Lake Merced news.....Hanse to restore...

[Steve_ Shaffer]

From the Membership Director:

Lake Merced Golf Club is pleased to announce the hiring of Gil Hanse to restore Alister MacKenzie’s 1930’s design of the golf course. Work to begin this fall with the fully restored MacKenzie layout reopening to members in October 2022.

[Phil Burr]

Having played there in several NCGA Junior championships I can confirm that Lake Merced is a terrific course.  It also has a complex design history, originating with Willie Lock and including later work by Robert Muir Graves and Rees Jones.  I’ve never seen MacKenzie mentioned in the club’s lineage and I can’t recall seeing it listed in his CV. I’ll leave it to the more knowledgeable historians to judge the impact of his acknowledged work on certain parts of the course.  But does it seem like claiming this to be a restoration of a MacKenzie design is an attempt to trade on a fashionable name to elevate the perception of the course?  Perhaps it’s true as few would get excited about one of RMG’s designs being “restored”.

[Gib_Papazian]

This was a very good choice - and Shac will also be deeply involved.


Yet another example of a club naively prostituting itself to the USGA by inviting Rees Jones to make a rudderless mess immeasurably worse, ostensibly to lure in the US Women's Open.


Let's quote the good Doctor: "The greatest economy exists in finality."


In other words, how much money was wasted on an event that never happened - and now the members are going to be forced to cough up another chunk of quatloos to *fix* what ought to have been done in the first place!


If the results are that Lake Merced can finally hold up its head in a tough neighborhood, that little corner of San Francisco will have a Southhampton-esque collection of courses.


SFGC, O-Club (2), Harding, Cal Club and Lake Merced. Wait until Gil and Shac get done fixing up our Ocean Course . . . . 

[Gib_Papazian]

Phil, I have been playing LM off & on for 45 years and just don't see it. The Rees remodel (couple decades ago?) made a mediocre golf course a bit harder, but added almost no strategic interest.


#3. Went from a boring drop-shot par-3 to a slightly jazzed up, boring par-3.


#4. Took the worst hole in the Bay Area and somehow managed to make it worse.


#5. Did not rectify the awkward geometry of the "reverse camber" fairway - maybe Rees ought to have looked across John Daly Blvd for some inspiration on how to do it right.


#7. Long, flowing par-4 - but then pinched the run-up area to discourage all but aerial approaches.


#8. Putting surface shelfs look like early Nicklaus.


#9. Jam job, awkward tee shot, poorly executed, visually inartistic.


#10. Green complex and bunkering looks dropped out of a helicopter from an Algie Pulley course.


#11. Actually pretty interesting green complex, taking into consideration the breeze particularly.


#13. Awkward and jammed together elements off the tee - green complex is decent.


#14. The blindness on the 2nd shot is not terrible, but the bunkering is thoughtless, with no options for those gunning to hit the green in two.


#15. Shrieked to be a fabulous Redan, but (like #3 at Torrey South) retires the trophy for vapidity.


#18. He could not do anything about the uphill visual aesthetic of the green complex?


BTW, there is plenty of evidence that MacKenzie had a hand in the early incarnations, the problem is the remodel after the adjacent roads were built - my recollection is Bob Graves was brought in (1962-63?) with instructions to built less undulating greens. Bo Links (former member, now at O-Club) would be the person to speak directly to the history.
 

[David_Tepper]

"#4. Took the worst hole in the Bay Area and somehow managed to make it worse."

Based on the proposal I have seen, the good news is the 4th hole will be turned into the driving range.

[Sven Nilsen]

Having played there in several NCGA Junior championships I can confirm that Lake Merced is a terrific course.  It also has a complex design history, originating with Willie Lock and including later work by Robert Muir Graves and Rees Jones.  I’ve never seen MacKenzie mentioned in the club’s lineage and I can’t recall seeing it listed in his CV. I’ll leave it to the more knowledgeable historians to judge the impact of his acknowledged work on certain parts of the course.  But does it seem like claiming this to be a restoration of a MacKenzie design is an attempt to trade on a fashionable name to elevate the perception of the course?  Perhaps it’s true as few would get excited about one of RMG’s designs being “restored”.

