The next breakout architect

[Melvyn Morrow]

Hopefully an Architect who advocates getting back to golf’s core business of a Walking upon a more penal course to reinvent the pleasure and joy while developing and/or testing one’s skill. One who can find harmony in his/her designs with Man, Nature and the Natural and not produce carbuncles upon the Earth.

As golf thrives with Nature, so does a Golfer.

Melvyn   

[archie_struthers]

LOL   I'm starting a new course with no earth moving and lots of trees , watch out !

[Melvyn Morrow]

Archie

Sod the trees, dynamite the buggers as you have no control over their growth pattern, although later others might, but then they would be deemed as having modified your design by tweaking the sodding Trees.

When designing one should have control over all aspects of ones designs. Shows weakness otherwise! Right??

Melvyn

[archie_struthers]

Hey Melvyn , that's what we did on the only one I built.  We filled the swamp where now stand the Borgata, almost 4 million yards of dirt moved and removed with nary a tree in sight. Still waiting for round twol but the only one who would fund it is me!

[Michael Dugger]

This thread needs some major clarification.

Hell, the Backstreet Boyz "broke out" but does that mean they are any good?  Keanu Reeves continues to make a living acting, but he's horrible.

There are far too many differing opinions on what makes a good golf course to conclusively define who has broken out and who has not.

Hell, merely designing a course and getting paid for it entails breaking out, in my book.

[Mark Hissey]

I think I have a decent idea of the capabilities of all of Tom's guys.

They are all brilliant. I'd put my money on any one of them. They are that good.

[Jay Flemma]

I'll vote for Lester George.  I just got back from CC Florida, which is excellent...charming and stately.  Les has already had man-sized hits at Ballyhack and Kinloch, and PGA Tour success at Old Whilte.  He's a breakout star in the making right now.

[Duncan Betts]

Geoff Ogilvy

[John Kirk]

Dan Hixson

[Garland Bayley]

Richard:

I have not met Dan Hixson, but I know that part of the reason for the success of those two courses is that he's had shaping help from several guys who frequent this site, plus Tony Russell in Bandon.  It could be that some of those shapers, and not Dan, are the ones who will break out someday.

It would really be interesting to get Slagbert's opinion on that.

[Mike_Young]

Richard:

I have not met Dan Hixson, but I know that part of the reason for the success of those two courses is that he's had shaping help from several guys who frequent this site, plus Tony Russell in Bandon.  It could be that some of those shapers, and not Dan, are the ones who will break out someday.

It would really be interesting to get Slagbert's opinion on that.

Tom,
Dan Hixon has his name on more than Tiger Woods...will TW shapers be the ones that break out someday?

[Jaeger Kovich]

What about Dan Blankenship in Brazil? He is apparently the busiest architect down there and a former Dye design employee, with the upcoming first Olympics you never know what could happen... Does anyone have any more info on him? I've tried contacting him trying to learn more without much luck.

[Michael Dugger]

Richard:

I have not met Dan Hixson, but I know that part of the reason for the success of those two courses is that he's had shaping help from several guys who frequent this site, plus Tony Russell in Bandon.  It could be that some of those shapers, and not Dan, are the ones who will break out someday.

It would really be interesting to get Slagbert's opinion on that.

I think Tom Doak contradicted himself with that earlier comment.

After all, he's the one who has always trumpeted the notion that it takes many talented people to make a great golf course.

So, it seems to me that according to such a philosophy, a great golf course designer should strive to assemble the best team possible.

Looked at in this light, Dan has done quite well for himself. 

[Greg Tallman]

I will take a long shot....Darius Oliver...hide and watch!

Tom,
Last I heard, Tiger`s Mexico project was dead!

This course could be a go sooner rather than later. Don't be too shocked if they do not break ground this year.

The site is off the charts and original routing is not a clunker. Would have potential to be the best in Baja and thus in Mexico.

[Tom_Doak]

Richard:

I have not met Dan Hixson, but I know that part of the reason for the success of those two courses is that he's had shaping help from several guys who frequent this site, plus Tony Russell in Bandon.  It could be that some of those shapers, and not Dan, are the ones who will break out someday.

It would really be interesting to get Slagbert's opinion on that.

I think Tom Doak contradicted himself with that earlier comment.

After all, he's the one who has always trumpeted the notion that it takes many talented people to make a great golf course.

So, it seems to me that according to such a philosophy, a great golf course designer should strive to assemble the best team possible.

Looked at in this light, Dan has done quite well for himself. 

Michael:

I don't see how I contradicted myself.

Yes, Mr. Hixson has managed to assemble good teams for a couple of his courses, and hats off to him for doing so.  But none of those guys are on his payroll; they are all talented independents who might just as easily go and do something great themselves.  And all of them will probably appreciate the notion of needing to put together a good team.

[Lester George]

 
  "There was that GOLF Magazine piece back a few months ago where several of us were asked to name the best course in the last 25 or 50 years not by ourselves, and we all answered, except for Jack who picked one of his own. " 


Tom,

Did Jack not undersatnd the question?  WOW!

Lester

[Randy Thompson]

 
  "There was that GOLF Magazine piece back a few months ago where several of us were asked to name the best course in the last 25 or 50 years not by ourselves, and we all answered, except for Jack who picked one of his own. " 


Tom,

Did Jack not undersatnd the question?  WOW!

Lester

Lester,
That surprizes you, their foundation is based on and around marketing and market perception. He doesn`t stike me as a dummy, the question goes against everything he has built his firm on. Everything you read on them has such a PR firm ring to it.
Randy

[Randy Thompson]

I will take a long shot....Darius Oliver...hide and watch!

Tom,
Last I heard, Tiger`s Mexico project was dead!

This course could be a go sooner rather than later. Don't be too shocked if they do not break ground this year.

The site is off the charts and original routing is not a clunker. Would have potential to be the best in Baja and thus in Mexico.

I heard they had heavy-heavy enviromental problems from a good source.

[Patrick Hodgdon]

Dana Fry once he gets another good site in the U.S.

[Lester George]

Randy,

Doesn't surprise me at all.  WOW can mean a lot of things. 

Lester

[Greg Tallman]

I will take a long shot....Darius Oliver...hide and watch!

Tom,
Last I heard, Tiger`s Mexico project was dead!

This course could be a go sooner rather than later. Don't be too shocked if they do not break ground this year.

The site is off the charts and original routing is not a clunker. Would have potential to be the best in Baja and thus in Mexico.

I heard they had heavy-heavy enviromental problems from a good source.

Randy, I feel like I should know you given the number of times your name has come up in discussions. We were touring a local facility yet to be completed with their superintendent, Adolfo Garcia, with whom I believe you are familiar from Uruguay and Argentina.

Anyway, the environmental arm in Mexico has gotten a bit more strict lately but given the topography of the site the largest issue which would be the federal zone issue present on all coastal land should not be a problem and cliffside property is largely immune to these hassles.

For the record if environmental issues are that place's biggest concern then they have figured out a way to get something under control that the government has not been able to control for decades. Not exactly an ideal region to sink money these days.