Doak is to Golf Architecture
as
Brian Eno is to Architecture of Music
I'm not sure the comparison above is all that apt. Clearly Tom D knows the nuts and bolts of course construction in the same way that Carlos Alamar knew music structure but that Eno didn't. That's just my take and I'm neither a musician or GCA.
Niall
As usual Niall, I agree with what you wrote. I should have realized what I wrote could so easily be misunderstood.
Brian Eno repeatedly admitted he was not a professional musician, in that he wasn’t fluent with any instruments.
He could poke out a tune on a piano and could (sort of) play trumpet, but Tom Doak isn’t known for his wins on the PGA tour either.
Brian was one of the worlds greatest composers of pop music. Tom is one of the worlds greatest creators of golf courses. Both are creative geniuses.
The music reviewer George Starotsin wrote a great description of Eno’s abilitites.
His review has stuck with me over the years and I believe the spirit of what he felt for Eno is echoed by the respect I feel for Mr Doak.
Here is what George wrote. Read it and then notice
the analogy to Mr. Doak’s designs.
“If there is anybody in this world who could really penetrate into the very nature of SOUND itself and analyze it with the sharpest scalpel, yet leaving no traces of rude treatment upon its delicate soul, it is Mr Brian Eno. Have you ever actually wondered what is the actual mechanism, how does the channel between musical notes and our ears work? What does music consist of? What makes a certain sound beautiful and another sound ugly? And did you ever try to admire the beauty of JUST ONE NOTE? In our everyday life, we're used to music consisting of hurried flurries of notes, be it slow or fast; Eno shows us that one note, if used cleverly enough, can be just as awe-inspiring as an entire complex, or catchy, melody...
Whatever the golden praises, I must sorrowfully admit that Brian Eno is rarely given the due respect he deserves....
...so nobody really knows anything about Brian Eno's composing.
Which is a pitiful thing. You may laugh at me, but I actually consider Eno to be one of the most important composers of the XXth century.
When (Brian) used to really write melodies, he did that with a flavour: be it fast, catchy, memorable, solid rock'n'roll ditties, or heartfelt, deeply engaging ballads, he was always on top.
What's more, he always complemented that incredibly talented pop side of his with a tendency to make everything completely unlike whatever anybody else was doing at the time. Such a total devotion to his work and such a burning desire to put his foot somewhere no other foot had stood before highly distinguishes Eno and is absolutely unparalleled in our days: Brian was, indeed, one of the Giants of popular (and not-so-popular) music of his time.
Eno always was primarily an experimentator, but he was a rare type of experimentator:
the feeling, the devoted artist. Whatever bleeps and beeps and squeaks and moos and miauws come out of his trusty synthesizers, you know for sure they're heartfelt. Hundreds of 'noise-experimentators' and avantgarde artists
have produced music that's close in style to Brian, but it always lacks true compassion and sincerity. The amazing thing, for Eno, is that I can always identify with his music, a process that's practically impossible for me to experience with the above-mentioned David Bowie. When Eno rocks, I rock with him, and do it gleefully and without reservations; when Eno rips out a ballad, I cry with him - songs like 'Golden Hours' or 'Spider And I' can tear the very soul out of you if you don't watch out. Such an amazing combination of 'successful experimentator', 'sincere artist' and 'talented composer' in one person is indeed rarely met."