Phil -


This is an excellent point.


What did MacKenzie and Hunter do beyond remodeling the bunkers (supposedly they filled in 100 bunkers) and changing the approaches?


The course was significantly altered after their work, and it would probably be impossible to go back to the original Locke routing.  Even if you could go back to that routing, technically it would be "the fully restored Willie Locke layout as altered by MacKenzie and Hunter."


Sven

[Jeff_Brauer]

From the Membership Director:

Lake Merced Golf Club is pleased to announce the hiring of Gil Hanse to restore Alister MacKenzie’s 1930’s design of the golf course. Work to begin this fall with the fully restored MacKenzie layout reopening to members in October 2022.

Given the cross slope of the original green site (evidenced by the steep bunkers on left) I find it counter intuitive that Mac raised the right side bunker and faced it away from the green, when it would have been so much easier to grade one into the natural slope...It sort of reeks of a predesigned (i.e., self copy) that he decided to reuse......At least, that is what I would be accused of LOL.


I also note that Mac preferred a "valley" or concave look to many of his approach areas.  I know that was common when I started in the biz, obviously with less slope.  It certainly looks pleasant, and the concave slope does help shots stay on the green, although from memory, I can't recall Mac writing anything on that as a basic philosophy. It wouldn't surprise me, though.


Personal story, I had a friend invite me to play there right after the Reesmodel.  Knowing it was historically a Jewish club, I wished him a happy holiday (don't recall which one it was) and he looked quizzical.  I'm not Jewish, I just joined here for the food!"


It is a very nice course.  We played on a misty cold day and it was noticeable how far less I hit nearly every club. 


I remember debating the fourth hole, IIRC, a long par 4 with a tiny green.  The member hated it, thinking it needed a bigger green.  I mentioned that based on the USGA Slope rating guide, a hole that long is probably not reached by average players, so it wasn't a bad choice to do a smaller green to challenge low handicappers.  He nodded.....but I don't think I convinced him.

[Matt_Cohn]

I'm excited for this, and I think the course will be much better. For an idea of the scale of the changes, only 9 of the holes will be in their current corridors with their greens in approximately the same places.

Here's the current version:



Here's the Hanse plan:



And the Mackenzie version (the clubhouse has moved; these pictures are in the same orientation):



I like the current course, but it has several clear drawbacks, as the Doak scale might term them: the 4th hole, the 8th green, redundant uphill wedges on 13, 17, and 18, a widespread sense of Rees-ness that feels out of place, and tangentially, an inadequate driving range. The Hanse/Mackenzie plan seems to fix all of those.

[Phil Burr]

It's unfair to judge from a screenshot, but it looks like the new routing will include numerous lengthy green-to-tee transitions.  At what point does the routing become so altered that a course can no longer claim its architectural heritage?


LMGC occupies a special place in my heart.  I pulled one of the all-time choke jobs, surrendering a 3 up lead after 14 holes and losing the last four holes in the semifinals of the NoCal Junior Championship to a young man named Matt Leary.  My capitulation included a snap hook off the 18th tee and subsequently leaving my last attempt to salvage the match in a bunker.  To my credit as an 18 year-old punk I picked my ball up from the sand and walked across the green to concede to Matt.  Five years later, an NCGA blue coat (the uniform for the referees) had work done in my dad's tire store and commended my behavior as he spoke with my father.  I assume gentlemanly behavior is a common thread among all of us but I'll never forget my dad telling me that such a fine man as Clark Graham recalled my gagging and handling it fairly well.

[Jeff Schley]

Having played there in several NCGA Junior championships I can confirm that Lake Merced is a terrific course.  It also has a complex design history, originating with Willie Lock and including later work by Robert Muir Graves and Rees Jones.  I’ve never seen MacKenzie mentioned in the club’s lineage and I can’t recall seeing it listed in his CV. I’ll leave it to the more knowledgeable historians to judge the impact of his acknowledged work on certain parts of the course.  But does it seem like claiming this to be a restoration of a MacKenzie design is an attempt to trade on a fashionable name to elevate the perception of the course?  Perhaps it’s true as few would get excited about one of RMG’s designs being “restored”.

