It is that time of year. We all have different thoughts and beliefs which is what makes discussions and debates fun (most of the time
). Thought I would share some random things in no particular order that I believe. Maybe others will do the same. Happy Holidays to all!
- Temptation is one of the most important aspects of great design
- Most golfers will never understand GCA but they do understand what is fun
- The cost of golf (too much land required/too much maintenance) needs to come down to continue to grow the game
- Shorter more cleverly designed courses will start to appear and create a trend
- Wall to wall green/over watered courses will be a thing of the past for most all golf courses
- Trees will make a comeback on certain designs (but be more thoughtfully selected and placed by golf architects vs committees)
- Great holes always have some distinctive feature that makes them special
- Very few courses deserve to be restored, but every course deserves at least a close look at its evolution
- Width used properly can create options and options create interest and interest is what makes for great golf
- It is easy to over design a golf course. Less can be more and everything in moderation
- Dramatic car chases in movies are exciting but two hours straight of dramatic would suck. Same goes for golf course design.
- Bright white sand makes bunkers look even more artificial then they already are.
- Dormant Bermuda is a wonderful playing surface. Winter overseeding needs to be far more limited in its use.
- The mindset of pristine sand/raking of bunkers adds unnecessary costs. This will change and the PGA tour/USGA need to lead by example.
- I am all for relaxed rules if it makes the game more fun for more golfers
- Play it forward and give players more teeing options to do so
- Bunkerless courses or at least designs with very few will become more common in time and greens will reduce dramatically in size
- A major professional tournament will be contested on a 6500 yard or less golf course in the next ten years and it might change the direction of golf/design.