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Jeff_Brauer

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Jay Morrish Passes Away
« on: March 03, 2015, 09:42:46 AM »
Sad Day. Just got word via Pat Jones.  I did get an email from ASGCA last week indicating he was in some kind of nursing care, but optimistic. 

No one was a better source of entertaining stories than Jay, and of course, his work speaks for itself.

We were lucky to co-design a course with him near Ft. Worth, and it was a great experience which certainly supplemented my knowledge of how good players like JN looked at architecture.
Jeff Brauer, ASGCA Director of Outreach

Jim Sherma

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Re: Jay Morrish Passes Away
« Reply #1 on: March 03, 2015, 09:52:38 AM »
Always sad to lose someone that's very talented.

Jeff - could you please elaborate on some of the things you learned about how good/great players view architecture relative to the rest of us.

Jeff_Brauer

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Re: Jay Morrish Passes Away
« Reply #2 on: March 03, 2015, 10:14:28 AM »
Jim,

One is JN felt a green sub target area (like a raised shelf) should be at least 40 feet wide for him to shoot at it.  Since then, I have proposed that as the minimum, and some folks actually ask how I arrive at that.  Telling them Jack said so doesn't always convince them that shooting at smaller targets isn't wise in their case.

Jay also reinforced that Jack (and to be fair, I also learned this from Colbert) that pros hate aiming out over trouble, such as water on the right of a green where the wind blows left, and we worked harder to avoid those situations, aligning all the greens with the wind, with hazards on the downwind side.  Actually, Jay had a similar approach in his own work - I got the feeling where Jack went go almost surreal lengths to avoid situations he didn't like, Jay realized that they do occur and allowed them every so often.  Sometimes, if we ran across that situation, we would just leave a fw chipping area as a bigger bailout.

Jack preferred double deck (front low, back 1-2 ft. higher) on long, downwind par 4 holes, where he could use reduced spin to run the ball up to the upper deck.

There is more, but most are similarly specific design ideas on what makes a course play "correctly."
Jeff Brauer, ASGCA Director of Outreach

Ian Andrew

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Re: Jay Morrish Passes Away
« Reply #3 on: March 03, 2015, 10:37:05 AM »
I was very lucky to end up being the guy who occasionally took Jay to lunch when he worked with Doug on Angus Glen. It wasn't even my project, but happened through circumstance twice. There was nobody who had more stories about golf projects and life than Jay. He made me laugh at the things he got up to and be in awe on the projects he built for others.

I got to know him even better when I joined the ASGCA. It was our tradition at the meetings to meet every year at the bar. I bought him a nice scotch and he would hold court telling stories. As much fun as the golf ones were, the ridiculous "cat flying" story in Ponte Vedra will remain the funniest thing I ever heard. Silly and made up, it was a routine for the ages...

Consider this, he was on site for the construction of Spyglass Hill and was the site foreman for Muirfield Village and Glen Abbey.

Jay was a great guy. I'll miss him dearly.

I feel for Louise right now, because they were an incredible couple.

With every golf development bubble, the end was unexpected and brutal....

Jeff_Brauer

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Re: Jay Morrish Passes Away
« Reply #4 on: March 03, 2015, 11:32:58 AM »
Ian,

When ASGCA published Secrets of the Golf Architects, I felt they should have had a special edition just for Jay's stories.  He has the stories, and had a way of telling them, too.

But, I agree that we should focus on his work, which was quite extensive and normally very high quality.  That he provided designs for both Nicklaus and Weiskoph showed that he could be good and subvert the ego pretty well for the good of the project.

Side note, he was also on site at the Australian Club in the 1980's. When I visited there in 1994, the superintendent, Robert Ashes, had his picture on his wall.  Not JN, not the owner, etc., but Jay.  So, I think he usually had big impact on the project.
Jeff Brauer, ASGCA Director of Outreach

Brad Isaacs

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Re: Jay Morrish Passes Away
« Reply #5 on: March 03, 2015, 12:17:08 PM »
I didn't know Jay. It was Jay and his collaboration with Weiskoff that first caused my interest in golf course architecture 25 years ago. The interest because of the difference I felt in his designs vs other courses in the same geographical area first caused me to be aware of different designers. Thank you for your work Jay. My condolences to the family

Tom_Doak

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Re: Jay Morrish Passes Away
« Reply #6 on: March 03, 2015, 01:52:09 PM »
I only met Jay once; I spent a day with him to do an interview for GOLF Magazine when he and Tom were just starting to get some recognition for their work at Troon and TPC Scottsdale.  He was a gracious guy and, as Jeff says, full of stories.  I had no idea that before he'd worked for Jack and for Desmond Muirhead, he had worked on projects for Mr. Jones, including Spyglass Hill.  He had nothing but positive things to say about working for Jack Nicklaus, five years after he'd left to work with Tom.

