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Eric Smith

  • Karma: +0/-0
Long Cove Club construction highlights
« on: February 11, 2009, 01:50:19 PM »
or rather "Animal House-builds-a-golf-course" as described in Ron Whitten's column in Golf World.

read it here: http://www.golfdigest.com/golfworld/columnists/2009/02/gw20090209whitten?currentPage=1

This sounds like fun: "One "Evel Knievel" contest to see who could sail a sand pro the farthest through the air led to the final shape of Long Cove's notorious eighth green, with its back shelf (the launch) nine feet higher than its lower level."


photo credit Golf World

Tom & Ron: Were the good ole days as good as they seem?  ;D
« Last Edit: February 11, 2009, 02:03:13 PM by Eric Smith »

Tom_Doak

  • Karma: +2/-1
Re: Long Cove Club construction highlights
« Reply #1 on: February 11, 2009, 03:04:56 PM »
That's a great column from a great start, i.e. dissing the ASGCA book.  My brother gave me the book for Xmas as a gag gift ... and it worked!

Ron must have been saving up all that stuff for a long time, and I can't believe he put it all in one place.

The stories you hear about Long Cove are all true, and way more besides.  We worked 80-90 hour weeks, and then had a softball team that played once or twice a week in the evenings.  (It should be noted that Bobby Weed played for a separate, good team, instead of the crew team.)  I was not there for the sand pro jumping contest, but I don't doubt it happened. 

I do know I didn't get to design or shape or build anything until the last week I was there, when they threw a party for a crew member going back to school, and the next morning the only two people who showed up for work were me and Pete Dye!

It was a special summer, and it does not seem all that long ago, even though it's 28 summers ago.

Jeff_Mingay

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Long Cove Club construction highlights
« Reply #2 on: February 11, 2009, 03:09:36 PM »
I enjoyed the column as well.

I'm sure EVERYONE here who's spent any length of time working on a golf course construction site has some funny stories. I could write a very entertaining book just about the development of Sagebrush, without mentioning anything about golf!

I'm sure some of you wouldn't even believe a couple stories, too  :o
jeffmingay.com

Mike Nuzzo

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Long Cove Club construction highlights
« Reply #3 on: February 11, 2009, 03:11:00 PM »
That's a great column from a great start, i.e. dissing the ASGCA book.  My brother gave me the book for Xmas as a gag gift ... and it worked!

That is VERY funny!

The gift and the gagging...  I'm not a fan... although with further reading there are a few fun nuggets to get to know a few guys.
Thinking of Bob, Rihc, Bill, George, Neil, Dr. Childs, & Tiger.

Tom_Doak

  • Karma: +2/-1
Re: Long Cove Club construction highlights
« Reply #4 on: February 11, 2009, 03:20:53 PM »
P.S.  I would like to meet the artist who is drawing those caricatures of me for GOLF DIGEST.  Preferably at an abandoned warehouse.

Philippe Binette

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Long Cove Club construction highlights
« Reply #5 on: February 11, 2009, 03:42:55 PM »
Jeff,

nobody would believe Sagebrush stories...

they would call it Fiction...
 

Jeff_Brauer

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Long Cove Club construction highlights
« Reply #6 on: February 11, 2009, 03:51:13 PM »
P.S.  I would like to meet the artist who is drawing those caricatures of me for GOLF DIGEST.  Preferably at an abandoned warehouse.

How do you know that caricture is of you?  Others were mentioned in the article, too.
Jeff Brauer, ASGCA Director of Outreach

Kalen Braley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Long Cove Club construction highlights
« Reply #7 on: February 11, 2009, 03:57:12 PM »
Jeff,

nobody would believe Sagebrush stories...

they would call it Fiction...
 

Oh yeah?

Were there Bigfoot and Chupacabra sightings?  ::)  ;D

Jeff_Brauer

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Long Cove Club construction highlights
« Reply #8 on: February 11, 2009, 04:19:21 PM »
That's a great column from a great start, i.e. dissing the ASGCA book.  My brother gave me the book for Xmas as a gag gift ... and it worked!

That is VERY funny!

The gift and the gagging...  I'm not a fan... although with further reading there are a few fun nuggets to get to know a few guys.

We know Doak will gig ASGCA and never join, so it doesn't matter to him, but Mike, you are now on double secret probation should you ever care to join........... ;) 

Not that my reaction was a lot different from yours.  As Jeff Mingay notes, there are a zillion great golf construction stories, and that was the idea behind the book.  I don't think the editing/theme/format was as tight as it could be.  And,  for a public consumption book, I suspect that the BEST stories had to be left out! 
Jeff Brauer, ASGCA Director of Outreach

Tom_Doak

  • Karma: +2/-1
Re: Long Cove Club construction highlights
« Reply #9 on: February 11, 2009, 04:29:13 PM »
Jeff:

The caricature I was referring to is on the second page of Ron's article online ... there is somebody standing [holding a set of plans no less!] next to Jack Nicklaus ... which would go with the story later in Ron's article.

As for gigging the ASGCA, I'd do that whether I wanted to be in or not.

Mike Nuzzo

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Long Cove Club construction highlights
« Reply #10 on: February 11, 2009, 04:39:34 PM »
Jeff,
Thanks for the warning.
So what will happen if I start a thread about the ASGCA Partnership opportunities.... 

