Tom Fazio interview with Golf Digest

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Here's the link:

www.golfdigest.com/courses/2009/04/tomfazio

[Ben Sims]

Did anyone else find some his answers repetitive to other public excerpts of his?

[Jaeger Kovich]

The first interview of his I have seen, but I have read his book(meant for the coffee table). That wasn't a terribly interesting interview. I've never played any of his courses, at least I don't think I have, so I don't really have an opinion on him, but he seemed pretty boring. I think most of that is due to the questions that he was asked, but he was pretty upfront about not wanting to talk about architecture, and I think the interview really reflected that. The best story he had was really Pete Dye's story! But at least he answered the one question most architects avoid... favorite course: Pine Valley

Another thought: Why would golf digest waste their time asking him how many courses he designed? Wouldn't GD have records of that sort of stuff... better yet, shouldn't they? looks like the interviewer didn't do his homework or had horrible writers block and couldn't come up with anything better.

[Mike_Cirba]

Boy...I'm a whole lot more smarter now.   

Could the interviewer be any more fawning or ask less architecturally relevant questions?   I was on the edge of my seat reading about the Father/Son tournaments he plays in annually, or how he always watches the right side of golf holes.

If there wasn't already reason to bemoan the loss of real journalists.... 

[C. Squier]

But at least he answered the one question most architects avoid... favorite course: Pine Valley

If I were on the board at Pine Valley, I'd say that too 

[Joel_Stewart]

Last summer I met him and asked if he would do an interview on GCA.  He said yes and said he had never heard of GCA.   

So Ran and I came up with 20 questions he has never been asked, numerous questions about George Fazio and how he worked and met Mike Strantz.   I emailed it to him and after numerous phone calls to his assisitant he decided not to do it???

The GD interview is just powder puff stuff.  The GCA interview would have been amazing.

[Randy Thompson]

Its not that bad of an interview,(a strong 2 on a scale of one to ten) you have to give him credit, he has mastered the art of delegate and disappear and has maintained the big bucks in the process. Its all about preception and he prefers to focus on that then anything that could be taken as controversial and jepordize a potential future dollar. No surprize that he never answered the questions for GCA. I do respect that at one point in time, he was creative and the world is a better place with his designs, too bad, the money took preseidence and his designs in the last ten years turned into facotry designs. Reminds me of Country Club of America, trunk slammers clubs, move them in and move them out, take there money and thank them for coming with a big smile!! Will some of the other masters of present be able to stay away from this temptation, or will they take the same dive. Um possibly a good thread guestion. Is it a dive or just good busisness! Are we all in it just for the money? How many of us are hands on because we have to be and when the bucks come rolling we will hold strong to our hands on principals or will we take the money and run!!

[Jim Colton]

Last summer I met him and asked if he would do an interview on GCA.  He said yes and said he had never heard of GCA.   

So Ran and I came up with 20 questions he has never been asked, numerous questions about George Fazio and how he worked and met Mike Strantz.   I emailed it to him and after numerous phone calls to his assisitant he decided not to do it???

The GD interview is just powder puff stuff.  The GCA interview would have been amazing.

Joel,

  Did you believe him when he said he had never heard of GCA?

[Andy Troeger]

Last summer I met him and asked if he would do an interview on GCA.  He said yes and said he had never heard of GCA.   

So Ran and I came up with 20 questions he has never been asked, numerous questions about George Fazio and how he worked and met Mike Strantz.   I emailed it to him and after numerous phone calls to his assisitant he decided not to do it???

Perhaps his assistant reviewed this group's collective posts on previous interviews with Tom Fazio--that would give him good reason to stay away!

[David_Elvins]

The questions were worse than the answers.  An architect can only work with what he is given.

[Emil Weber]

Its not that bad of an interview,(a strong 2 on a scale of one to ten) you have to give him credit, he has mastered the art of delegate and disappear and has maintained the big bucks in the process. Its all about preception and he prefers to focus on that then anything that could be taken as controversial and jepordize a potential future dollar. No surprize that he never answered the questions for GCA. I do respect that at one point in time, he was creative and the world is a better place with his designs, too bad, the money took preseidence and his designs in the last ten years turned into facotry designs. Reminds me of Country Club of America, trunk slammers clubs, move them in and move them out, take there money and thank them for coming with a big smile!! Will some of the other masters of present be able to stay away from this temptation, or will they take the same dive. Um possibly a good thread guestion. Is it a dive or just good busisness! Are we all in it just for the money? How many of us are hands on because we have to be and when the bucks come rolling we will hold strong to our hands on principals or will we take the money and run!!

Right...
He also said he doesn't talk design because he does it for the money

[Mike Hendren]

Time for the periodical dog-pile on Fazio.  While I agree with some of the criticism, I'm compelled to ask:  Who among us has been as commercially successful in our respective professions?