I have always wondered how much MacKenzie did and from that how much has been left? Is Hanse's work based on the good doctor at all?

BTW in the club history I have to shrug when they use a nickname for Rees Jones.

In 1996, the course was renovated yet again, this time by the “U.S. Open Doctor,” Rees Jones. The result is a rejuvenated layout with classic features, including deep bunkering and undulating greens.

[Joel_Stewart]

Seems like you have the new guard taking over at Lake Merced?


On a bigger picture, you have Cal Club down the street that has basically shamed Lake Merced and Olympic on how to do a proper renovation/restoration. Lets remember this is a business and new members are the lifeblood of a club.  If Lake Merced was the 3rd or 4th choice of a prospective member, do you ever have a happy membership?

[Tom_Doak]

Seems like you have the new guard taking over at Lake Merced?


On a bigger picture, you have Cal Club down the street that has basically shamed Lake Merced and Olympic on how to do a proper renovation/restoration. Lets remember this is a business and new members are the lifeblood of a club.  If Lake Merced was the 3rd or 4th choice of a prospective member, do you ever have a happy membership?

The phrase "keeping up with the Joneses" was more ironic when Rees was doing all of these renovations, but that is still a big driver of all the work that's going on.  Whether it turns out better is all a matter of the execution.


That said, Lake Merced has plenty of room for improvement.

[Adam G]

 Is Hanse's work based on the good doctor at all?



Looking at the Hanse map and the MacKenzie era aerial, it would appear that holes 1-13 for Hanse are almost exactly the same as MacKenzie (with added length in many places, but the bunkering looks fairly close). This is what people from the club have indicated online as well. 14-18 are new because of the freeway taking out a bunch of the MacKenzie holes.

[Lou_Duran]

Quite a hike to the new driving range (is the development on the slice side safe?), and the walk back to #2 tee does not simplify the routing.  Seems like the holes are shoe-horned, though having never played the course, it may not be a problem.  Kudos to the club for its website coverage of the renovation/restoration in detail and for providing good historical context.  Look forward to visiting the club in 2023, assuming that the border is open by then.

[Matt_Cohn]

Quite a hike to the new driving range (is the development on the slice side safe?), and the walk back to #2 tee does not simplify the routing.  Seems like the holes are shoe-horned, though having never played the course, it may not be a problem.  Kudos to the club for its website coverage of the renovation/restoration in detail and for providing good historical context.  Look forward to visiting the club in 2023, assuming that the border is open by then.

That development right of the range is up on a hill, so they'll probably put in a fence too but it's not as in-play as it looks from above.

[Sven Nilsen]

Think it makes sense to put these plans/aerials in progression.


Here is the plan of the course (as laid out by Willie Locke) from the April 1923 San Francisco Water article:





Here is what was called the "MacKenzie Era Aerial" posted above:





And here is the Hanse plan:





Here all all three side by side:

[Jeff_Brauer]

Putting the topo map and the aerial side by side allows us to see how well Mac used the topo in placing fw bunkers.  Some seem far or close to the tee by prescribed measurement, but all of the fairway bunkers follow the topo quite nicely.  One surprise (to me) is how subtle the favored green angle really is.  The fronting bunker really only drags over the front of the green a few degrees more than the other side.  Pretty brilliant (no surprise there with Mac) combo of leaving the front of the green open for average players, but favoring one side quite a bit with the subtle angle.

[jeffwarne]

Seems like you have the new guard taking over at Lake Merced?


On a bigger picture, you have Cal Club down the street that has basically shamed Lake Merced and Olympic on how to do a proper renovation/restoration. Lets remember this is a business and new members are the lifeblood of a club.  If Lake Merced was the 3rd or 4th choice of a prospective member, do you ever have a happy membership?

