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Pat Burke

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Welcome to Zac Blair
« Reply #25 on: June 28, 2017, 01:32:04 PM »
I like Geoff. He's been nice to me.


I like Tom. He's been nice to me.


I know there's a Geoff/Tom thing right now.


I would hope that it doesn't become a thing on this site.


One guy posts often here, sharing his insights and opinions.
One guy pops in randomly to take a shot at the other.....looks like it is a thing, for one of them
« Last Edit: June 28, 2017, 01:46:48 PM by Pat Burke »

Kalen Braley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Welcome to Zac Blair
« Reply #26 on: June 28, 2017, 01:40:54 PM »
I like Geoff. He's been nice to me.


I like Tom. He's been nice to me.


I know there's a Geoff/Tom thing right now.


I would hope that it doesn't become a thing on this site.


One guy posts often hear, sharing his insights and opinions.
One guy pops in randomly to take a shot at the other.....looks like it is a thing, for one of them


Pat...excellent!!



Tyler Kearns

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Welcome to Zac Blair
« Reply #27 on: June 28, 2017, 03:52:48 PM »
Given the parcel is in southern Utah, I would think Sand Hollow would be the most relevant to study.  Its well liked on GCA.com and regarded as the best course in Utah.
Is it? I was under the impression it was north of SLC, maybe near the Bountiful area. Zac???


http://www.golf.com/tour-news/2017/01/31/zac-blair-explains-his-creation-buck-club


Blair designed his own dream course, christened The Buck Club, and acquired a plot of land near his home in St. George, Utah, for its eventual construction.


Listened to the podcast, Zac certainly has a keen interest in golf architecture and I hope his project is a success.  One issue that popped out to me was not hiring a golf course architect to help in the process.  Golf course architects can very often save clients much more than their design and construction supervision fees through efficient routing and construction planning, not to mention maintenance friendly design features that will save the client money year after year.


TK

Stephen Davis

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Welcome to Zac Blair
« Reply #28 on: June 28, 2017, 04:08:09 PM »
Given the parcel is in southern Utah, I would think Sand Hollow would be the most relevant to study.  Its well liked on GCA.com and regarded as the best course in Utah.
Is it? I was under the impression it was north of SLC, maybe near the Bountiful area. Zac???


http://www.golf.com/tour-news/2017/01/31/zac-blair-explains-his-creation-buck-club


Blair designed his own dream course, christened The Buck Club, and acquired a plot of land near his home in St. George, Utah, for its eventual construction.


Listened to the podcast, Zac certainly has a keen interest in golf architecture and I hope his project is a success.  One issue that popped out to me was not hiring a golf course architect to help in the process.  Golf course architects can very often save clients much more than their design and construction supervision fees through efficient routing and construction planning, not to mention maintenance friendly design features that will save the client money year after year.


TK
Thanks for posting this Tyler! I was under the assumption that the land was more north and had not been acquired yet. It will be interesting to see how the template holes will come out in a desert area (St. George is red rock, desert area).

I totally agree with you on your point about hiring an architect. At least getting feedback from one or many. I know some people will point to Crump and Pine Valley as the example of a guy pursuing his dream and building a golf course, but what they don't realize is that Crump had some of the worlds best architects on site frequently to share their thoughts and opinions. It was these guys who ended up finishing Pine Valley when Crump died prematurely.

JC Urbina

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Welcome to Zac Blair
« Reply #29 on: June 28, 2017, 05:25:55 PM »
Tyler,


I hope Zac does not hire a golf course architect,  it is time to see a design that doesn't follow any rules or preconceived notions.


Free thinking, freeform, free of the constraints that hold down every other archictect of record.


Good Luck Zac!


« Last Edit: June 28, 2017, 05:35:40 PM by JC Urbina »

JC Urbina

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Welcome to Zac Blair
« Reply #30 on: June 28, 2017, 05:27:56 PM »
BTW,


Sitting in the Charleston airport, constrained by weather!
« Last Edit: June 28, 2017, 05:34:22 PM by JC Urbina »

Kalen Braley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Welcome to Zac Blair
« Reply #31 on: June 28, 2017, 05:28:44 PM »
Tyler,


I hope Zac does not hire a golf course architect,  it is time to see a design that doesnt follow any rules or preconceived notions.