It dawned on me when I was interviewing him that he was 49 years old and just starting to make a name for himself in the business, with all of that experience behind him.  I was 24 or 25 and thinking ... uh-oh, is it really going to take that long?

Paul Jones

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Re: Jay Morrish Passes Away
« Reply #7 on: March 03, 2015, 02:50:14 PM »
Sad indeed, I always enjoyed his courses.  How old was he?
Paul Jones
pauljones@live.com

Jeff_Brauer

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Re: Jay Morrish Passes Away
« Reply #8 on: March 03, 2015, 03:10:06 PM »
78
Jeff Brauer, ASGCA Director of Outreach

Matthew Petersen

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Re: Jay Morrish Passes Away
« Reply #9 on: March 03, 2015, 03:18:36 PM »
Quite sad to hear this. I've played a number of courses he had a hand in and enjoyed them all. I am always intrigued if I see a course has his name involved.

Peter Pallotta

Re: Jay Morrish Passes Away
« Reply #10 on: March 03, 2015, 04:44:52 PM »
My condolences, Jeff.

On what Mr. Morrish learned from JN (as in your post #2): all those seem to me like very good and sensible design ideas, appropriate for both the pro and rank amatuer alike.

Peter

Forrest Richardson

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Re: Jay Morrish Passes Away
« Reply #11 on: March 03, 2015, 09:56:23 PM »
Jay was a great guy. Full of life.
Wit. Mischief. Wisdom. Stories. Louise is a terrific woman and deserves some sort of medal for her life with Jay. The two were a great couple. We send our best thoughts to her and the extended family.
— Forrest Richardson, Golf Course Architect/ASGCA
    www.golfgroupltd.com
    www.golframes.com

paul cowley

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Re: Jay Morrish Passes Away
« Reply #12 on: March 05, 2015, 03:03:14 AM »
Long live Jay!...and my condolences to his special partner in life Louise. See you all soon.
paul cowley...golf course architect/asgca

Michael Wharton-Palmer

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Re: Jay Morrish Passes Away
« Reply #13 on: March 05, 2015, 10:32:27 AM »
Another sad day and artist lost...thoughts and prayers.

Jeff_Brauer

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Re: Jay Morrish Passes Away
« Reply #14 on: June 22, 2015, 10:54:58 PM »
For anyone interested, here is a short tribute to Jay I penned for Golf Course Industry after attending his Memorial on Memorial Day weekend.........

https://www.golfcourseindustry.com/gci/062215-Morrish-golf-architecture.aspx
Jeff Brauer, ASGCA Director of Outreach

John_Conley

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Re: Jay Morrish Passes Away
« Reply #15 on: June 22, 2015, 11:25:39 PM »
Very nice, Jeff.

George Pazin

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Re: Jay Morrish Passes Away
« Reply #16 on: June 23, 2015, 12:29:46 PM »
For anyone interested, here is a short tribute to Jay I penned for Golf Course Industry after attending his Memorial on Memorial Day weekend.........

https://www.golfcourseindustry.com/gci/062215-Morrish-golf-architecture.aspx

Thanks for sharing and bumping, I missed this the first time you posted it.
Big drivers and hot balls are the product of golf course design that rewards the hit one far then hit one high strategy.  Shinny showed everyone how to take care of this whole technology dilemma. - Pat Brockwell, 6/24/04

JC Urbina

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Re: Jay Morrish Passes Away
« Reply #17 on: June 23, 2015, 12:44:40 PM »
Jeff,


Your tribute reflecting on the passage of Jay was heartfelt.  In this business knowing a man like Jay Morrish must have meant a lot to many of the up and coming golf course designers.  Sadly I never had a chance to be around him, my mistake.


Long live the memories of Jay Morrish.


I like George missed the posting.




Jeff_Brauer

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Re: Jay Morrish Passes Away
« Reply #18 on: June 23, 2015, 01:06:26 PM »
Jim,

That was a new post yesterday, right upon publication by GCI.  So, you didn't miss that, but if you missed out on a chance to spend time with Jay, then, my friend, you really did miss something great.

I may encourage ASGCA to have a special page devoted to the best of Jay Morrish stories.
Jeff Brauer, ASGCA Director of Outreach

George Pazin

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Re: Jay Morrish Passes Away
« Reply #19 on: June 23, 2015, 01:30:05 PM »
I may encourage ASGCA to have a special page devoted to the best of Jay Morrish stories.

Please do.
Big drivers and hot balls are the product of golf course design that rewards the hit one far then hit one high strategy.  Shinny showed everyone how to take care of this whole technology dilemma. - Pat Brockwell, 6/24/04

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