You were missed in New Orleans.

Cheers
Thinking of Bob, Rihc, Bill, George, Neil, Dr. Childs, & Tiger.

Eric Smith

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Long Cove Club construction highlights
« Reply #11 on: February 11, 2009, 04:42:44 PM »
Tom you always said you'd never ever be photographed holding a set of plans,

leaving the world's largest golf publication to have to 'create' the shot themselves!


photo credit Golf World / Golf Digest

Jeff_Brauer

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Long Cove Club construction highlights
« Reply #12 on: February 11, 2009, 05:08:14 PM »
Jeff:

The caricature I was referring to is on the second page of Ron's article online ... there is somebody standing [holding a set of plans no less!] next to Jack Nicklaus ... which would go with the story later in Ron's article.

As for gigging the ASGCA, I'd do that whether I wanted to be in or not.

The guy holding the plans looks so much older than Jack, I thought he was the owner.....oh well, I figured you would reject my ideas, too!
Jeff Brauer, ASGCA Director of Outreach

Philippe Binette

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Long Cove Club construction highlights
« Reply #13 on: February 11, 2009, 06:00:05 PM »
Kalen:

Forget Bigfoots... they are easy to handle LOL

Sagebrush construction was wild, fun and weird, unique and unpredictable...

Stuff that normally happens with the '' Work hard, play harder'' philosophy of the place.

As a friend once put it: golf construction crews are like the movies Police Academy, a caracter leaves only to bring in a bigger weirdo

Jon Spaulding

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Long Cove Club construction highlights
« Reply #14 on: February 11, 2009, 10:50:21 PM »
This would have been interesting.......

"Back in the late 1960s, the USGA seriously considered building its own tournament course in New Jersey, jointly designed by the three most prominent names of the day: Robert Trent Jones, George Fazio and Pete Dye."
You'd make a fine little helper. What's your name?

Jeff_Mingay

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Long Cove Club construction highlights
« Reply #15 on: February 12, 2009, 08:03:31 AM »
As a friend once put it: golf construction crews are like the movies Police Academy, a caracter leaves only to bring in a bigger weirdo

Hilarious  ;D
jeffmingay.com

PCCraig

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Long Cove Club construction highlights
« Reply #16 on: February 12, 2009, 10:10:20 AM »
This would have been interesting.......

"Back in the late 1960s, the USGA seriously considered building its own tournament course in New Jersey, jointly designed by the three most prominent names of the day: Robert Trent Jones, George Fazio and Pete Dye."

With each getting 6 holes each? Hurl.
H.P.S.

jeffwarne

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Long Cove Club construction highlights
« Reply #17 on: February 12, 2009, 10:43:19 AM »
This would have been interesting.......

"Back in the late 1960s, the USGA seriously considered building its own tournament course in New Jersey, jointly designed by the three most prominent names of the day: Robert Trent Jones, George Fazio and Pete Dye."

With each getting 6 holes each? Hurl.

Not a chance the USGA would've been tuned in enough in the 1960's to consider Pete Dye as one of the top 3 architects.
Although he was designing courses then he certainly wouldn't be on their radar screen of the USGA who is consistently behind the curve (think Rees Jones with all the talent available on some of his more recent USGA debacles)
If they had such an idea Dick Wilson would've been their third guy in the 1960's.
"Let's slow the damned greens down a bit, not take the character out of them." Tom Doak
"Take their focus off the grass and put it squarely on interesting golf." Don Mahaffey

Philippe Binette

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Long Cove Club construction highlights
« Reply #18 on: February 12, 2009, 11:19:08 AM »
Pete Dye could have made the trio of architects...

He had some connections with the USGA as a player but also, it was on one of his courses that all the greens were USGA greens.

jeffwarne

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Long Cove Club construction highlights
« Reply #19 on: February 12, 2009, 11:35:17 AM »
Philippe,
Of course he could've, but then...

drivers could've stayed smaller than waffle irons,(yet heavier than coat hangers)
balls could've been regulated,
Architects with talent, respect for the past, and imagination could've been used for renovating championship venues.(which would be less neded if 1 and 2 were implemented)

"Let's slow the damned greens down a bit, not take the character out of them." Tom Doak
"Take their focus off the grass and put it squarely on interesting golf." Don Mahaffey

Kalen Braley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Long Cove Club construction highlights
« Reply #20 on: February 12, 2009, 11:48:53 AM »
Kalen:

Forget Bigfoots... they are easy to handle LOL

Sagebrush construction was wild, fun and weird, unique and unpredictable...

Stuff that normally happens with the '' Work hard, play harder'' philosophy of the place.

As a friend once put it: golf construction crews are like the movies Police Academy, a caracter leaves only to bring in a bigger weirdo

Philippe,

Sounds like good fun to me....you guys hiring?   ;D

Philippe Binette

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Long Cove Club construction highlights
« Reply #21 on: February 12, 2009, 12:27:17 PM »
Kalen...

If we hire you, it means we will bring in a bigger weirdo... Are you up to the task of bigger weirdo???

Kalen Braley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Long Cove Club construction highlights
« Reply #22 on: February 12, 2009, 12:34:30 PM »
Kalen...

If we hire you, it means we will bring in a bigger weirdo... Are you up to the task of bigger weirdo???


Sure I can be whatever you want me to be.....  ;D

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