm]

Rubenstein needs to check his facts. It was the 1950 US Open, not the Masters.


As for Fazio, this is his typical crying in the corner because his courses can't crack that rarefied air at the top of those rankings. Wanna beat them, Tom? Build better courses. We've seen Sand Hills, Pacific Dunes and the like make it high up the list. This statement from the srticle is exactly his problem:


"Golf changes," Fazio said. "You wouldn't want to go back to the equipment that my uncle used, or to the way they built courses."


The courses and the men behind those courses EMBRACE the design ideas of the old courses. The sentence sums up his problem.


Fazio is a very capable architect. But I think he wastes too much time chasing the ghosts of the architects of yesteryear. Get over it bubba and build better courses.

[jeffwarne]

It seems to me many more great courses were built since 2000, rather than the 90's. (although the 90's were pretty good with Sand Hills paving the way)
Friar's Head, Ballyneal,Boston Golf Club,Pacific Dunes, Bandon Trails,Sebonack,
no doubt I'm missing a few.
Courses that studied the past, incorporated the classic design elements, yet used modern technology to aid in construction.

The 90's seem more represented by the ill fated Country Club for a day concept where the bag drop and locker room became as important as the course, as well as the continuation from the 80's of the development course (many now offering weedfront lots)

but then there's much to disagree with in that article

If you can convince the world that golf and equipment change is good, then you get more work destroying errr... I mean renovating.. classic courses.(and your own of course)
Ironically, two of the changes at Augusta this year are SHORTENING #'s 1 and 7 at Augusta-or is that RE-shortening?