The Beauty of Brown--Ricefields

[Derek_Duncan]

So you say you love brown...

These photos are from this past weekend. Dormant playing surfaces like these are wild to play and really accentuate the stylish architecture here, especially around the greens and the run-ups. Though not conducive to scoring, it's a treat to experience these kind of conditions and these types of contours.

Granted, this is in the extreme; the club is only minimally maintaining the course this winter due to a very small membership to date and scant play. As the season progresses and the numbers increase I'm sure most of the brown will fade, although I'm told they intend to embrace a more natural look vs. manicured.

A few photos. I'll post more about the course if there's any interest. Some of you may already be familiar with it.

The opener


The one-shot second


The dogleg (left) fourth


Things pick up at the short fifth


The approach


The ninth, green over the top of the bunker on left


The fairway slides right into the green


Tee on 10, a potentially reachable par five


From the left, the 11th green is just an extension of the fairway


15 is one of the most unique holes on the course


Again, a simple, seamless green entry


Last one for now...the impressive 16th, a stout par four where you pick your line of attack


These are primarily to show the pleasures of the seasonally monochromatic color--some of the most architecturally interesting holes didn't make it into this post.

[John Moore II]

Looks good. What course is this and where?  If its near to me, I might be there this weekend (assuming its not private of course).

[Derek_Duncan]

John,

It's a new course, but it's also very private unfortunately (for most of us). They only have in the vicinity of 50 members right now and not all play golf (it's part of a larger development club). I was hoping to generate some more discussion/comments before I reveal it's name and location, but if there isn't any interest I'll go ahead and spill the beans and post more photos.

[Derek Dirksen]

I like that look of it.  I am guessing somewhere in Texas?

[Ben Sims]

Derek,

I actually like the look of many of the photos.  And if what you say is true--embracing natural look and maintaining in a way that suits the environment--I am excited for the future of this course.  However, words like development and and very private scare and disappoint me. 

But I think the overlying element of disappointment lies more with your assertion that they are only maintaining it this way due to small membership, scant play, and newness.  Why can't a course look--and more importantly, play--like this 5 months of the year without folks getting upset? 


Call me nuts, but a few of those pics evoke a dormant Palmetto.

[Adam Russell]

This should become the standard for small private clubs. Bunker placement becomes apparent immediately because the white sand just jumps from the brown surrounds. The tie-ins to the native look better as brown on brown and the contours look more in harmony with the environment. The course looks very familiar and the stand of pines with the redbuds coming out right now looks just like my backyard. Is this Ricefields in Georgia?

[Bill_McBride]

That looks a lot like Pensacola CC today, no overseeding and a lot of dormant 419, but the bunkering is a lot cooler.  Ours are all flat bottom, rolled up grass faces, these are way cool Mackenzie-esque. 

I am hopelessly smitten.   

[Derek_Duncan]

Adam,

Bingo. This is Ricefields at Hampton Island, about halfway between Savannah and Brunswick. Mark and Davis Love III, and Paul Cowley, are the architects, and Forrest Fezler did much/most of the shaping.

The brown nature of the course was what motivated me to post pictures because now more than ever there's value in endorsing less manicured conditions. This is an extreme--the MiniVerde greens were more dead than dormant and holing putts, or keeping them on the correct level, was a game of chance. However what really struck me about Ricefields was not the conditions but the outstanding architecture.

I don't have time tonight, but I'll post more comments and photos of the course tomorrow.

Bill,

I'm smitten too. I've reflected on it and I think Ricefields has the potential to be as good as any course on the Atlantic Coast between Atlantic City and Seminole.

[Bill_McBride]

Adam,

Bingo. This is Ricefields at Hampton Island, about halfway between Savannah and Brunswick. Mark and Davis Love III, and Paul Cowley, are the architects, and Forrest Fezler did much/most of the shaping.

The brown nature of the course was what motivated me to post pictures because now more than ever there's value in endorsing less manicured conditions. This is an extreme--the MiniVerde greens were more dead than dormant and holing putts, or keeping them on the correct level, was a game of chance. However what really struck me about Ricefields was not the conditions but the outstanding architecture.

I don't have time tonight, but I'll post more comments and photos of the course tomorrow.

Bill,

I'm smitten too. I've reflected on it and I think Ricefields has the potential to be as good as any course on the Atlantic Coast between Atlantic City and Seminole.

Derek, I doubt the Miniverde is dead, no more than the grass at Hoylake was dead during the Open of 2006.     Wait until things warm up a bit and all will be well, plus everyone involved will be happy there's no spring transition mucking things up.

[Anthony Gray]

  I understand the turf choice and even started a thread a year ago on the topic. But I don't like the look, especially of the putting surface.
  Anthony

[George Freeman]

I love the look, partially b/c it is so different.  I salivate to think of how much one would have to think their way around a course in this condition, especially if it had any strategic merit whatsoever.

Derek,

More info/pics/review please!

[Aidan Bradley]

Wouldn't this be a little more acceptable? Do you really want to see a woman totally naked? How about a little tease.........  As William Shakespeare would say..... "where of a little more than a little is by far much too much".......

[George Freeman]

Aidan,

That looks like Photoshop....

[Aidan Bradley]

George,

Agreed. The tee boxes got a little help. But the point was, let the fairways go and preserve the tee boxes and greens. It gives a sense of definition to the visually important parts of the course......... the beginning and the end.

