[PCCraig]

Rees Jones renovated/restored/redesigned the Dubsdread course at Cog Hill, originally designed by Dick Wilson and Joe Lee in the 1960’s, starting in 2007 and reopening for play in early 2009. His budget was upwards of $5MM.  Here is the original Rees Jones master plan: http://www2.cybergolf.com/sites/images/725/DubsRevision.pdf

This past week Phil Mickelson blasted the changes to course, and other Tour players piled on. Here are some of the comments made before the tournament, courtesy of Tim Cronin’s website: http://golfinchicago.wordpress.com/2011/09/14/players-pillory-dubsdread-in-advance-of-western-bmw/

In the wake of negative player comments, Dubsdread lost out on the 2017 US Open and according to reports have lost the Western/BMW for good to Conway Farms in 2013 after the event visits Crooked Stick in 2012.

Within Mickelson’s comments he name drops Coore & Crenshaw and Gil Hanse as better options to Rees Jones for the previously done redesign work. Many here jumped up and down with a collective “yeah!” as soon as they read that, and posted to say how much they agreed with Phil……..without making any sort of definitive statement as to why or how a modern minimalist would of done differently if given the chance.

So, what would a modern minimalist have done at Cog Hill #4 (Dubsbread) better or diferently than Rees Jones? What would or could one do today if given the chance to redo the recent work done by RJ?

[Jeff_Mingay]

I'm not inferring that Rees Jones and co. didn't (because I don't know the details), but there are a number of contemporary designers - likely including Hanse and Coore and Crenshaw - who probably would have genuinely studied and, maybe, tried to be a little truer to the original Wilson design. (Maybe.)

Again, I don't know details about Cog Hill, but I'm interested in the original design of the Dubsdread course... (some of) Dick Wilson's original work seems to be more interesting - at least in places - than many of us probably realize. As usual, many of those original designs have been altered significantly over the years. I imagine that by the time Jones and co. arrived, Dubsdread no longer reflected Wilson's original ideas, exactly.

[Terry Lavin]

Let's move on to another horse...er...course. This one's been beaten to death.

[John Kavanaugh]

I am lucky to be friends with Joe Jemsek.  You guys should make a point to get to know him and get towards the truth on this subject. 

http://www.jemsekgolfdesign.com/

[PCCraig]

Let's move on to another horse...er...course. This one's been beaten to death.

Terry,

I understand, but considering the so called experts around here had so many negative things to say about the work done, not once did I read a suggestion as to what should of been done instead to the course. It's easy to beat a course and Rees Jones down blindly, it's harder to actually come up with something better.

[DMoriarty]

I don't know the course, but it sounds as if many liked the course "better" before the changes.  So perhaps some other designers could have done "better" by taking a pass on the project?

And that may be at the root of most of the criticisms.  There seems to be a growing backlash (even among tour players) against this notion that the way to make courses better is to make them longer and narrower with more trouble pinching the landing area and the greens.

[Phil McDade]

Pat:

I'm not sure it's fair to suggest that in the wake of recent negative comments, Cog Hill lost out on the US Open in 2017 to Erin Hills. For starters, as you are well aware, the USGA decided to put the US Open in 2017 at Erin Hills well before last week's tournament. In addition, I think a fair reading and assessment of the Cog Hill/Erin Hills "battle" for the 2017 US Open would reveal alot of reasons beyond just the golf course itself why EH got the championship over CH/Dubsdread. Mike Davis' relationship to the EH folks is a primary one, from my own vantage point.

[PCCraig]

Pat:

I'm not sure it's fair to suggest that in the wake of recent negative comments, Cog Hill lost out on the US Open in 2017 to Erin Hills. For starters, as you are well aware, the USGA decided to put the US Open in 2017 at Erin Hills well before last week's tournament. In addition, I think a fair reading and assessment of the Cog Hill/Erin Hills "battle" for the 2017 US Open would reveal alot of reasons beyond just the golf course itself why EH got the championship over CH/Dubsdread. Mike Davis' relationship to the EH folks is a primary one, from my own vantage point.

