IMHO-
I think the days of not 'doing it' will soon be past. As we, course owners and operators, continue to watch generic courses fall to the wayside in what has become a competitive market, those architects whose designs have "survived the glut" will find themselves gifted with opportunities to continue creating modern classics. The real test will be which courses can escape the moniker of “It was nice a nice track before it was built out”. Those who have failed to demonstrate an ability to create intriguing, challenging, and enjoyable tracks for all levels of play will soon be asking, "Do you want fries with that?" The days of the ego fluffing resort course are numbered. In the last twenty years, a number of “jump on the bandwagon” well financed developers have made the quick buck on golf and left average house lined courses with no room for expansion in their wake.
Fear not, the pendulum will begin to swing back to courses which reflect the qualities of classic design as the market will demand what it cannot find; course which are long enough for today’s equipment and as fulfilling as the courses of old. A new day is also on the horizon for golf course operators and owners who view their properties as going concerns rather than get rich quick schemes. The general public will soon cast aside the disposable yuppie consumer culture in exchange for service and nostalgia, for the opportunity to participate or belong to something that has a legacy greater then themselves. The general public is also growing tired of playing golf amid the residential developments left in the dollar oriented developer’s wake. Competitive forces will create the new demand for classicism in turn separating the grain from the chaff in the circle of modern architects.
In the 80’s classic Wall Street, Gordon Gecko said, “Greed, for lack of a better word… is good.” Greed is the death knell of classic design. Greedy developers stop architects from creating modern classics because classic feature require space that could be used for real estate – see Hole 6 of Forrest Richardson’s “Routing the Golf Course”. After enough of them have failed, the greedy, out of fear of the elevated risk, will seek other arenas for their capital gluttony leaving golf development to those who love and respect the traditions of the game. And we, the proven course owners and operators, will be calling on architects who have demonstrated the ability to create the modern classic.
How much do I believe this? I’m betting the whole enchilada on it! We open Spring 2004.
Cheers!
JT