"In order to grow your audience, you must betray their expectations." -Hayao Miyazaki, acclaimed Japanese film director and writer
I read this and immediately thought of Desmond Muirhead, the iconoclastic designer who collaborated with Nicklaus to create wonderful layouts at Muirfield Village and Mayacoo Lakes - as well as other good tournament venues apart from Nicklaus like Dinah Shore, Soboba Springs, and Big Canyon CC (all in California). Whenever I hear Muirhead my first thought is a "mermaid" or "dragon" hole; I remember vivid photographs from golf magazines and coffee table books depicting controversial and symbolic golf holes that look as if they were designed to be played from a blimp (where you can see the artistry) rather than from level ground. Without knowing much about Muirhead's background and career, I was initially blown away by his boldness in implementing many of these "fantastical" hole designs after building many more traditional courses. However, as I've collected more information on Desmond Muirhead and the trajectory of his career in golf course design (as well as his career before course design), I have more respect and admiration for an architect who truly broke the mold in what he produced.
Did he intentionally betray people's expectations in order to grow his audience? IMO Probably not. But did he betray people's expectations anyway? Yeah, he did.
What I recently learned that many on this site already know is that Muirhead began his early career in Land planning and Architecture, and it wasn't until his mid to late 40s that he designed his first golf course. When he did, his first designs were good but not especially dramatic; examples being Soboba Springs and a partial re-design of the North Course at Chuck Corica, both in 1967. However, two years later (1969) at Avila Beach, he collaborated with Olin Dutra to produce an engaging and fun resort golf course with some wild moments. [Avila is a personal favorite of mine with its quirky mix of strategic ocean, canyon, and river holes.] The solid Dinah Shore (Kraft Nabisco host) was opened a year later (1970), followed by the difficult tournament venue Big Canyon in 1971 (where Tiger shot his famous 61-65 in the 1996 Pac-10 Championship). The early 70's brought his collaboration with Jack Nicklaus, which included a fine course at Mayacoo Lakes (1973) and a great course IMO at Muirfield Village (1974). However, shortly thereafter (and in his 50s) Muirhead left for Australia it seems and turned his focus back to land planning and community development projects. It wasn't until he was in his 60s that he returned to golf course design and began to make his bold, symbolic, often wacky architectural statements. His 1980's courses were not only imaginative and engaging like his previous efforts - they were otherworldly, often 'camp', and sometimes ridiculous (especially in the eyes of some noted architects of the time). These architectural statements include the "mermaid hole" I referenced above at Aberdeen (1987), and elements of Greek mythology at Stone Harbor (1988). His career was remarkably varied and successful. Personally, I resonate with his shift in ideals that may have taken place from the 1970s to 80s and spurred more creativity and originality. He seemed to put the overall golf experience of the player (assuming the player appreciates symbolism and mermaid shaped golf holes) ahead of the traditional architectural principles. In doing so, he likely found a new audience with beginners and non-golfers who admired his beautiful golf holes. But did he go too far?
Did his time away from the game change his outlook on life and bring about a drastic change in his styles later on?
OR was Muirhead always an iconoclastic designer brimming with original and wild ideas? Did his collaboration with Jack Nicklaus in the 1970's temper his originality in favor of more traditional course design that he picked back up when he was free to experiment later on?
What is something you like about Muirhead's work? What is something you dislike?
I was moved by an article i read by Forrest Richardson where he shared his experiences as a young man encouraged by a wise and caring Muirhead, who by all accounts had an engaging and warm personality. His philosophies toward life and course design meshed to create some very special work. It sounds like there truly was only one Desmond Muirhead...
Do you think is it a good thing when such a prolific and generally well-received architect drastically alters his style later in his career? OR Is it a GREAT thing and why (e.g. did Muirhead's work bring more acceptance of wild course features)? Does it change his credibility in the eyes of future generations for the better or worse? Could any other designers even get away with what Muirhead did in the 80's?
What are other examples of course architects who vary their styles significantly over time and in doing so broaden their audience/fanbase?
Or What have you done differently over the years in your work that might be perceived as betraying certain expectations from fans, colleagues, or players??
Should we all have a little bit of Muirhead in us (i.e. adapting and changing our artistic styles and preferences as we grow at the risk of alienating others)? It certainly happens a lot in the music business.
[As a sidenote, I can only think of two golf courses I've played that resemble a 1980's Muirhead design and those courses are both in Napa, CA at Chardonnay Golf Club (36 holes: Shakespeare 18 and Vineyard 18), designed by Algie Pulley & Sandy Tatum. Sadly, the 36 hole complex no longer exists in its entirety and many of the most stunning and odd holes were destroyed, I assume due to economic woes - but many are still there @ Chardonnay GC and some were combined with new holes to create Eagle Vines GC]