Augusta: adventure in hyperreality

[Marty Bonnar]

As a young Architecture student in the late 70s, I was briefly infatuated with the Hyperrealist movement.

They were a bunch of artists and sculptors who would create paintings and sculptures which were not merely realistic, but which actually took realism a step further. Thus, for example, skin tones were not merely the real skin tone, they were an idealised 'real' skin tone (if you get my meaning!) I know some folk struggled with the notion that a skin tone should only be a skin tone and needn't be anything more, but...okay, I was 18 and a bit 'artsy'!

Seems to me that current digital art and CG seem to be regenerating the ideas they had and can now allow for the creation of incredible, utterly convincing 'un-realities' which we see in movies and videos all the time.

So...

watching Augusta in HD for the first time this year, I am struck that it is, in fact, a hyperrealistic golf course. An ideal golf course, a concept of a golf course, a mind's eye notion of a golf course which somewhat miraculously has been made real through the hand of man.

I struggle to think of examples of a more unnatural golf course than Augusta, yet I still find it as compellingly attractive and as pleasing to the eye as any Repton or Brown landscape.

I'd still be happier if there was any actual MacKenzie left, but I'm definitely mellowing in my appreciation. Yippee for HD!

FBD.

[Tim_Cronin]

Exactly, Marty. And HD really doesn't do it justice. Walk around it some lucky day, and you'll find it's the most artificially natural looking course you've ever seen. (Though I did find a weed between the 14th and 15th holes once upon a time.)

[Ronald Montesano]

Like most courses with named golf holes, no one seems to care.  Other than the commentators, could anyone distinguish firethorn from crab apple from white dogwood?  I think I made one of those names up.

I know that what I like most about Augusta originated in those tournaments from 1980-1984, when I was truly being hooked by golf.  Knowing nothing about golf course design at the time, I simply marveled at the golf holes.

Perhaps the hyperreality is more suited to this age, given our hyper concern with information.  We are beyond post-modern, where nothing new is done these days.

It won't surprise me to learn one day that the "capricious wind" that Feherty discussed was the result of a series of camouflaged fans.

[Mike Benham]

Like most courses with named golf holes, no one seems to care.  Other than the commentators, could anyone distinguish firethorn from crab apple from white dogwood?  I think I made one of those names up.

Architecturally speaking, who cares?  You still need to hit the putt in the hole.

[Adam Clayman]

Martin. I've been pondering why a course with a $6m annual maintenance budget has bunker edges exactly like a course so close to the edge on budget, they make those edges to save time and money.

[Carl Rogers]

The course is intended to be a cathedral .. right??