[Bill_McBride]

George,

Agreed. The tee boxes got a little help. But the point was, let the fairways go and preserve the tee boxes and greens. It gives a sense of definition to the visually important parts of the course......... the beginning and the end.

We only overseeded the driving range tee and target greens this fall.  But we painted the greens so we have that desirable "green" look!

[Anthony Gray]

Wouldn't this be a little more acceptable? Do you really want to see a woman totally naked? How about a little tease.........  As William Shakespeare would say..... "where of a little more than a little is by far much too much".......

  +1

[Derek_Duncan]

Aidan,

You bet--normally the greens wouldn't/won't be left in this condition (I have no problem with the tees au natural). But it's fascinating to approach and putt them in a completely dormant state. It's golf right on the edge, especially when you've got serious architecture underfoot.

As the course continues to grow in and season, I'm sure the club will find the correct balance between the surfaces and the architecture.

The third hole (par four) from about 175 yards in the right rough. You can only see the top of the flagstick beyond the fronting berm


This punchbowl flowing canted off to the left is what's beyond it


The par three seventh (212 from the tips) from about 50 yards out


A little closer


The third shot into the crowned 10th


The tasty little 13th


From the left with Payne's Creek beyond


The 14th is one of the most interesting holes I've seen. Back in this corner of the property they built a series of dikes and canals


The 14th and 15th emulate the dike features, in this case vertical berms that bank and narrow the fairway




The 15th inverts the forms


A big, sweeping Redan on 17


From the left

[Cliff Hamm]

Not much is mentioned of Davis Love as an architect.  Yet it seems that every time one of his courses is posted about, comments are favorable.  Is he not near or at the top of the list (Crenshaw not withstanding) of professional golfers (past and present) who are designing courses? 

[Adam Russell]

Derek,

I had never seen any pictures of the course except for the Hampton Island website. Paul/DLIII should be proud of this one. Its exactly what I picture when I think of winter golf in the Southeast. The non-irrigated native looks fantastic. In an era where we always argue about how to challenge players, what better than to add mystery through maintenance? If you look at the Redan hole you can't tell where the edge of the putting surface starts. Where do you hit it? How far over do you have to go to get the roll? These are things that make better players uneasy. And for a private club its great because you have to play it over and over so the challenge never gets stale between seasons. Add some mystery back into design. Every hole shouldn't reveal itself immediately. The DLIII group did a great job in my opinion showing restraint by keeping the dramatic portions of the property simple while spicing some of the flatter ground with bunkers so the best line of play isn't apparent. Add some golden age style cops and I'm hooked. When the South turns green in March-April I have no problem greening it up but this set-up in winter looks as close as Georgia will get to European playing conditions.

Aidan -
Why should you get to define the green? For the added cost and diminished strategy I don't think it's worth it. The flagstick and tee markers do a fine job of defining the start and end of a golf hole. I say go all-green or all-brown.

Besides - who likes foreplay? Just give me full nekkidness  

Cliff -
I don't think he seeks the attention. He's a humble guy and one of my favorite golfers. I think his portfolio is better than Lehman and given as much time as Crenshaw or Nicklaus he could be right there in the discussion.

[Aidan Bradley]

"Besides - who likes foreplay? Just give me full nekkidness"

Adam, you obviously haven't been married for twenty years.......

[Adam Russell]

Aidan -

Yea, kinda showed my hand there, didn't I?  I've been married two years. I had a feeling you or someone else would say that. But I still think the striping patterns are good enough to define the tees and greens...

[Aidan Bradley]

Get back to me in 18 years lad. All the best......

[Derek_Duncan]

Cliff,

I think it's important to note that up until Diamante, Love Design/Paul Cowley have not had near the sites that Coore/Crenshaw, Nicklaus, Faldo, Norman and now I guess Lehman have had. I'm a big fan precisely because they continue to turn out thoughtful, innovative courses on pretty monotonous sites that show great variation from hole to hole and reward repeat play.

Almost all of their courses are in the SE, so probably a lot of people here haven't seen it personally. But their work especially over the last four or five years has been really bold and highly crafted. I think they've got a good thing going with the crews they have plus the Love brothers spending more time on than most signatures. They seem to bring new looks to each course, often dipping into the Golden Age toolbox but also keeping an eye out for contemporary play, Davis's input I'm sure.

In fact, Ricefield is a great example of all the above. A very marginal site other than the fact it's secluded, but there's so much (natural looking) movement and strategy--as well as scruff and sand and roughed-in bunkering--you could be forgiven if in places like the 10-11/16-18 corridor you thought you were on Long Island. I was told Mike Strantz was the original architect for the project, and the Love's stepped in after he passed and kept Fezler on for shaping. You can kind of sense this wonderful tension between the strong Strantz-inspired shaping and the Love's more classic sensibility, combined with an eye for challenging the elite player. At this point Paul Cowley should step in and correct anything I'm wrong about.

Anyway, one of their best to-date, and what a nice counterpoint to the magnificence of Diamante.

Derek

[Mike Cirba]

Boy...Ricefields sure looks terrific to me, and Brown is indeed beautiful.

[John_Cullum]

Derek-
How many others were playing the day you were there? What was the overall mood of the staff? I ask because I went by there a few weeks and was uncertain if it was still a going concern. It is in extremely rough condition for a club that has held itself out as only for the rich and famous