... under Best of Golf/Greenkeeping.
With the Men's & Women's US Opens concluded, there remains little consensus on the message from Pinehurst.
To me, it wasn't about single row irrigation with fairways burnt on their edges or rough that was returned to its natural state. Such things are site specifics. Rather, the message boils down to doing more with less and putting golf first. Happily, as we know from Part I with Don, that's the EXACT, FAR REACHING message that Don delivers and has acted on since 1999 when he saw Apache Stronghold and St. Andrews.
As you follow Don's career over this 17 minute video, certain themes emerge regardless of whether Don was located in Arizona, Texas, Oregon or Nebraska. One is about cutting maintenance expenses while focusing on making the golf better. Stop worrying about imperfect aesthetics, Dummy; it's all about the golf. Don rightly contends that the industry often thinks it knows what golfers want - and is frequently wrong. Don’t fret over striped fairways and perfectly trimmed edges; focus instead on giving the golfer a clean lie in the fairway, be it on brown or green grass. No surprise, he cries FOUL on irrigation systems that cost $2m+.
This video isn't just about Don either. He gives a loud shout out to legend Dan Lucas and his superior work at Kingsley Club since its inception. Don notes how the folks at Sand Hills make things work in a practical manner which helps to elevate the overall playing experience. Down the road, Jaeger's work at Dismal also symbolizes how Greenkeepers can make a course work without overdoing things.
Don switches gears and points out that ultimately, the challenge of taking a child to play golf is at the heart of growing the game. No surprise to find out therefore that he is involved with both a kid’s course with Andy Staples in New Mexico and a short course with Mike Nuzzo in Texas. At the end of the video, re-branding golf as a game for wellness needs to happen too. Playing 9 holes is the perfect way to accomplish both. That's how I grew up playing the game late in the evenings with my two brothers and Dad, so I am totally onboard with Don's vision.
Bottom line: the concept of doing more for less has been at the heart of the game for much of its history. Yet, it went unheard during golf's period of excess, roughly defined as the two decades that ended in 2007. It’s a crucial message, one that has few sponsors, Don being a rare exception. His words carry special meaning as they are backed up by his exemplary - and sometimes groundbreaking - in-the-dirt work over the past 15 years. Most importantly, he isn’t bemoaning the state of the game; he is doing something about returning it to its simpler, more authentic roots.
Hope you enjoy Part II - maybe we can talk him into Part III next year!
Best,