Phil,

Yes, you're right. I did mean to allude to the recent comments as to why #4 lost out to Erin Hills for 2017. But there were rumblings of the design shortcomings in the eyes of players and spectators in 2009 when the event returned.

[michael damico]

why is this such a big deal? The players didn't say anything to Fazio DESTROYING Oak Hill. Ross' original intent has been obliterated and gone under the radar as so many other 'classics' have, yet no mention of those...

[Sean Leary]

why is this such a big deal? The players didn't say anything to Fazio DESTROYING Oak Hill. Ross' original intent has been obliterated and gone under the radar as so many other 'classics' have, yet no mention of those...

Different era and more media coverage now.

[PThomas]

why is this such a big deal? The players didn't say anything to Fazio DESTROYING Oak Hill. Ross' original intent has been obliterated and gone under the radar as so many other 'classics' have, yet no mention of those...

isnt that the course which caused Tom Weiskopf to remarck about starting a Ross Preservation society, and that if someone messed with his courses they should be shot?

[Bill Seitz]

And that may be at the root of most of the criticisms.  There seems to be a growing backlash (even among tour players) against this notion that the way to make courses better is to make them longer and narrower with more trouble pinching the landing area and the greens.

That may be, but I'm not sure why Phil and company waited until this week to "stick up" for the little guy.  Anyway, I hear that Rees' changes will just destroy the average player. This average player has a tee time at Dubs Sunday morning, so if you never see me post here again, you'll know I've been good and destroyed by Rees' changes. Somehow I think I just may survive.

[Tom_Doak]

why is this such a big deal? The players didn't say anything to Fazio DESTROYING Oak Hill. Ross' original intent has been obliterated and gone under the radar as so many other 'classics' have, yet no mention of those...

Michael:

You are just not old enough to remember, but Tom Fazio got bashed around pretty good for making major changes at Oak Hill and at Inverness.  It was so bad that he got out of the consulting / renovation business altogether for 15-20 years, until he started working at Pine Valley and then at Augusta.

[Robert Mercer Deruntz]

There aready exists an answer to the question--TPC Boston.  It was not too llong ago that this was an awkward Ed Seay course under the headline of Arnold Palmer that considered a slogfest.  Supposedly, only a couple of greens were rebuilt entirely, but quite a few of the greens were cut in size and reshaped with strategic bunkering and hazard changes.  Also, the fairway bunkers were added an eliminated to create desired angles of attack. 
I played Cog Hill quite a few times and never though poorly of the course, but always thought it was simply hard.  Post Rees, I played it once and felt clausterphobic from the narrowness.   In addition,  the bunkers are simply deep, numerous, and repetitve.  Qiute simply, a good course became poor.  I think the course could be great if it received the attention TPC  Boston received,.

[Philippe Binette]

It has nothing to do about being a minimalist or not...

It has to do with the process. Looking at Cog Hill, or Torrey Pines, or Royal Montreal Blue, or Congressionnal, it seems Rees is just following a recipe. Bunkering looks the same, bunkering pattern looks the same, greens look the same, flattening fairways. Basically, it looks like Rees doesn't really care what the course was before.

All you have to do to do better than Rees is change the process, look and understand the site

[Phil McDade]

Pat:

I'm not sure it's fair to suggest that in the wake of recent negative comments, Cog Hill lost out on the US Open in 2017 to Erin Hills. For starters, as you are well aware, the USGA decided to put the US Open in 2017 at Erin Hills well before last week's tournament. In addition, I think a fair reading and assessment of the Cog Hill/Erin Hills "battle" for the 2017 US Open would reveal alot of reasons beyond just the golf course itself why EH got the championship over CH/Dubsdread. Mike Davis' relationship to the EH folks is a primary one, from my own vantage point.

Phil,

Yes, you're right. I did mean to allude to the recent comments as to why #4 lost out to Erin Hills for 2017. But there were rumblings of the design shortcomings in the eyes of players and spectators in 2009 when the event returned.

There were lots of rumblings about design shortcomings at Erin Hills as well in 2009. The changes made there since then seem to have made it an improved course. (Lavin's comments re. the two courses' relative merits in hosting the US Open are worth re-reading.)

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