Free thinking, freeform, free of the constraints that hold down every other archictect of record.


Good Luck Zac!


I see what you did there JC...most excellent!!   ;D

John Kavanaugh

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Welcome to Zac Blair
« Reply #32 on: June 28, 2017, 05:38:28 PM »
Strantz never hired an architect to help him and plenty of experts on this site love his work to this day.

Tom_Doak

  • Karma: +3/-1
Re: Welcome to Zac Blair
« Reply #33 on: June 28, 2017, 06:33:25 PM »
Strantz never hired an architect to help him and plenty of experts on this site love his work to this day.


How in the hell do you label Mike Strantz as not an architect?

John Kavanaugh

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Welcome to Zac Blair
« Reply #34 on: June 28, 2017, 06:55:18 PM »
The only course of his I have played is Tabacco Road. That's artistry not architecture. Too soon?

Peter Pallotta

Re: Welcome to Zac Blair
« Reply #35 on: June 28, 2017, 07:00:35 PM »

"Free thinking, freeform, free of the constraints that hold down every other architect of record."


Good advice, JC, many even great advice - and advice we could all use, whatever our profession.


The challenge though: few of us are actually able (let alone willing) to step outside the prevailing spirit of our age, the dominant belief systems and scorecards by which we measure success or failure.


(As in my lighthearted but honest answer to Frank M's question, I do believe that few escape the underlying ethos and value system of the times they happen to live in).


*That's* the hard work, the interior work, the work of *character* not of craft.


If Zac - or anyone - can do that part of it, the rest will take care of itself pretty easily.


But how many ambitious people in a thousand are ready to risk stepping outside the safety and security of the already-proven, of the way things are already being done?


I think it's only the very brave or the very foolish or the very desperate who try -- and I don't think Zac is any of those (thankfully).   
 

George Pazin

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Welcome to Zac Blair
« Reply #36 on: June 28, 2017, 07:47:24 PM »
I like Geoff. He's been nice to me.


I like Tom. He's been nice to me.


I know there's a Geoff/Tom thing right now.


I would hope that it doesn't become a thing on this site.


Yep. Sad but true.


Welcome, Zac, don't be shy!



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

John Kavanaugh

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Welcome to Zac Blair
« Reply #37 on: June 28, 2017, 08:33:13 PM »
With all the crap top 100 courses out there nominated and confirmed by members of this site it takes a lot of nerve to tell Zac not to follow his dream. I bet his course will drain, won't have long green to tee walks, green side fans or washed out bunkers after a half inch of rain. Buck up bitches!!!

E P Purmort

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Welcome to Zac Blair
« Reply #38 on: June 28, 2017, 08:39:21 PM »
Zac, welcome to the site. I enjoyed the insight you provided on the Sawgrass changes on a recent podcast. I can't remember if it was NLU or Fried Egg, but your tour pro perspective was fantastic.  I look forward to your insight on tour stops as well as those courses we regularly celebrate/dismiss on GCA. For the record, I did give you some grief on a prior thread about the no-architect commentary at The Buck Club. That said, I wish you the best on that project and will be rooting for it to be an instant classic. Welcome again.

Blake Conant

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Welcome to Zac Blair
« Reply #39 on: June 28, 2017, 08:46:35 PM »
With all the crap top 100 courses out there nominated and confirmed by members of this site it takes a lot of nerve to tell Zac not to follow his dream. I bet his course will drain, won't have long green to tee walks, green side fans or washed out bunkers after a half inch of rain. Buck up bitches!!!


Making the drainage look and play well will be a challenge, as it is for everyone else building a golf course. 

BCowan

Re: Welcome to Zac Blair
« Reply #40 on: June 28, 2017, 09:31:48 PM »
Zac,


When ur at home playing golf, do u hoof it or do u cartball? 


Welcome to the site.

