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[Mac Plumart]

I'm reading my newest edition of Golf Architecture magazine and I am blown away by the article on Mike Keiser.

Now understand, I know of him...I've never met him and don't know him personally...but I guess I didn't understand the depth of his impact on golf.  He's the founder/owner/developer of The Dunes Club in Michigan.  He is the MAN at Bandon Dunes...which currently houses 4 of the best courses in the USA/world...soon to be 5 total courses.  Then he had a major hand in Barnbougle Dunes in Australia and he is co-owner at Cabot Links and he is on the board at Askernish.

First off, do I have my facts right?

If so, is there a more influencial man alive in the context of the game of golf?  If there is, Mike can't be too far behind him...can he?  Furthermore, will this guy go down as one of the most influential men in the history of golf course architecture/development?

Wow!!!

[Mike Nuzzo]

I've never met him and I love him....
Bandon alone is historic.

Bandon and The Dunes Club are his genesis.
For the others he has been the accelerant or the fuel, after the genesis.

[Mac Plumart]

Thanks, Mike.

He seems like a real positive influence and driving force in all that is good regarding the modern game.

[Adam Clayman]

Ironic, since it's really a throwback.

[Ryan Admussen]

I'm reading my newest edition of Golf Architecture magazine and I am blown away by the article on Mike Keiser.

Now understand, I know of him...I've never met him and don't know him personally...but I guess I didn't understand the depth of his impact on golf.  He's the founder/owner/developer of The Dunes Club in Michigan.  He is the MAN at Bandon Dunes...which currently houses 4 of the best courses in the USA/world...soon to be 5 total courses.  Then he had a major hand in Barnbougle Dunes in Australia and he is co-owner at Cabot Links and he is on the board at Askernish.

First off, do I have my facts right?

If so, is there a more influencial man alive in the context of the game of golf?  If there is, Mike can't be too far behind him...can he?  Furthermore, will this guy go down as one of the most influential men in the history of golf course architecture/development?

Wow!!!

that list of courses doesn't look too shabby

[Tony_Muldoon]

I wonder if Mr Keiser has ever considered a sister resort overseas?

If he'd like to pay me a retainer I'd see if I could fix the following for him.  Rosapenna (as far as I know) is not up for sale but it can't be that profitable in it's current status. Closed half the year and with the main course 'too dificult', its not drawing the nos it might. I've not been to Bandon but it's hard to imagine that it compares with Rosapenna either as a more beuatiful site or offers (potentially) better land for golf.  Adjacent to this is 36 holes that were St Patricks and are in the hands of the official recievers. Next to that is 200 acres of links/heath that may offer some room to expand the St Patricks land (again this should be for sale).  Thus you could start with 45 holes and easily expand to 81 in one of the most beautiful places on earth with the hotel already built 

I wonder if the business model would work?  Would east coast Americans travel to remote Donegal and pay handsomely for the golf/lodgings as they obviously do at Bandon?  I cankt see it being anything but a select upmarket destination for a limited no of Europeans.  Would the success of Bandon be enough to draw people away from the typical Ireland/Scotland tour and go for several days to a European Bandon?

(Forgive some idle speculation whilst I'm stuck in a motoerway jam. Blame it on the Blackberry) 

[Josh Smith]

I agree completely...As humble as he remains, it is unlikely that many will know of or understand his importance in securing the future of great golf.  I hope that Ran and Ben will suspend all Feature Interviews until Mr. Keiser has at least a half dozen.  And no disrespect to all the other greats out there. Maybe 2010 should be a Mike Keiser Feature Interview year with a new one every month.  In addition I hope Stephen Goodwin can put together a Dream Golf follow up!  I am fascinated by his path and the first book was sensational.  But I have a million more questions.  I hope that my home state of Oregon will consider giving him a key to the State.  Thank you Mr. Keiser!!!!!

[Jack Crisham]

I'm reading my newest edition of Golf Architecture magazine and I am blown away by the article on Mike Keiser.

Now understand, I know of him...I've never met him and don't know him personally...but I guess I didn't understand the depth of his impact on golf.  He's the founder/owner/developer of The Dunes Club in Michigan.  He is the MAN at Bandon Dunes...which currently houses 4 of the best courses in the USA/world...soon to be 5 total courses.  Then he had a major hand in Barnbougle Dunes in Australia and he is co-owner at Cabot Links and he is on the board at Askernish.

First off, do I have my facts right?

If so, is there a more influencial man alive in the context of the game of golf?  If there is, Mike can't be too far behind him...can he?  Furthermore, will this guy go down as one of the most influential men in the history of golf course architecture/development?

Wow!!!

