Juxtaposing this month's Feature Interview with our recent profile of the George Wright municipal course highlights in Technicolor golf's unmatched diversity. Best of all, you don't even have to pick one course or one experience over the other; do both! Few people appreciate the rich tapestry that golf provides more than this month's Feature Interviewee, Mark Brenneman, General Manager/PGA at Shadow Creek. Living in Machrihanish, bunking in his car while playing professionally in Scotland or heading one of the game's most luxe experiences, Mark has experienced the game's full gamut. Who else can you ask the question, ‘Is it more difficult to make a smooth swing on the first tee in the company of the President of the United States or Michael Jordan?'
Shadow Creek is a focal point of the dialogue with Mark. The place has always intrigued me, because its purpose seemed pure: to entertain people. Many other courses built in that era failed pathetically on that most simple and basic point. Some people get lost in what Shadow Creek cost to build; that's myopic and Steve Wynn had no such concerns. Shadow Creek is what it is and what he wanted. Many clubs can't claim to such: they have pandered to various interests over the past few decades, and in the process, become lost. Shadow Creek opened at less than 7,000 yards and featured a slew of risk reward holes/shots: Nice! Much has transpired there since it opened 25 years ago and Mark updates us on the tweaks that help Shadow Creek stay relevant for entertaining all skill sets.
Shadow Creek burst on the golf scene as the ultimate manufactured course simultaneous to the birth of the minimalist movement. Ironically, one of the chief architects of minimalism, Tom Doak, has been one of its loudest applauders. Once again, Tom selected Shadow Creek as a Gourmet's Choice in TCG Volume 2. So, this past September I plunked down $500, flew to Vegas, checked in and awaited the mandatory limo. Something entirely unexpected greeted me at the end of the twenty-minute journey to the outskirts of the desert - an understated clubhouse, quiet environs teeming with wildlife, nothing gaudy. Unlike the casinos, the holes don't scream for attention and compete with each other. Additionally, I was treated to the best, most dignified caddie imaginable. It was a classical experience in a very modern setting.
Shadow Creek aside, it's Mark's big picture observations that I find most fascinating. Golf is not the center of his universe; it was once but he became disenchanted with both the game and himself. He notes, 'Work-related memories don't sustain but somehow golf-related memories do.' It's so refreshing to find someone who isn't whining about the state of the game. He poses a tantalizing question: ‘Why do the most powerful men in the world, presidents and the like who have access to everything choose to spend a large part of their precious free time on a golf course? They could do anything, anywhere with pretty much anybody? Given the unlimited alternatives, why golf?’ While not proffering a specific answer he reasons: ‘So, I can't help but conclude that the game is in good shape.’
Mark's sanguine words and spirit of hope create the perfect December Feature Interview to ring out 2015.
Best,