Secrets of the Great Golf Course Architects

[Eric Franzen]

http://www.amazon.com/Secrets-Great-Golf-Course-Architects/dp/1602393265

Has anyone on the board checked out this title yet? If so, is it worth getting?

The greatest golf architects tell the stories of their creations in their own words, complete with 150 beautiful full-color photographs and dozens of drawings and course blueprints.M

Secrets of the Great Golf Course Architects offers readers behind-the-scenes tales from the masters themselves in their own words: elite course designers such as Tom Fazio, Jack Nicklaus, Pete Dye, Ben Crenshaw, Robert Trent Jones, Jr., Tom Weiskopf, Gary Player, Arthur Hills, and others in this first-time-ever collaboration produced in cooperation with the prestigious, 180-member American Society of Golf Course Architects. Complete with more than 150 beautiful full-color photographs and dozens of drawings and course blueprints, this one-of-a-kind insider's look at golf course architecture is sure to become a key addition to the libraries of all golfers with an appreciation for the courses they play. 150 color photos and illustrations.

About the Author
Michael Patrick Shiels is a member of the Golf Writers Association of America and is the official golf writer of the PGA of America's Michigan Section. He has authored five books and collaborated on three books with Donald Trump and Larry King. He lives in East Lansing, Michigan.

[Jeff_Brauer]

Eric,

Its an ASGCA project.  The author interviewed all the members about their experiences in golf architecture.  I expect the stories to be filled with anecdotes from the field rather than many secrets about how we design golf courses.  At least, that was the instruction I got in filling out my section.

I don't recall what I told and wrote for MPS, but it was more about near snake bites, moose encounters, ASGCA meetings and other funny moments.  Of course, that's kinda how I think about stuff.  Others might put out stuff about design revelations, etc.

Of course, the most highly awaited section is where I post my true thoughts on particpating on golf club atlas, but I am pretty sure the ASGCA lawyers edited that part out! At least I hope so!

[Ian Andrew]

I understood the idea was to share stories so I wrote about our problem bear at Muskoka Bay. I was never under the impression that we were sharing “secrets of design”

My story is here: http://thecaddyshack.blogspot.com/2008/01/problem-bear.html
I have no qulams with posting this since he altered my story with edits.

[Jeff_Brauer]

Ian,

Moose encounters, Bear encounters.....If TePaul was a member, maybe he could have related his  "Bare Encounter" on a golf course from the days of his youth!

[Eric Franzen]

Thanks for the inside, Ian and Jeff.

It sounds we should expect something like "Bury me in a pot bunker" more than "Anatomy of a Golf Course", which the title kind of hint towards.

[Jeff_Brauer]

Eric,

I agree, but also think it will be a worthwhile read.  At least, I know I love to hear the stories of the road, which I find endlessly entertaining.  And, they may be revealing as to what goes through the mind of a gca, much more so than someone sitting down and trying to consciously write "what I was thinking."

For instance, if you don't like a particular clearing line on Ian's course up there in Canada, you now know you can blame it on a bear who refused to leave that area!

[Tom_Doak]

I am surprised they are using Ben Crenshaw's name to promote this, since he is not a member of the ASGCA.

[Phil_the_Author]

Interesting comments so far as they reveal, at least to me, aspects of the book and its contents that some may or may not find appealing. For example:

Ian - "I understood the idea was to share stories so I wrote about our problem bear at Muskoka Bay. I was never under the impression that we were sharing 'secrets of design'"

Interesting that the title which only says "Secrets" and not "design secrets." Also that Ian as one of the participants who was asked to provide some interesting anecdotes for it, perceived it as being something quite different from what the published title implies. It makes me wonder what the working title that he contributed to was.

Jeff - "Its an ASGCA project.  The author interviewed all the members about their experiences in golf architecture.  I expect the stories to be filled with anecdotes from the field rather than many secrets about how we design golf courses.  At least, that was the instruction I got in filling out my section."

So it appears that the book is more of a marketing publication from the ASGCA rather than an author-generated idea with which the ASGCA cooperated. Now there is nothing wrong with this, but I am a bigger fan of books authored by writers who had a vision rather than see a paycheck.

Tom - "I am surprised they are using Ben Crenshaw's name to promote this, since he is not a member of the ASGCA."

I think it goes without saying that Tom wasn't asked to share anything for this project. It has me wondering whether a second book of "secrets" shared by non-ASGCA architects would reveal more and different types pof anecdotes.

All that aside, I'll still be getting it...

[Jeff_Brauer]

Not to mention Tom Wieskoph and Gary Player......