Mac,  What you don't hear about Mike Keiser in your magazine is his passion for supporting the Evans Scholar Foundation in more ways than just monetarily. As an active Evan's alum I can tell you that without Mr. Keiser's generosity we would be having an even harder time in this environment of difficult fundraising. His legacy will be much more than the golf courses he has built-the education of today's caddies will produce tomorrows leaders. A great man supporting a great cause.          Jack

[Patrick_Mucci]

He's certainly a visionary, and a pursuer of dreams

[ed_getka]

I read the Goodwin book this summer and it was fantastic. I also learned a few new things when I was at Sand Hills with Ash Towe this summer and we spoke with Dick Youngscap. I was under the impression Sand Hills was a one off when DY came up with some great land. However he had prior experience developing a course in Nebraska called Firethorn (if I remember the name right). Also Sand Hills wasn't just DY's baby, he had investors. One of whom was Mike Keiser (after Dunes Club, but before Bandon if memory serves) who Mr Youngscap sent an invitation to. Mike Keiser sent a check without even seeing the Sand Hills property!!!! Bandon becomes less of a mystery of the genius of MK, than a logical progression going from Dunes Club experience to seeing the success of Sand Hills being developed in the "middle of nowhere" to perservering to make Bandon happen.
    Mike Keiser and Dick Youngscap seem to have taken golf course architecture into a different direction and were smart enough/lucky enough to get the right architects at the right time to make these groundbreaking courses possible.

[Ash Towe]

Mike Keiser would be a great subject for a biography.

His golf involvement is obvious but his business success would also be interesting.

[Tom_Doak]

Josh S.:  Mr. Goodwin is working on an update to Dream Golf as we speak ... I read the latest additions about a month ago.

[Mac Plumart]

Mike Nuzzo's comment has been ringing in my head ever since I first read it...

"Bandon alone is historic"

He is right.  We all talk about the Old Dead Guys and their great work, but are we really appreciating the hear and now.  Didn't we just go through a golfing boom?  We had the Golden Era, then the depression, then WWII.  Europes courses were decimated during the War.  Then we made a comeback RTJ, Dye, Nicklaus, then Doak, C&C, Keiser, Youngscap (right?), and we complain all the time about what is wrong, and how this is screwed up and that is screwed up.  

But the reality is that people 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 100 years from now will be talking about some of our courses like we are talking about Pebble, Seminole, Pinehurst, etc.  Bandon Dunes will be one of those great courses/resorts.  It is historic.  We live in an incredible time.   

Thanks again Mike Nuzzo and thanks Mike Keiser!

[ed_getka]

Mike Keiser would be a great subject for a biography.

His golf involvement is obvious but his business success would also be interesting.

Ash,
   Dream Golf by Stephen Goodwin is essentially that. If you are interested I can find a copy and send it to you way down there.

[tlavin]

Mike Keiser whom I know a fair bit is surely one of the ten most important figures in the game. He has many admirable qualities but the chief one seems to be his insatiable curiosity. Once he has seized upon a subject or a project he appears totally open to the idea of learning. When you combine that to his brains, his ambition , his resources and his balls you have a uniquely qualified man for the position he now occupies.  Just think of this:  how many developers would go to a committee concept for the design of their fourth resort course?  How many would get the pro architects to go along?  Answer?  One. 

[Ash Towe]

Hi Ed,

Thanks for the offer.

I already have a copy of the book.  Perhaps the updated version will have more of what I was looking for.

[Tom_Doak]

.

how many developers would go to a committee concept for the design of their fourth resort course?  How many would get the pro architects to go along?  Answer?  One. 

Terry:

Someday we can have a beer and I will explain to you how that all worked.  It was at least partially my suggestion -- and the primary reason behind it was that Mike had issues with hiring the "same" architect for another course at the resort, even though he wanted us to build it.  The approach was not really much different than any other course we've done ... we always have a bunch of friends coming out to see what we are doing and provide feedback.

I am not disagreeing with you at all about Mr. Keiser's role and impact, trust me.  A large part of my standing in the golf business is directly attributable to Mike.

[Ralph Thompson]

Mac

Slight error in your post.

To qualify to be on the board at Askernish you have to be resident on the island of South Uist, Scotland. Although I would recommend that Mike moves from the backwoods of some small town called  Chicago to the cosmopolitan metropolis of the Outer Hebrides,  I cant see it happening.

However, he has been providing the board with excellent advice and guidance since his visit here in July. It is his wealth of experience that is more important to us than his financial wealth.

Receiving the Golf Course Architecture magazine every month is truly an eagerly awaited pleasure. Seeing as we are dishing out praise ( unusually) on the posts today, I think that Adam Lawrence deserves great credit for producing a real quality publication.

[Dan Herrmann]

Mike Keiser makes me proud to be a native of Buffalo, NY.

[Josh Smith]

Josh S.:  Mr. Goodwin is working on an update to Dream Golf as we speak ... I read the latest additions about a month ago.

  Tom,

     PERFECT.   Christmas Comes Early Then...though I am going to guess it won't quite be ready by then.   Did you scratch it up with a lot of Red Pen?   

[David Botimer]

Mike Keiser whom I know a fair bit is surely one of the ten most important figures in the game. He has many admirable qualities but the chief one seems to be his insatiable curiosity. 

Having met him once (caddied for him on Bandon Trails) I can attest to that.  He asked me more questions in one round (unrelated to "what should I hit here?, etc.) than all but one player in my years of caddying, and #1 on the list was a friend of his!

