Brad Faxon once commented to me that a firm 6,200 yard course was more dynamic, interesting and potentially challenging than a soft one 1,000 yards longer. That pretty much sums up the importance of a Green Keeper! Long after the architect has left, how a course plays largely determines the enjoyment it provides. This month's Feature Interview is with everyone's favorite 35 year-old cerebral Green Keeper, Kyle Harris.
If ever you want to appreciate how much you have to learn, talk to Kyle or any Green Keeper for that matter. I remember the interview we did with Chris Haspell at Castle Stuart who had his own vernacular and way of looking at things. Kyle is similar.
Here are some quotes from Kyle that make my head hurt if I think too long:
- The negative space chosen by the architect speaks just as much as the golf space.
- Shapers and architects see and think vastly different things even when working on the same project or playing the same golf course!
- Most of the work on a golf course that makes it "feel" right you'll never notice.
- Strategy is overrated and the majority of shots in a round shouldn't necessarily have strategic implications.
- Tactics are grossly underrated, especially on tee shots.
Midway, he flaunts his Penn State and Rutgers education by comparing golf course architecture to the Interstate Highway System!He notes how the word 'strategy' is often mis-used. True strategy is when you are presented with multi-options, that call for shots which you can handle, and then you have to deliberate over which one to play. Strategy is NOT about carrying a bunker 235 yards from the tee to gain an advantage - that is merely execution and how far you hit it because if you can carry that far, you definitely will. Indeed, Kyle is passionate about being able to present a course that provides options as that encourages the golfer to think. Why is that important? Apart for it making the game more varied/fun, a thinking golfer becomes a better/more intelligent player and that ultimately helps wed the person to the game. To succeed in providing options, Kyle emphasizes that it is
'absolutely vital to play the golf course under one's care.' I agree - no skinny chefs for me!
As a long-time Florida resident, Kyle highlights some of the hidden gems that the state offers like Ocala and Florida Highlands. As we worked on this interview, I expanded it to include questions about the socio-dynamics of the sport and millennials. Why? Because I wanted to hear his answers! In short, there is something for everyone in the far ranging questions and answers of this month's Feature Interview that proves one of golf's truisms: you always learn more when you talk with someone who has dirt under his nails.
Hope you enjoy this fresh take:
http://golfclubatlas.com/feature-interview/feature-interview-with-kyle-harris/Best,