[Jim Franklin]

...for winning Golf Digest's Best New public course for 2016. I was very glad to be a part of the rating for the course.

[John Kavanaugh]

Which side won?

[Joel_Stewart]

Best private was Bluejack National in Houston


Best remodel was Piping Rock in New York by Bruce Hepner. Baltimore CC was 2nd and Westchester CC 3rd.

[Blake Conant]

Congrats to Tom. 


Westchester CC 3rd?  I couldn't disagree more.  The club is going further away from its Travis roots, and it's not getting better in the process.  The softening of original Walter Travis green surround contours coupled with questionable bunker and approach work left me wishing they had just left the Ken Dye work alone.

[Tom_Doak]

Thank you, Jim and Blake.  Our client just texted me about the award this morning, so I was surprised to see the December-January GOLF DIGEST with the story on my desk when I arrived home this evening.  Apparently they do a great job of keeping the results under wraps!


I have to say that the story by Ron Whitten was one of the nicer things ever written about me and the boys.  Of course, I have known Ron for 30-some years now; maybe David Kidd can learn something from that.


Also, congrats to Bruce Hepner for the recognition of his work at Piping Rock.  But I must admit I am horribly confused about this "best remodel" award and how it's supposed to work [whether they are rewarding the amount of change, or the finished product].  I thought Keith Foster had already restored Five Farms just a few years ago; and what Bruce started with at Piping Rock is the last work I did for Mr. Dye, remodeling the course in the fall of 1985.  Has anyone seen it?  How much did they change it?

[Steve Lang]

Best private was Bluejack National in Houston


Best remodel was Piping Rock in New York by Bruce Hepner. Baltimore CC was 2nd and Westchester CC 3rd.

Frankly, I would have thought Bluejack would have been maybe a "best public redesign or best reconstituted into private", being built on the bones of Blaketree National (C&C+Mr Blake)...


and The Loop is truly special... can't wait to get back next summer.

[Mike Schott]

Congratulations Tom. I found The Loop to be perhaps the most fun course I've ever played. The options around the greens are endless. I particularly enjoyed using a few of the backstops on the greens.

[Jerry Kluger]

Jim: Congrats on Five Farms - it is so good and so much fun - now if I could have seen at 33 RPM instead of 78 RPM I would have enjoyed it even more. (Old guys will understand the reference.)

[K Rafkin]

So does this mean that the Loop has been accepted as one course? 


Is there a "Best Old Course" award for a course where a membership can win an award for deciding not to change anything?

[Tom_Doak]

Is there a "Best Old Course" award for a course where a membership can win an award for deciding not to change anything?

  There should be.  Unfortunately, The Old Course lost that award a couple of years ago.

[Jim Franklin]

Thank you, Jim and Blake.  Our client just texted me about the award this morning, so I was surprised to see the December-January GOLF DIGEST with the story on my desk when I arrived home this evening.  Apparently they do a great job of keeping the results under wraps!


I have to say that the story by Ron Whitten was one of the nicer things ever written about me and the boys.  Of course, I have known Ron for 30-some years now; maybe David Kidd can learn something from that.


Also, congrats to Bruce Hepner for the recognition of his work at Piping Rock.  But I must admit I am horribly confused about this "best remodel" award and how it's supposed to work [whether they are rewarding the amount of change, or the finished product].  I thought Keith Foster had already restored Five Farms just a few years ago; and what Bruce started with at Piping Rock is the last work I did for Mr. Dye, remodeling the course in the fall of 1985.  Has anyone seen it?  How much did they change it?

I believe they are evaluating the finished product. Many people would not be aware of what was there before so can only evaluate what they see.

And Bruce did a really nice job at Birmingham CC recently too.

And yes Keith did a terrific job a few years back at Five Farms but this change was new grass for the greens and fairways, removing non-indigenous trees from the course plus bringing the greens back to their original design. The previous versions have been reworking the bunkers, adding length, and a few bunkers.