[Andrew Mitchell]

I'm reading my newest edition of Golf Architecture magazine

Mac
Is that the edition which states you've won the prize for guessing the course in the previous issue?

[Jason Connor]

If so, is there a more influencial man alive in the context of the game of golf? 

I'm just one of the riff-raff who likes to listen in here.

But I'd confidently say that the answer to this question is no.  Nicklaus, Palmer, etc are all more influential.
For that matter, the guy who turns on the sprinklers at ANGC may be (unfortunately) more influential because so much golf is now overpriced just to keep courses green.


But if you changed this sentence to "golf architecture", I'd say you might be right.

His story is a fascinating one.  If you're more interested, read Dream Golf: The Making of Bandon Dunes.  

He decided to build a very different style of course far from any population center.  Some thought he was crazy.  He had guts to even try it.     But clearly there is a huge market for this type of course which he but few others recognized.  And we're all thankful he -- and the good men he wisely contracted to design and build his courses -- did what they did.

Clearly the success of Bandon has helped Mr. Doak, Mr. Kidd, and others like them to flourish (they're clearly extremely talented but sometimes you need a canvas on which to build a masterpiece to get your name out ahead of the Fazios, Jones, and Nicklaus') and in doing so has help redirect architecture to a place that many of us here appreciate.

[Scott Warren]

For the uninitiated, how did Mike come to have the money to indulge his passion for developing quality golf courses?

[Mac Plumart]

Andrew...yep, that is the same issue!!!!  I didn't even notice that until maybe my third time reading it.  Hey, there is my name on one page and then Tom Doak's on the next.  I guess I'm moving up in the golfing world!!!

Jason...I will check out Dream Golf.  Sounds awesome!

[Anthony Gray]

  Little men want big tittles-big men refuse them.   N A Hawkins


  An amazing thing to me is that he never put his name on Bandon. i e Keiser Dunes etc. No statue, no painting...no mention.


  Anthony

[Pat Craig]

You guys all forgot another course he was a major investor in...The Glen Club outside Chicago.

A Tom Fazio design with green fees over $180 and cart paths galore 

I have met him on a few different occations, but once looped in his group about 5 years ago at The Glen. He told the young man caddying for him that looping was not a profession (as he was treating it at the time) and that he should see upon himself to join the Army.

[Michael Blake]

For the uninitiated, how did Mike come to have the money to indulge his passion for developing quality golf courses?

He created this company almost 40 years ago:

http://www.recycledpapergreetings.com/

[Anthony Gray]

  The book Dream Golf bounces around a little but it does a great job documenting Bandon and the owner's lfe.

  Anthony

[Michael J. Moss]

In our dreams perhaps, but wouldn't this group of GCA bloggers love the Golf Channel to produce this one: Big Break Bandon." This show brings course architects to Bandon Dunes - the candidates will be selected by a blue ribbon GolfClubAtlas panel - to compete in the ultimate GCA battle, the winner of which will receive the coveted assignment to design the 5th course at Bandon Dunes.

There can only be five competitors, and they must be living. In addition, none can compete if they've already designed one of the existing courses. This does leave Brad Klein and George Bahto somewhat in limbo as they consulted on the Old Mac course. Urbina is definately out. Sorry.

The blue ribbon panel will only have four members. Why should Mike Kaiser have all the fun selecting who builds what on his own  property? It's my opinion that this web site has a group of backbenchers that is chronically underutilized. It's about time they assert themselves.  But in deference to the great man, we'll give Mike a vote only to be used to break a tie.

Who should the five contestants be?

[Kalen Braley]

Micheal,

Thats interesting...but I'm more wondering about how the contests would be structured?  Unless it involves shaping holes, greens, or bunkers on small scale.

Of which there would need to be a panelist of judges to which one is "best".

Sounds like an interesting exercise, just not seeing how it could be implemented in a "rubber meets the road" type of way.

Kalen

[Tom_Doak]

Michael:

There won't be another golf course at Bandon Dunes proper ... unless and until The Sheep Ranch is redeveloped.

There will be another project close by someday.  The architect for that one has already been selected.

For years there have been threads here about "who should design the next course at Bandon Dunes," and I've had to bite my tongue because every single time, the decision has already been made.  And I won't tell you what's next any more than I did on any of the others ... there will be a time and place for that, when Mr. Keiser says so, but I doubt it will be before Old Macdonald has opened.

[Germain Pepin]

Mike Keiser is associated with the Cabots Links, on the west coast of Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, as a co-owner. He is working with Cowan-Dewar and Ran Morrisett, who are the major decision-makers there. I am planning to play the course after the opening, expected in 2012. It will be a great course along the Atlantic Ocean.

[Jeff Zeagler]

In my opinion, what makes Mr. Keiser's Bandon contribution so significant is that is open to the public.  Few golfers have the opportunity to play courses like CP, PV, ANGC or NGLA. 

[Mac Plumart]

Jeff...NICE!!!!  Very nice point!