What Would You Do?

[Sam Morrow]

I just had a thought (scary, I know) but what would you do if you were put in charge of your home course and you could make any changes you want? Since it's fantasy lets say money is not an option.

I think at my course the biggest thing I would do is build a great short game area and a short course. I love places where I can work on my wedge game and practice from spots I will probably never hit it.

[Pat Burke]

Already talked about this with people at my club.  Fun questions.
We have 36 holes of RTJ Jr golf.  Nice property, a bit of missed opportunity with our "big" course (North).
South is shorter, but routing takes better advantage of the natural was through the property.
I would bring Mike Clayton in to work the bunkering and some of the greensites on the South course.  The bunkering IMHO
adds little to a course that is not thought much of, even by the members at times.  I believe removing some bunkers,
and creating some form in the remaining would step this course up many notches.

As far as the North goes, well, umm, errr.  If this is a pure fantasy, a complete redo would be my goal.  WOuld probably ask for proposals from interested parties.  The property is beautiful for a development course, and could be a great course

WAIT!!!!!  I'm a former tour pro!!  I can do it!!  Nevermind, sorry Mike.

[David Kelly]

I'm lucky with where I play so if I was in charge of my home course I would do nothing to change the course but would quintuple the maintenance budget.

[Mark Pritchett]

Some selective tree removal and continue to keep the course as firm as possible. 

[RJ_Daley]

Since I don't actually live there, but sort of adopt Wild Horse as my spiritual home course, I wouldn't do a thing but allow the super to continue to do what he does best, and support his decisions when certain deviations from ideal have to adjust to climate circumstances, etc.  I'd feel that way about several other courses out there as well.

AS for my real home regular play course, Brown County Golf Course- a muni, the issue is budget.  We have a very good and knowledgeable super, but money-budget balanced with competition and market expectations are the issue.  With any average golf course there are plenty of things we could fantasize about. 

I think we are better served to support those that we know are trying to do their best to maximize the local golf experience.  If it is demonstrably mismanaged, that is one thing.  But, the best thing we can do is learn what we can from real nuts and bolts authoritative sources, thus recognize and be supportive of people that do know what they are doing, and give them the tools to do it, within financial reason appropriate to the user profile of the club or course.

[Anthony Gray]

  A par 3 course sounds like a blast.

  Anthony

[Mac Plumart]

St. Ives...

Re-do the bunkinerg on the par 5 3rd hole.  I'd remove the bunkers up both side of the fairway in the landing area and add a centerline bunker.  The hole right now has no strategy and requires no thinking...hit it straight down the middle, hit it straight down the middle, hit it on the green, putt until it is in the hole.




I'd remove the tree that intrudes on the fairway on 6.  Perhaps it provides some form of strategy, but I hate it.





Rivermont...

I'd grow the rough a little thicker on the left sides of the fairway on 15 and 16.  I'm tired of my playing partners groaning about "well hit shots" that trickle down the hill into the s**t.  Nevermind that driver may not be the shot on 15, simply grow up the rough to catch their ill-played shots.

This is the approach at 16, I LOVE the hole...but a little long rough left won't hurt.



Dismal River I...

Smooth out the humps and bumps on one and two fairway, it just might be a bit too severe.  

Move the cart path (sandy trail) out away from the green on the left side of 14 to give a bailout area for players who don't want to try the all or nothing carry.  




Pull the front right greenside bunker off the green on 17 to allow for a bump and run type of a shot, but also make that option have a risk/reward spin to it.


Dismal River II...

Build it first, then I'll tweak it!!  

[Michael George]

Mac:

St. Ives 3rd hole - Ala Tilly, I'd remove all fairway bunkers and not replace them with anything.  Give the player the thought on the tee that it is a wide open hole.  Then, make sure that the lay up area and green areas require good shots that any bad shot is severely punished (ie. if you are on the left or right side of the fairway off your drive, the 2nd shot is much tougher). 

