Don't worry RJ, I still lurk in the shadows! Golf has left a pretty bad taste in my mouth though since Angels and my experience at the Highlands, but those are mostly my issues. I continue to try and get out of the business although my last post fell victim to the GM refi with the feds. Had to tell my owner to shut his business down, which in turn has left me out of steady work since last December. I would love to help some honorable people in golf again some day. Some one who would appreciate my skills, approach and work ethic...
Anyways, onto Angels and the Matthews clan: W. Bruce Matthews I was a site director for Stiles and VanKleek at Taconic who later moved to Michigan and began designing courses on his own. He had two sons go into the golf business Wally B. Matthews II who became a golf course super and Jerry who some say is a golf course architect. W. Bruce Matthews III is the son of Wally B. Matthews II who started out as a Superintendent and later moved on to architecture. The confusion often comes when people see that Bruce III worked for Jerry when he was younger. I would also argue that many of Jerry's "better courses" were influenced by Bruce III while Bruce wasw working for and later with him. For the record, I wouldn't hire Jerry to design a parking lot much less a golf course. I'm not a fan of Jerry's work and the courses that bear his name that I do thin are OK were directly influenced by Bruce III.
The quotes regarding Angels and Bruce III are accurate. Bruce was not a token or a puppet and to claim such would be very disrespectful of his talents and influence. Angels is different from much of Bruce's prior courses in that we allowed him to "work big" and stretch his scale as well as the severity of some the features. I think everyone learned alot on the project. W. Bruce Matthews III is the architect of Angels Crossing and he had to endure an extremely high level of input from his client, but I think all would agree that some great things came out of that experience. I consider Bruce to be a great friend and a very good man through all of the Angels soap opera, a series of events that he and I had little to do with exceot that his is listed as the architect and I am known as the first GM etc... In hind sight I feel we were both taken advantage of as were a number of other fine people who tried to help their community, but that story isn't for this type of forum.
As for me, I am currently doing contract work for a venture capital / merchant bank out of Chicago helping them with their distressed practice department. I do valuations, due diligence, turn around planning and the like. All that said, I am still a golf guy at heart and would entertain any opportunities to help good people going forward in design , construction, operations etc... and have the green light from the Mrs. to go where ever that leads. Anybody need any help?? =)
All my best!
JT