News:

Welcome to the Golf Club Atlas Discussion Group!

Each user is approved by the Golf Club Atlas editorial staff. For any new inquiries, please contact us.


Ed Oden

  • Karma: +0/-0
Which great players did NOT get involved with course design?
« on: January 05, 2012, 12:02:20 AM »
Did Sarazen, Hagen or Snead ever design anything?

Jon Spaulding

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Which great players did NOT get involved with course design?
« Reply #1 on: January 05, 2012, 12:25:41 AM »
Sarazen is credited with shadow mountain in palm desert, ca.

It's a longish executive course, I've never played it. Mainly due to most reports putting it between bad and awful.
You'd make a fine little helper. What's your name?

Jim_Kennedy

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Which great players did NOT get involved with course design?
« Reply #2 on: January 05, 2012, 12:40:24 AM »
Ed,
Hagen and Van Kleek are credited with Whiteface Mtn. in Lake Placid. He's also credited with the south course at Lakeview Hills in Lexington, Mi., and he and Chandler Egan are given credit for the North Fulton GC in Atlanta Ga..  He and Wayne Stiles also credited with the old Pasadena GC in St. Pete, Fl., and Hagen is also named at Rolling Hills GC in Longwood, Fl.  
Snead and his son Jack leant a hand to Ed Carton during the construction of the Poplar Grove golf course in Amherst, Va.

edit: Wild Bill Melhorn did the Osceola GC in Pensecola FL.
« Last Edit: January 05, 2012, 01:11:42 AM by Jim_Kennedy »
"I never beat a well man in my life" - Harry Vardon

Kevin_Reilly

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Which great players did NOT get involved with course design?
« Reply #3 on: January 05, 2012, 01:20:19 AM »
Sarazen's name is also on the Legends Course at Diablo Grande in California (a Nicklaus design).

http://www.diablogrande.com/index.php/golf/golf_and_diablo_grande/
"GOLF COURSES SHOULD BE ENJOYED RATHER THAN RATED" - Tom Watson

Jim_Kennedy

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Which great players did NOT get involved with course design?
« Reply #4 on: January 05, 2012, 01:27:11 AM »
Ed,

I don't think Armour, Boros or Mangrum ever designed any courses.
"I never beat a well man in my life" - Harry Vardon

Matthew Rose

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Which great players did NOT get involved with course design?
« Reply #5 on: January 05, 2012, 01:37:50 AM »
Slammer and the Squire?

Although they were at a rather advanced age then, so who knows if they had much to do with that.
American-Australian. Trackman Course Guy. Fatalistic sports fan. Drummer. Bass player. Father. Cat lover.

Matthew Mollica

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Which great players did NOT get involved with course design?
« Reply #6 on: January 05, 2012, 02:10:45 AM »
Byron Nelson?
Lee Trevino?
Ben Hogan?
"The truth about golf courses has a slightly different expression for every golfer. Which of them, one might ask, is without the most definitive convictions concerning the merits or deficiencies of the links he plays over? Freedom of criticism is one of the last privileges he is likely to forgo."

BCrosby

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Which great players did NOT get involved with course design?
« Reply #7 on: January 05, 2012, 08:49:21 AM »
Jim - If you have evidence that Hagen was involved with North Fulton I would love to see it. It is a notion that circulated here in Atlanta for years, but I've never found any support for it.

I am unaware of any courses designed by Byron Nelson. But - God bless him - he did head up the restoration of the 8th green at ANGC to MacK's original design after Cliff Roberts' death. Roberts had changed the green in the '50's.

Bob








 

BCrosby

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Which great players did NOT get involved with course design?
« Reply #8 on: January 05, 2012, 09:01:51 AM »
I seem to recall that Hogan had been retained to design a course in Texas but that the project either fell through or Hogan was replaced. Anyone got more information?

Bob

Howard Riefs

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Which great players did NOT get involved with course design?
« Reply #9 on: January 05, 2012, 09:18:56 AM »
Lee Trevino?

Trevino designed one of the three courses at Geneva National Golf Club in Wisconsin (http://www.genevanationalresort.com/).  The other two courses are by Player and Palmer.

He also has a few other courses listed on his circa-1995 website (http://www.trevinogolf.com/) that would be my candidate for "GCA website most in need of an overhaul."
"Golf combines two favorite American pastimes: Taking long walks and hitting things with a stick."  ~P.J. O'Rourke

Sam Morrow

Re: Which great players did NOT get involved with course design?
« Reply #10 on: January 05, 2012, 09:20:01 AM »
Lee Trevino?

Trevino designed one of the three courses at Geneva National Golf Club in Wisconsin (http://www.genevanationalresort.com/).  The other two courses are by Player and Palmer.

He also has a few other courses listed on his circa-1995 website (http://www.trevinogolf.com/) that would be my candidate for "GCA website most in need of an overhaul."

Trevino also did The Golf Club of Texas in San Antonio.

Adam Lawrence

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Which great players did NOT get involved with course design?
« Reply #11 on: January 05, 2012, 09:22:00 AM »
Lee is involved with Tennessee-based architect Jerry Lemons at the moment http://www.lemonsgolfdesign.com/
Adam Lawrence

Editor, Golf Course Architecture
www.golfcoursearchitecture.net

Principal, Oxford Golf Consulting
www.oxfordgolfconsulting.com

Author, 'More Enduring Than Brass: a biography of Harry Colt' (forthcoming).