Bogey

[Mike Sweeney]

  Who among us has been as commercially successful in our respective professions?

And he appears to have put his family ahead of his career while doing so.

[George Pazin]

Time for the periodical dog-pile on Fazio.  While I agree with some of the criticism, I'm compelled to ask:  Who among us has been as commercially successful in our respective professions?

Bogey

I dominate all t shirt operations...within a one mile radius.

Commercial success has little to do with what we discuss on this site.

Other than that, I have no real opinion on Mr. Fazio. I hope to see Trump NJ sometime soon.

[Mike Hendren]

Commercial success has little to do with what we discuss on this site.

I doubt Mackenzie enjoyed dying broke.  And I doubt Doak is enjoying his golf courses going to seed.

Bogey

[George Pazin]

Yep, and Mark Cuban is a billionaire from a website that did nothing.

What difference does any of that make?

[David Stamm]

Commercial success has little to do with what we discuss on this site.

I doubt Mackenzie enjoyed dying broke.

Bogey

I don't think he did either, Mike. But Mack was one of the most famous architects, like Fazio, of his time. He was a rock star if you will. I don't think Fazio is exactly knocking 'em dead in a economy that isn't far off from what MacK started to experience leading up to his death. If the economy continues for a while the way things have been, I'm willing to bet that Fazio's commercial success in the past won't mean a whole lot.

[John Nixon]

The questions were worse than the answers.  An architect can only work with what he is given.

Agreed. The interviewer appears to have done no prep for the piece at all.

[Mike_Young]

I don't know TF personally but know a couple of people that work for him and from all I can see the guy has his priorities in order.  Just ask the Boys Clubs....Whether or not the playability or aesthetics of his courses appeals to one is irrelevant here.  The only place I have ever really see a dislike for TF is on this site.....so why do you guys act surprised when he refuses to do an interview for GCA?  You do't see Obama going on Hannity do you?

If this site is going to progress any further than it has then it need to accept different design philosophies without attack and learn from them.....

[Mike Sweeney]

The questions were worse than the answers.  An architect can only work with what he is given.

Agreed. The interviewer appears to have done no prep for the piece at all.

This is where we get in trouble on GCA. Golf Digest does not even have an Editor to correctly spell "St Kitts"  not "St Kits" which by the way is in the British West Indies and not the Virgin Islands. Somehow, Fazio gets the Bogey Dogpile on GCA.

Now George is comparing a family guy who appears to do work for charity and seems to seek out little attention (website?, feature interviews?, Masters interviews on course changes?) to Mark Cuban? George, the man has 200 courses in the ground that people enjoy everyday of their lives. How can you compare this with a bunch of software code sitting on a box that some company was stupid enough to buy at some silly premium? Comparing Tom Fazio a commercial architect with Mark Cuban a promotor is beyond silly. Please never make fun of a Matt Ward list again until you retract that statement.

[Lester George]

I would actually believe him if he said he had never heard of GCA.  He really doesn't concern himself with much of this kind of stuff.  

I'll bet his associates have heard of GCA though.

Lester

[George Pazin]

Mike, in no way whatsoever did I compare Tom Fazio to Mark Cuban. If anything, someone reading my post might infer I compared Mackenzie and Doak to Cuban, though that would be inaccurate as well. My point to Mike H. was simply that I don't think the commercial success of anyone is always correlated to his work and I don't think it has a place for discussion on this site.

There are architects with gigantic talent who may be struggling for $$$ or their next job(s), and there are guys who run financially successful shops who do little more than provide a nameplate. What does that have to do with frank discussion of the world's great courses?

Frankly, I think Mike's point would be better served by citing Fazio's criticial success rather than his commercial success.

Hats off to TF for being a great family guy. So's my Dad.

Now, comparing my posts to Matt's lists... that's offensive.

[Lou_Duran]

If this site is going to progress any further than it has then it need to accept different design philosophies without attack and learn from them.....

Hear, hear.

I've met a few developers who've used Fazio and they are generally effusive in their praise for the man.  That he keeps getting the work speaks for itself.

What does Cuban have to do with Fazio?  Commercial success?  For the sake of argument, let's just say Cuban got "lucky" once.  How many courses has Fazio built?

And at what point in time does critical acclaim have to reflect some semblance of public acceptance and perception?  If no one bought a Picasso or ate at a fancy restaurant, does a critic's specialized sensitivities and discernment amount to anything? 

[Lester George]

Hmmmmmm......

Feels like a change in the wind.....

Interesting


Lester

[John Kirk]

Hmmmmmm......

Feels like a change in the wind.....

Interesting

Lester

It's a Tom Fazio love fest!

Perhaps old Tom likes to talk about his family and charity work, and feels no compelling need to talk about his profession.

Double lyrics today!!

"There were hypocrites and parasites and people that drain
Tell me why must I always explain"

Van Morrison