[Tom_Doak]

I believe they are evaluating the finished product. Many people would not be aware of what was there before so can only evaluate what they see.

And Bruce did a really nice job at Birmingham CC recently too.

And yes Keith did a terrific job a few years back at Five Farms but this change was new grass for the greens and fairways, removing non-indigenous trees from the course plus bringing the greens back to their original design. The previous versions have been reworking the bunkers, adding length, and a few bunkers.

So you are just voting on what's the best course that someone did work to?  I guess I should go rebuild a green at Royal Melbourne or Pine Valley every year then.


Since the GOLF DIGEST panel has a score for the course before the work started, and a score after it's done, why not compare the delta between the two -- even if it's not the same panelists?  At least that would have some correlation to the work that was actually done, as opposed to the bones that have always been there.

[Jim Franklin]

I believe they are evaluating the finished product. Many people would not be aware of what was there before so can only evaluate what they see.

And Bruce did a really nice job at Birmingham CC recently too.

And yes Keith did a terrific job a few years back at Five Farms but this change was new grass for the greens and fairways, removing non-indigenous trees from the course plus bringing the greens back to their original design. The previous versions have been reworking the bunkers, adding length, and a few bunkers.

So you are just voting on what's the best course that someone did work to?  I guess I should go rebuild a green at Royal Melbourne or Pine Valley every year then.


Since the GOLF DIGEST panel has a score for the course before the work started, and a score after it's done, why not compare the delta between the two -- even if it's not the same panelists?  At least that would have some correlation to the work that was actually done, as opposed to the bones that have always been there.

That's too logical.

I believe, in regard to Five Farms, Golf Digest threw out all the old ratings and started fresh.

[Howard Riefs]

http://www.golfdigest.com/story/best-new

[Tom_Doak]

Thanks for the link, Howard.  There's much more info (and feedback!) there than in the magazine.


It also explains how the Best Remodel category is done ... basically, as I suspected, it's "best course that's been remodeled" and not "most improved."  Which seems kind of silly, but I guess they can't sort out how to do "Most Improved."  Which would be much more interesting, if they could.

[Kalen Braley]

Tom it seems comparable to TMZ-like celebrity status.


If a D list reality star gets a boob job and butt job, hardly any one pays attention.


But if Brad Pitt has a new hairdo, a whole bunch of people will be losing thier shit and it'll get 1st billing on Inside Edition.


Just the way the world works I suppose...

[Woody Kaye]

See below

[David Davis]

Tom, congrats that's really something to be proud of and the owner should be ecstatic as demand just went through the roof for the coming years I'm guessing and hoping for all.


Can't wait to see it someday.




I'm perhaps more skeptical about Bluejack after having seen El Cardinol though I've just heard from friends it was great.

[Woody Kaye]

As chairman of the Piping Rock Steering Committee I wanted to publicly extend our gratitude and appreciation to Bruce Hepner for his outstanding work remodeling our golf course and speak to the scope of the changes that were made under his watch. As Ron Whitten noted in his introduction candidates for 'best remodeled' had great bones to begin with. We were no exception.

Macdonald routed the course over very diverse topography in two phases. As noted in several threads on Piping Rock's history a philosophical difference around the polo field led Rayner to execute CB's design and oversee the work. Not unlike many classic courses there have been ebbs and flows to the original design over the years including removing bunkers after the War along with significant renovations by Jones in the 1950's and Dye in the mid 1980's.

The master plan that Bruce gave us in 2008 covered nearly every facet of architecture including reinstating (11), removing (1), rebuilding (20) and re-grassing (44) bunkers; recovering lost fairway (8 1/2 acres); expanding all green complexes; adding new tees and removing trees. We had several criteria behind the changes: accommodate new equipment, reclaim the ground game, promote strategic play, honor Macdonald's design. I think it's fair to say that our 'remodeling' was significant and has (hopefully) led to a dramatically improved golfing experience and positive aesthetic impact. Kudos again to Bruce for his vision......and patience.

Finally thank you to Ran for letting the Newbie pop in!

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