Short words are best, and the old words, when short, are the best of all.

Sam Morrow

Re: Which great players did NOT get involved with course design?
« Reply #12 on: January 05, 2012, 09:28:27 AM »
Lee is involved with Tennessee-based architect Jerry Lemons at the moment http://www.lemonsgolfdesign.com/

I forgot to add that in his younger days he actually built courses, I know he was on the crew that built Columbian in Dallas.

Sam Morrow

Re: Which great players did NOT get involved with course design?
« Reply #13 on: January 05, 2012, 09:30:44 AM »
Nelson was involved with a number of courses, it seems like most of them were with Joe Finger. Hogan did one course, Trophy Club in DFW.

Lynn_Shackelford

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Which great players did NOT get involved with course design?
« Reply #14 on: January 05, 2012, 09:34:03 AM »
The Trophy Club in the Ft. Worth area was "Hogan's only designed course."  I don't know what production house or associate he was associated with.
It must be kept in mind that the elusive charm of the game suffers as soon as any successful method of standardization is allowed to creep in.  A golf course should never pretend to be, nor is intended to be, an infallible tribunal.
               Tom Simpson

Jim_Kennedy

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Which great players did NOT get involved with course design?
« Reply #15 on: January 05, 2012, 09:34:22 AM »
Bob,
Sorry, no actual proof.
Hagen was active as a consultant for Stiles and Van Kleek in the 20s and drew his own plans for Kaganei CC, Japan and Dearborn Hills CC in Detroit (C&W)

By their own reckoning, Riverhill, Timarron, and Grapevine are all courses where Nelson consulted or had some hand in the design.
"I never beat a well man in my life" - Harry Vardon

Sam Morrow

Re: Which great players did NOT get involved with course design?
« Reply #16 on: January 05, 2012, 09:36:25 AM »
The Trophy Club in the Ft. Worth area was "Hogan's only designed course."  I don't know what production house or associate he was associated with.



I think it might have been Joe Lee.

Ed Oden

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Which great players did NOT get involved with course design?
« Reply #17 on: January 05, 2012, 09:45:46 PM »
Every name mentioned to this point has been tied to at least one course.  So, are there any great players that have never contributed to a design?  Did the player/architects from yesteryear contibute any more or less to their designs than those of today?

Tom_Doak

  • Karma: +3/-1
Re: Which great players did NOT get involved with course design?
« Reply #18 on: January 05, 2012, 10:00:23 PM »
Nearly every very good player is asked at some point to become involved at least a little in a local project.  This doesn't stop at Tour pros, it extends to good local amateurs as well.  Jay Sigel, for example, was involved when we built the first course at Stonewall ... he just didn't want to be listed as a co-designer because he valued his amateur status.

David_Tepper

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Which great players did NOT get involved with course design?
« Reply #19 on: January 05, 2012, 10:16:38 PM »
Byron Nelson is credited as the co-designer, with Joe Finger, of Riverhill CC in Kerrville, TX. There is a statue of him on the property.

http://www.riverhillcc.com/

Ronald Montesano

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Which great players did NOT get involved with course design?
« Reply #20 on: January 05, 2012, 10:21:11 PM »
Tiger? Nothing finished yet.

Demaret?

Wood?

Kenny Lee Puckett?

Coming in 2024
~Elmira Country Club
~Soaring Eagles
~Bonavista
~Indian Hills
~Maybe some more!!

Howard Riefs

  • Karma: +0/-0
"Golf combines two favorite American pastimes: Taking long walks and hitting things with a stick."  ~P.J. O'Rourke

Bill_McBride

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Which great players did NOT get involved with course design?
« Reply #22 on: January 07, 2012, 07:14:37 PM »
Ed,
Hagen and Van Kleek are credited with Whiteface Mtn. in Lake Placid. He's also credited with the south course at Lakeview Hills in Lexington, Mi., and he and Chandler Egan are given credit for the North Fulton GC in Atlanta Ga..  He and Wayne Stiles also credited with the old Pasadena GC in St. Pete, Fl., and Hagen is also named at Rolling Hills GC in Longwood, Fl.  
Snead and his son Jack leant a hand to Ed Carton during the construction of the Poplar Grove golf course in Amherst, Va.

edit: Wild Bill Melhorn did the Osceola GC in Pensecola FL.

Osceola just got a well-deserved and long overdue makeover including four new holes to make room for a new driving range.   I need to get out for a round one of these days.

Terry Lavin

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Which great players did NOT get involved with course design?
« Reply #23 on: January 07, 2012, 07:19:29 PM »
Chris DeMarco
Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people.  H.L. Mencken

Sam Morrow

Re: Which great players did NOT get involved with course design?
« Reply #24 on: January 07, 2012, 09:05:42 PM »
Tiger? Nothing finished yet.

Demaret?

Wood?

Kenny Lee Puckett?




Jimmy Demaret was involved with Onion Creek, birthplace of The Champions Tour. I don't know about Craig Wood though. How about 2 of the most underrated golfers over, did Larry Nelson or Billy Casper ever design a course?