From coast to coast, from Long Island to Yeamans Hall to the Valley Club of Montecito, SFGC, and up to Bandon, Jim's big paws are all over some of the finest/coolest courses in the United States. His interpretative work on Raynor and his 'style' greens at Yeamans is second to none and for the hundredth time, I'll write that I put those eighteen greens collectively as being in the top sets in the country, right there with Oakmont, PV, Prairie Dunes, Somerset Hills, Garden City, NGLA, Merion, etc. And of course, a new set of greens will (APPARENTLY) be elbowing its way onto the list on June 1st when Old Macdonald opens, again in no small part due to Jim's handiwork.
This is a two part Feature Interview because Jim's answers are detailed and thorough, just like his answers were in his June, 2002 one on this site. When Ben and I approach people to do Feature Interviews, there is always some trepidation in that we are left to hope that the person can articulate his thoughts in writing. Jim happens to be an excellent writer and has taken great time to share some stories with us. Here is one: 'One of the strangest days at Sebonack was the day Jack and I got into a discussion over grassing lines. It happened on the tenth hole in the fairway. I had marked out the fairway edges and Jack asked me to move the fairway line in about twenty feet closer to the center of the fairway. The reason I had it out so far was to give the golfer no sense of where the left edge of the fairway from the tee. So I moved it farther away from the centerline. I was hiding it behind a roll in the fairway but Jack didn’t see it that way. He wanted you to roll into the rough if slightly hit off line. Our debate went on for a few minutes until he finally grabbed me in a BEAR hug and tried to wrestle me to the ground. Everybody stood in disbelief. It was all in FUN and from that day forward I had a different kind of relationship with Jack. Respectful on my part but realizing that Jack had a sense of humor.'
As another example, give him credit for how he articulates SFGC's uniqueness and thus its allure: 'The first time I saw SFGC I was taken aback by the scale of the golf course. I had not seen bunkers as big on any other golf course and when I walked down the 10th hole my first thought was who ever designed this course wasn’t afraid to dot the landscape. I wanted to emulate this scale of bunkering on a future project but couldn’t imagine the cost. Then after talking with Bob Klinesteker the super at SFGC I soon realized the cost in today’s standard of bunker construction might not be feasible. I am guessing that it may cost upwards of 500 to 750 thousand to construct and fill up these bunkers with sand material. With over 115 bunkers the landscape is filled with beautiful sculptures that are disguised as hazards. After many return visits I began to understand the scale and how the bunkers were just a part of the reason SFGC is so good. Green slopes that play tricks on the eye especially greens like #16. If you pay close attention to the green surrounds you would think that the green slopes from back to front but shooting the slopes I found out that a lot of the greens are actually sloping the opposite direction. I didn’t catch it the first time and that goes for a lot of other greens on the property. I have never understood how someone could make instant judgments on a golf course after walking or playing one time. Most golf courses are more complicated than that and careful observations must be made before making bold statements about the ability of the golf course designer and or the playability of the golf course itself.'
As indicated above, peruse this Feature Interview and you will find there is lots to be gleaned from it. Part II will be posted next Friday, April 2nd and centers predominately on Old Macdonald and Jim's plans for the future as he is now out on his own. Wallace Stegner once wrote about how an engineer showed up at every mining camp with ' the bright face of self-sufficiency' and that perfectly sums up the far ranging skill set that Jim has now demonstrated for nearly three
decades.
Cheers,