Pete Dye and The Golf Club

[Joel_Stewart]

Ron Whitten tweeted recently that Pete Dye will be begin work at The Golf Club in July.   Does anyone know what Pete will be doing there?

TGC is an interesting place.   It's one of Pete's greatest designs and highest rated golf courses, built in 1967, before he went nuts with stadium architecture and big money projects.

I can't imagine the membership would allow him to "modernize" the design much.

Ran's review.  http://www.golfclubatlas.com/courses-by-country/usa/the-golf-club-oh-usa/

[Doug Ralston]

Has some specific reason been given for having him 'adjust' the course? Is it broken?

Doug

[Ian Andrew]

It is my favourite course among his work.
This period of his work drew my attention and still carries an influence on my philosophy and work.

I've had a hard time coming to terms with his architecture after this period.
I know that I'm supposed to appreciate it, but I can't seem to make that happen.
I would be disappointed if it were to look more like his later work.

[Brad Klein]

The last person I'd trust to redo or renovate or restore my Pete Dye Course is Pete Dye. He's a constant innovator, laughs at the stuff he did decades ago -- just look at how fragmented Crooked Stick has become under his own tutelage. I love Pete, respect his period-piece work, and wish he'd preserve it rather than efface it. There is so much great stuff at The Golf Club, and I worry that his obsession with distance and the Tour players will lead him to get away from the boldness and innovativeness of that early vision.

[Matt Kardash]

Brad,
To be fair, when he renovated Harbor Town he did nothing to defame the integrity of the original design. He is capable.

[BHoover]

I have heard that the 7th and 8th greens are going to be softened. Those greens are too sloped for the speeds at which TGC's greens typically run. I also believe that all of the greens will be re-grassed. Finally, additional irrigation will be installed. It's likely that additional work will be done, but I can't speak to anything else.

Perhaps others can offer more detail.

[Chris_Hufnagel]

I was doing some research on Muirfield Village in Doak's Confidential Guide and looked at the preceding page and saw his write-up on the The Golf Club.  I have been fortunate enough to play there a few times and absolutely loved the experience. 

I thought Tom's opening paragraph was perfect for this thread...

Perhaps the highest praise anyone has paid to The Golf Club comes from the architect himself.  A man who cannot resist tinkering with his past creations, Pete Dye has been content to leave this course the way he built it thirty years ago, a sure sign it's one of his very best.

[Tim Rooney]

Spoke with one of TGC's best players today regarding the, July 1,course closing.He skeptically shook his head stating Pete has tacitly taken carte blanche w/o definition, to the membership, regarding the 'Greens' Project and w/o financial restraint.

[Anthony_Nysse]

Spoke with one of TGC's best players today regarding the, July 1,course closing.He skeptically shook his head stating Pete has tacitly taken carte blanche w/o definition, to the membership, regarding the 'Greens' Project and w/o financial restraint.

That doesn't even surprise me. I get the impression that memberships respect the fact the PD designed the course for them. They are grateful for his work and design. Because of that, they don't seem to want to offend him by telling him not, but he moves forward a "wrecks" some of his best designs, Crooked Stick comes to mind the most. He had some outlandish ideas at Long Cove once that would certainly have taken away from the charm.
In many cases, his designed/thought process has changed so much in the time his course were built to when he wants to renovate them, that the finished product is nothing like the original. Memberships need to politely tell Pete, "Thanks, but no thanks." The way he operates without plans, cost and definition would SCARE me if I was on a committee or a president of one these distinguished clubs where he would like to wreck renovate