St. Ives 6ht hole - get rid of the right bunker by the green.  Looks like the topography already runs away from you.  Let any shot that is hit right of the green fall down the hill, leaving a more difficult shot.  Maybe (don't know without seeing it), but put a couple of bunker left and deep - ala 13 at Augusta - so that bad shots long or left don't come back down for an easy chip.

Just ideas from the pictures. 

[Mac Plumart]

Cool stuff Michael. 

[Alex Miller]

It's kind of my honorary home club, but I'd hire Brian Silva to redo all the bunkers on Palos Verdes Golf Club in the same manner he did Annandale in Pasadena. I'd turn #4, currently a 230 yard drop shot par 3, into a 230 yard drop shot redan (if that makes any sense) as it has an incredible hillside to build a kickpad on. Mostly I would just refer to some old photos of the club for tree removal, bunker placement, and green expansions. Finally I'd build new back tees on 5, 13, 14, and 16 to update them to modern technology.

Oh yeah, finally I would get rid of the current tenth green and use the alternate green (with some spiffing up) as the regular one. Then I would build a tee for 11 next to that green, so the course could have a third par 4 over 420 yards. 10 would now be a driveable par 4 with more strategy and less trees than before. 11 would require some shaping/flattening out in the landing area and current tee to provide more appropriate visibility for the new tee shot and approach shot.

[Cory Lewis]

Great Topic.  I know exactly what I would do to the course I work at.  

1.  The first hole is a 430 yard par 4 from the regular white tees!  It has a pond right in front of the tee, which is only 130 yards to carry, but you'd be surprised how many people hit the ball in the water, after all it is the first shot of the day.  I would partially fill in the lake and move the green up about 50 yards to make the hole play about 380.  That works with what I would do on the next three holes.

2. I would turn the par 3 second hole into a drivable par 4, the second hole drops about 50 feet from tee to green so putting the tee near the new 1st green would make it a perfect risk reward par 4.  

3.  The third hole is a downhill par 5, with the last 40 yards being back up the hill, I would move the green furthur back up the hill about 40 yards making the hole play 570.  This part is more of a necessity because of what I want to do to 4.

4.  One of the worst holes I'ver ever played, #4 is a 90 degree dogleg par 4 around a tree.  If you hit a good layup shot, you have a second shot off a downhill lie to a green below you that slopes from front to back with a hazard right behind it.  I would make this hole a short, drop shot par 3.  The green really only makes sense if you can hit a wedge from a flat lie, then you have a shot at stopping the ball.

5. I would turn the down hill par 5 sevententh hole into a long par 4 with an alps/punchbowl green.  The hole drops down over a ridge and I think a blind second shot with a green that will hold most long shots would be good.

[Tim Gavrich]

At Pawleys Plantation, I would widen the fairways by a few steps on each side and enlarge greens back to their original sizes (in the dozen years that I've been playing there, a number of greens have shrunk appreciably).  I'd then expand the little runoff/chipping areas around most of the greens that the greenskeeping staff sometimes tries to bring back but soon enough abandons for reasons I cannot really comprehend.  I'd probably resurface the greens with Champion Bermuda instead of the Tif-whatever that's on them, for reasons of peak speed.  I'd reshape a few bunkers here and there, making sure that the fairway bunkers had the fairways run right into them.  And I'd rebuild the putting and chipping greens.

[Jim Nelson]

Southern Highlands, Las Vegas

This is easy:  First, I would put all the collection areas back in.  For some reason, the owner decided most of the collection areas should be grown in.  There is really only one shot, a lofted wedge, that you can use.  The runoffs that occurred were designed well and would often propel the ball into a more difficult position for recovery.  You then would have to make decisions... bump and run, putter, lofted wedge, rescue.  They should all be mown back in.

The second is even easier.  Our 9th hole was a good, short par 5 where an average member with two good to great shots could get it on in two.  Basically, a heroic hole which we anticipated as one would a short, driveable par 4.  The hole was moved around the lake, and in the opinion of many members, the hole was ruined.  Every time we tee it up, the subject comes up.  We hate it.  Change it back. 

