I’m a fan of Fried Egg. But I’m also loyal to Budweiser and, like 70% of the US market, prefer macro to craft. I have some questions about the article.
What are the “new values/ideals” of the craft golfers? Accessible, affordable, sustainable, enjoyable for all abilities? Isn’t craft beer sold as more complex, sophisticated and therefore worth an upcharge? If the craft golfer demands bespoke subtlety in every fairway, bunker and green complex, isn’t that just as fusty a code as a ban on pull carts?
Is craft design cheaper? For how long? Do the craft designers need to stay small and risk much on each job to stay “authentic”?
What are the “new means” by which the craft GCA tastes are developed? Social media affiliate cross-marketing among the like-minded? To what architectural effect?
If we’re to usher in a Second Golden Age, weren’t the best designers of the First Age macro? What is Ed Ault, from the so-called “dark ages”? My Maryland county runs 5 courses by Ault or Ault/Clark. All popular, affordable, walkable and sustainable over decades. Aren’t they “special craft playing fields,” even if no one Instagrams their bunkers? Isn’t Ed Ault’s time-proven work at least as good a model for public golf as that of more fashionable current guys?