Phillip,

It did have a different working title, which I can't recall right now.  Its a big time project, and in working with the publisher, we certainly lost some control, but as noted, at least the publisher is working on publicizing the book, even if they are stretching the truth a bit.  I understand it will be a featured book at Barnes and Noble, among others.

The genesis of the idea did come from ASGCA, who needed an author who has written golf books.  The idea is that someone might find it interesting to know some of the back stories about how golf courses get created, or what its really like to be a gca.  We hope it has some general interest among architecture buffs.

Will some members use it for "marketing?"  Hard to say.  You get to tell your story, but the potential client also can see 150 other interesting competitors at the same time!

On behalf of ASGCA, let me be the first to thank you for your purchase!  I believe any profits go to the ASGCA Foundation to fund their activities, which focus primarily on preserving golf architecture history.

[Gary Slatter]

I have just finished reading Secrets of the Great Golf Course Architects and found it very interesting.  I had not expected to find any design secrets or anything along that line, it just adds color to names and to me, that's excellent!   When I finished, my obvious question for Michael Shiels is "who is missing?"   Aside from the obvious Tom Doak, and Gary Stephenson, and the dead guys, who is missing?   Although it also says "America's" on the cover since it includes one of Canada's best Ian Andrew should it not have included Player, Devlin, Weiskopf or others?   

As I said I now know a bit more about some of the names I see daily!  I liked the book!

[Jeff_Brauer]

Gary,

Since it was paid for by ASGCA, non members, like Doak, Player, Devlin, etc. were never going to be featured.

I'm glad you liked the book. I just got my copy and know I will like it.  Why? Because I have always loved sitting at ASGCA meetings and hearing stories from the road from the other guys, and about the old guys some of them knew.  I could talk about that stuff all day long.

[Mike Nuzzo]

Some good stories, some not so good

[David Neveux]

This guy is from East Lansing?

I can only hope he was working on that second edition last night from about 9:15 to 11:30.  I'm wondering why I wasn't consulted on this project?  

Go Green

[Guy Nicholson]

I understood the idea was to share stories so I wrote about our problem bear at Muskoka Bay.
...
I have no qulams with posting this since he altered my story with edits.

Sheesh, editors. How does he type with those huge paws?



 

[Norbert P]

 I just finished this book last night.   Though I had hoped it might have more to do with design philosophy and technique it didn't really disappoint me as it gave some insights into the "glamorous" occupation.  In fact, the worst story was about how one fellow designs courses.  There's a lesson in there.  

  Jeffrey, yours was, as expected, one of the best, as you did touch on your beginnings with golf and proceded with the value that a "Pro" player brings to design.  I also found your "bunch of little comedy bits" analogy interesting.
  The book has a sort of Readers Digest feel to it as the chapters are usually about 2 pages long.  Lots of Bear, wild boar, police, moose, rattle snakes, crocodiles, bad flights, crazy investors, international smuggling intrigue, punji sticks, and restless natives to keep the job in perspective.  And some poignantly focused anecdotes on feeling very fortunate to be a golf archie.

  Other standouts were Lee Schmidt's story about Pete Dye's "Only One Change", and Ted Robinson Sr's "Sandbox Technology".

  BTW, one of the finest dishes I had in Italy was a wild boar sauce over linguini.  Mmmmmm.

  So, this isn't another future classic by Paul Daley's argus but it does give the reader another view of the life and biz.

  

[Adam Clayman]

Elite? Poor choice of words. At least Slag was being humorous with glamorous.

[Norbert P]

 
   I don't care for the title or its front page subtext.  Given, I bought it off the internet, so I didn't take the time to read the underlying contents and contributing authors, but . . .    what would you think this front page would offer in its viscera ?

   

Secrets of the Great Golf Course Architects

  The Creation of the World's Greatest Golf Courses in the the Words and Images of History's Master Designers.

  If I read that closely, I would assume that I would get a synopsis of the Old Dead Guys methods of golf design and construction.
  Do living architects live in a superlative and historical reality?

   

[Jeff_Brauer]

Slag,

I amkind of embarrassed by my piece in that, but like Ian, got instructions to tell interesting tales more than real secrets of design. I agree the title is a real misleading thing, but I was one of the guys who always thought that road stories would make an interesting book.  At least, I know I eat up any story from guys who have been in the biz longer than me. 

But, listen to the best, and feel like the quality of these stories is uneven, the styles different, and the editing not severe enough.  Some more work should have been done, IMHO, to make the stories, mine included, read better.

[Norbert P]

Jeff, I'm in no way upset with any of the architects inputs. They were fun reads and still educational.  It's just that, as you say, it's weakly edited.  And the publisher, well, they market to sell books, don't they? 
 

[Ian Andrew]

I wish Paul Daley took this on.