Kostis and Others Go In Depth on Raynor and Golden Age Architecture

[ANTHONYPIOPPI]

I'm not sure I've ever heard as much intelligent architecture talk during an American golf telecast.

Here are some of the quotes. I'd appreciate a click on the link to drive some Internet traffic my way and let my people at TheAPosition.com know there are those who read about architecture.

http://tinyurl.com/bpur9ae

Anthony

“I just think some of these old golf courses require you to hit different shots that the modern player is not used to playing week in and week out. They love the look of the golf courses, but I’m not sure they quite get the essence on how to play them.”
~ Peter Kostis

“This is a Redan hole designed where you have options on what line to take. Are you going to shoot it  up the right hand side and let the slope on the green bring it around or are you going to attack the flagstick, which would be a little more dangerous with a big bunker in front of it?”
~ Peter Oosterhuis

[Jim_Kennedy]

AP,
Peter Oosterhuis came here some years ago. I don't know what he was doing in the area but he made a side trip to see the course. He spent a couple of hours walking around, sans clubs, came back, thanked us, and then left.
Some years later one of the retired Headmasters ran into him at a party in Ca. and when PO found out who he was he spent quite a while talking to him about the course, and Raynor in general.

Nice guy, and tall.   

[Alex Lagowitz]

Peter knows his template holes, considering he was the head pro at Forsgate a number of years ago!

[Alex Lagowitz]

Oosterhuis

[ANTHONYPIOPPI]

Oosterhuis wrote the intro for Haunted Golf. I had a talk with him at the Travelers Championship a few years back and told him about Hotchkiss and the connection to Yale.

Forsgate has some fantastic greens.

Anthony

[Jim Franklin]

Nice blog AP. I also enjoyed the architectural commentary yesterday.

[John McCarthy]

I heard this yesterday afternoon live.  I had just played 13 holes in 104 degree heat and thought that heat prostration had induced hallucinations. 

[Ed Brzezowski]

Loved hearing that last about this great course. Now since " Merion" was mentioned do you think this thread will reach 9 pages???

I would love to hear more intelligent discussions on tv, it would help to educate us all and show that some of these broadcasters have done their homework.

[ANTHONYPIOPPI]

Jim:

Thanks for the kind words.

John:

I was half paying attention to the broadcast while working and immediately rewound to check and see if my hearing was going.

Ed:

Did I not mention that Kostis said he had undeniable proof that Willie Park Jr. was the real architect of Merion?

[Ed Brzezowski]

I knew it, it had to be true!! Someone found a receipt , with his name on it from a Horn & Hardharts, by the 13th tee?? Coffee and an egg salad sandwich I hear. Willie loved a good egg salad.

Finally proof!!!

Very good blog Sir, well done. It was great finally hearing something worthwhile besides someones marital troubles and who had a terrible dad way back. Intelligent discourse, who would have thunk it??? Hopefully it will be the start of a new trend, thinking instead of yelling mashed potatos!!

There is a God.

[Cory Lewis]

They just mentioned the Redan and Biarittz at Old White in one 5 minute span.  They explained the origins of both.  Way to go Golf Channel!

[David Harshbarger]

All I need is a Cape and an Alps and I'll have GCA Bingo!

[Howard Riefs]

All I need is a Cape and an Alps and I'll have GCA Bingo!

Kostis took Cape off the board when Tiger reached #16.

[jeffwarne]

It helps that they're playing a course worth describing.
Not "all out in front of you".

Imagine this-Tiger's one practice round wasn't enough

[Jim_Kennedy]

The spines, etc., in the greens and the slightly slower stimp readings are making the putting more interesting to watch.

[Doug Braunsdorf]

I heard IBF mention Raynor and Lester's good work in restoration on yesterday's telecast. 

I also heard Faldo say something about the 10th and the green (is it a double plateau?) and I felt the desire to shout at the TV "It's called a double plateau, you tosser!" 

[ANTHONYPIOPPI]

Has Jim Nantz said anything other than Old White is a great course? Caddied yesterday and missed the broadcast.

Anthony

[Wade Whitehead]

Anthony: Today Jim Nantz mentioned the Ryder Cup being played on the Old White.  Problem?  It was played on The Greenbrier course.

WW

[BigEdSC]

It may have been the heat.  WHile watching the telecast yesterday, IBF was talking about Raynor and then he mentioned that the PGA is going to be played in Charleston next month.  Then he said that Charleston has two good Seth Raynor courses, CC of Charleston and Yeamans Hall.  I thought that I was hallucinating.

[Tim Gavrich]

I didn't get to see too much of the broadcast, but what little I did witness had a good deal of architecture talk, which was great.  But the way it's seemed to go the last couple years, Greenbrier is the only tournament where they go into much detail about architecture.  I realize that that's partly because Old White is a strategic superior to nearly every other Tour course, but it's almost as if whenever the Greenbrier tournament rolls around, the CBS producers say, "Okay gang, this is your one week to gush about the architecture. Knock yourselves out and make it count." But maybe that's my inner cynic surfacing.

Would there have been as much talk about the course itself if Tiger and Phil had been heavily in the mix on the weekend?

We're changing the world, you guys! On to TPC Deere Run!
  

[Bill_McBride]

I heard IBF mention Raynor and Lester's good work in restoration on yesterday's telecast. 

I also heard Faldo say something about the 10th and the green (is it a double plateau?) and I felt the desire to shout at the TV "It's called a double plateau, you tosser!" 

Went to a hot Sunday ball game instead of watching TV golf, but glad to hear Lester got a shout out for his good work.

[Doug Braunsdorf]

It may have been the heat.  WHile watching the telecast yesterday, IBF was talking about Raynor and then he mentioned that the PGA is going to be played in Charleston next month.  Then he said that Charleston has two good Seth Raynor courses, CC of Charleston and Yeamans Hall.  I thought that I was hallucinating.

Ed,

  I heard the same thing, and I know I wasn't hallucinating!  I thought it was very nice; IBF seems to approach his work in a pleasant manner, without sounding like Gary Player. 

Lester got a couple of shout-outs.  Good stuff. 

  What I thought would be nice, altough I am not sure if or how it would tie in, if I was a commentator, would be to give some of the names of other Raynors (for example).  Can they do  that, given that most all are private?  Just in an informative, conversational style like IBF did, maybe say, this hole, (for example, the 15th) you can see at this course, this course, and this course.  To kind of tie it in with experiences the viewers may have had.  I think I've seen that done for Tillinghast and Ross before, and I feel like the same was done for Flynn in the 94 US Open or any of the women's events at Cherry Hills, but I may be mistaken.