The phrase "keeping up with the Joneses" was more ironic when Rees was doing all of these renovations, but that is still a big driver of all the work that's going on. 

No need to keep up, "Following" the Joneses is far more lucrative

[Lou_Duran]

Jeff- I am amazed that you can discern so much detail from the pics.  Great point on MacK's greenside bunkers.  But rather than just being extraordinarily adroit- after all, he didn't generally linger long during his visits-  I wonder if he was just following the often criticized tendency of designing for his game.

[Kyle Casella]

Quite a hike to the new driving range (is the development on the slice side safe?), and the walk back to #2 tee does not simplify the routing.  Seems like the holes are shoe-horned, though having never played the course, it may not be a problem.  Kudos to the club for its website coverage of the renovation/restoration in detail and for providing good historical context.  Look forward to visiting the club in 2023, assuming that the border is open by then.

The property is actually quite small so although some of the walks look long, they are closer than they appear on the map. The playing corridors for 1 and 2 are virtually identical to current 10 and 11 so the members are used to that walk. The walk is a bit awkward but not really that long. Since most players walk, people usually leave their bags near the fairway and walk back up to the tee. I guess the real answer would be to not have a driving range (which didn't appear to exist in the old aerials), but that doesn't sell memberships!

[Sven Nilsen]

 Is Hanse's work based on the good doctor at all?



Looking at the Hanse map and the MacKenzie era aerial, it would appear that holes 1-13 for Hanse are almost exactly the same as MacKenzie (with added length in many places, but the bunkering looks fairly close). This is what people from the club have indicated online as well. 14-18 are new because of the freeway taking out a bunch of the MacKenzie holes.

Looking at the Locke Routing Plan and the MacKenzie Era Aerial, it is clear that the routing that should be discussed is that of Locke.  No changes were made to his basic layout by MacKenzie.


Hanse is taking it back to the Locke routing (with the MacKenzie bunkers restored where needed).  The only major exceptions deal with the tweaking of the northwest corner of the course to add a new par 3 to take the place of the original 9th hole where there is now only room to run one hole.


The fact that this is being discussed as a restoration of a MacKenzie course with no reference to Willie Locke is a shame.


Sven

[Tom_Doak]

The fact that this is being discussed as a restoration of a MacKenzie course with no reference to Willie Locke is a shame.

Sven

Well they couldn't find a photo of Willie Locke to photoshop in next to Gil.   


P.S.  One of my favorite lines ever from The Simpsons was when the ghost of Cesar Chavez was haunting Homer during his hunger strike, and Homer said, "Hey, wait a minute, how come you look like the ghost of Cesar Romero?"  And the ghost replied, "Because you don't know what Cesar Chavez looked like!"

[Jeff_Brauer]

Ah, the Simpsons have a good reference for nearly everything!


Looking at the aerial again, and noticing fairly regular property boundaries, except for the NW corner, it got me wondering, did Locke go back and tell them he needed a bit of property next door?  An early Pete Dye influencer?

[Mark Kiely]

Looking at the Locke Routing Plan and the MacKenzie Era Aerial, it is clear that the routing that should be discussed is that of Locke.  No changes were made to his basic layout by MacKenzie.


Hanse is taking it back to the Locke routing (with the MacKenzie bunkers restored where needed).  The only major exceptions deal with the tweaking of the northwest corner of the course to add a new par 3 to take the place of the original 9th hole where there is now only room to run one hole.


The fact that this is being discussed as a restoration of a MacKenzie course with no reference to Willie Locke is a shame.


Sven

I applaud your effort to say this without having to say this, even if it apparently proved unsuccessful. 

[Lou_Duran]

Kyle C,


Probably all renovations of old courses require difficult concessions.  While neither the walk-backs to #2 and 7 tees or the 500+ yd hike to the driving range are ideal, I'd personally rather have a good driving range than not one at all.  I am assuming that there will be some cart or shuttle service to the range.  Perhaps the club will find a way to minimize the distraction to those playing the 17th and 18th holes.  Look forward to playing the course some day.