I'd be curious to hear what advice our posting professionals (those in the biz) would give to Mr. Blair, beyond "Hire a professional".
Would you tell him to focus on green contours? Bunker placement? Agronomy? Maintenance? Routing?
I tend to relate threads like these back to my (sad little) t shirt printing business. [EDIT: I don't do this to draw attention to it. I do it because it's one of the few areas I consider myself far more knowledgeable than most. Most people are more than willing to give their opinions on anything and everything, but I tend to defer to those who have lived it, as opposed to those who merely think they know everything. Hubris is the tragic flaw of virtually every smart and successful person I've ever met, even if it does not usually bring them down.
]
I get a handful of people every year who think they have the next great t shirt idea that is going to sell millions. Some of them are awful, and some are actually pretty clever.
The difference is, the guy who sells millions isn't focused on the design per se. He's focused on selling it and distributing it.
I have yet to meet that person. A few have come kinda close (I think), but they tend to get in their own way. I wonder how much Fownes and Crump got in their own way; sure doesn't seem like much. Maybe they had "professionals" who helped them out, or maybe they figured it out themselves. Either way, I applaud their efforts.
Thanks for starting the thread and the heads up, Buck!