Declan Kavanagh

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Welcome to Zac Blair
« Reply #41 on: June 28, 2017, 11:54:51 PM »

Agreed, I love you great architects and shapers but this will be fun.


One of the things I always wonder about is if someone who knew golf and gca but did not know anything about the course he/she was playing and they played the top 250 courses.  How would they rank them???



Tyler,


I hope Zac does not hire a golf course architect,  it is time to see a design that doesn't follow any rules or preconceived notions.


Free thinking, freeform, free of the constraints that hold down every other archictect of record.


Good Luck Zac!

Zac Blair

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Welcome to Zac Blair
« Reply #42 on: June 30, 2017, 11:24:20 AM »
there is so much to discuss about my project I don't even know where to start...


First, the site is in northern Utah... 45 minutes from the SLC airprot.


Second, although I'm not going to hire a big name architect to do design the course I do have a team in place to help out. I'm not foolish enough to think I can do everything Myself.


Untimely it would be my dream to do it like crump did with PV and get some of the great architects of today or even some of the great up and comers to come and do a cool collaboration.


A couple of the main things I want to make sure this place has... a great golf course that touches on the golden age principles of architecture.
I also am very big on making sure it's a great walk with easy and short transitions from hole to hole.


Basically every great course I play I get some inspiration for my club.
I take bits and pieces whether it's a cool bunker, green complex, or tee position, from different courses.


Being a huge seth raynor and CB Macdonald fan the course will hopefully be a classic course with modern yardages that will play the way they intended some of their classics to play.


Any ideas are always appreciated.


Zb

Kalen Braley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Welcome to Zac Blair
« Reply #43 on: June 30, 2017, 11:32:29 AM »
Zac,


Thanks for the update.  I work right by the SLC airport and have watched Wingpointe slowly return to nature since they shut it down 1.5 years ago.  I'd love to go out there and take some post shutdown pics, but it technically belongs to the airport which is a federally protected area, so i'm not inclined to trespass.


Do you mine providing any specifics on where the site is?


Thanks!

Tim Martin

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Welcome to Zac Blair
« Reply #44 on: June 30, 2017, 12:54:35 PM »
Zac-Happy to see that you are enamored with the work of Mac/Raynor/Banks and hope to find some of their influence in your project. Good Luck!
« Last Edit: June 30, 2017, 01:17:25 PM by Tim Martin »

Marty Bonnar

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Welcome to Zac Blair
« Reply #45 on: June 30, 2017, 05:03:19 PM »
Hey Zac,
Never mind all the architectural advice. Get a haircut, ya scruffy urchin!
 ;)
(Just saw you on the coverage...)
Cheers,
FatBALDYdrummer.
« Last Edit: June 30, 2017, 05:16:23 PM by Marty Bonnar »
The White River runs dark through the heart of the Town,
Washed the people coal-black from the hole in the ground.

Marty Bonnar

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Welcome to Zac Blair
« Reply #46 on: June 30, 2017, 05:06:20 PM »
Oh yes, and PS.
How about showing us a Lego model of a Green design?
 ;D
Cheers,
F.
The White River runs dark through the heart of the Town,
Washed the people coal-black from the hole in the ground.

John Kavanaugh

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Welcome to Zac Blair
« Reply #47 on: June 30, 2017, 05:08:26 PM »
Zac,


Whatever you do don't take any advice from a guy with a golfblog. They'll take credit for your success and pick fights with your mentors.

Tim Martin

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Welcome to Zac Blair
« Reply #48 on: June 30, 2017, 05:13:54 PM »
Zac,


Whatever you do don't take any advice from a guy with a golfblog. They'll take credit for your success and pick fights with your mentors.


 ;D

BCowan

Re: Welcome to Zac Blair
« Reply #49 on: June 30, 2017, 06:43:43 PM »
Zac,


Whatever you do don't take any advice from a guy with a golfblog. They'll take credit for your success and pick fights with your mentors.


Jkava,


 U are a butt boy now, a diciple.  That golf blogger is a hell of an author, might u try reading the Good Dr Returns.  The mentor started the fight.  "They say the old laughing lady been here before.  She don't keep time.  She don't count score"