[Chris Johnston]

Mac

Bring a dozer and some seed.  Those "refinements" are a piece of cake!

[Mac Plumart]

I'll be there in two weeks!!   

[Mark Saltzman]

Mac,

I love the suggestion re 14 at Dismal 1. A bailout would be awfully handy there and may encourage more players to take on the tough second shot rather than laying up to wedge distance.

I wouldn't touch the 2nd fairway. I loved the bumps and blindness.

Agree on 1 fairway. Too tough to get a tee shot over the hump. In my few rounds there, i saw no one hit their tee ball on 1 well enough to get a clear look at the green. Well, Patron could see it I think, but that was from the weeds left!

[Pete Balzer]

I'd build the 4th course at TPC, Old School, pronto. The layout by Hanse looks amazing.

[Kevin Pallier]

Sam

Finish the course redesign off with a few minor tweeks - take out a few bunkers and change a few greens.

I might have to have a few drinks with the designer - he is after all a member of GCA 

[mike_beene]

shave the rough around the greens.Remove the cart paths

[Mac Plumart]

Mac,

I love the suggestion re 14 at Dismal 1. A bailout would be awfully handy there and may encourage more players to take on the tough second shot rather than laying up to wedge distance.

I wouldn't touch the 2nd fairway. I loved the bumps and blindness.

Agree on 1 fairway. Too tough to get a tee shot over the hump. In my few rounds there, i saw no one hit their tee ball on 1 well enough to get a clear look at the green. Well, Patron could see it I think, but that was from the weeds left!

Mark, you are correct.  If one was toned down, two wouldn't be as overwhelming to the psyche.  Also, all you have to do is get it over the last hill and you funnel to the green.

[Adam Clayman]

I'd install hidden cameras and catch people who disrespect the course and the golfers who follow. I'd start with the promise to punish bad behavior. You fail to fix a ball mark, replace or tap down a divot and there's a price to pay. Be it monetary or loss a of privilege. Or, even public embarrassment. I can guarantee that if the golfer were warned, beforehand, that cameras were watching, they'd be psychologically programmed to respect the grounds, bettering the experience for all those that follow.

The cameras needn't be monitored, at all. But when there was damage, a problem, or,a  complaint, footage could be easily checked. A down-dressing should be enough embarrassment to impress upon the person to become more considerate. It's basically replacing the old curmudgeon, who yells at some kids, from two fairways over. 

[Ben Sims]

I'd install hidden cameras and catch people who disrespect the course and the golfers who follow. I'd start with the promise to punish bad behavior. You fail to fix a ball mark, replace or tap down a divot and there's a price to pay. Be it monetary or loss a of privilege. Or, even public embarrassment. I can guarantee that if the golfer were warned, beforehand, that cameras were watching, they'd be psychologically programmed to respect the grounds, bettering the experience for all those that follow.

The cameras needn't be monitored, at all. But when there was damage, a problem, or,a  complaint, footage could be easily checked. A down-dressing should be enough embarrassment to impress upon the person to become more considerate. It's basically replacing the old curmudgeon, who yells at some kids, from two fairways over. 

Adam,

In the flying world, we call this "getting shacked."  When you do something stupid (over-G the jet, overspeed the gear/flaps, etc.) you owe a bottle of booze to the squadron bar and owe a poem to the squadron about your incident at the next Friday roll call.  It works wonders. 

I could imagine that some sort of fine on top of public embarrassment at the next club event would work well.

[Garland Bayley]

Remove trees, minimalize cart paths, widen fairways allowing more strategic bunkering, and turn a par 3 into a road hole par 4 (If you back the tee up, you have to hit across the property boundary corner. Not a problem as the corner contains a water runoff collection area, so no person or property would be endangered.)

[Sean_A]

Well if money isn't an issue I would look at a complete rebuild

If money is an issue I would first at using the width and angles better off the tee

Ciao