Nick Faldo

[John Blain]

Nick Faldo retiring as an announcer for GC and CBS effective August 7. The Wyndham Championship will be his last event.


Nick Faldo Announces He Will Retire, End Broadcasting Career (msn.com)

[John Kavanaugh]

Nick Faldo retiring as an announcer for GC and CBS effective August 7. The Wyndham Championship will be his last event.


Nick Faldo Announces He Will Retire, End Broadcasting Career (msn.com)

Paging Hoover. Is your boy going LIV?

[David_Tepper]

From the linked article:

"In the letter, Faldo expressed his desire to cut back on travel associated with full-time broadcasting and to instead dedicate his time to “other opportunities and partnerships.” He specifically cited his intention to expand the growth of Faldo Design, which focuses on golf course design, and the Faldo Series, which provides opportunities for young competitive golfers."

[John Kavanaugh]

Announcing that he will go to the LIV now most likely would violate a moral clause in his contract. The horror.

[Bruce Katona]

JK:

You're on a roll and have momentum this morning.  I was thinking the same thing; 8 events a year for Sir Nick cuts down on his time away from the new ranch dramatically - he might even be getting a raise for working less.

[Tom_Doak]

JK:

You're on a roll and have momentum this morning.  I was thinking the same thing; 8 events a year for Sir Nick cuts down on his time away from the new ranch dramatically - he might even be getting a raise for working less.

Yeah, he should devote more of his time on golf course design in order to reduce his time away from home.   

[Wayne_Kozun]

Did Faldo design any decent courses?  He did one called The Rock, north of Toronto in the Muskoka region that was panned.  It was not received well, other than winning a new course award, and was closed and redone within five years:  https://canadiangolfer.com/2008/10/19/review-can-reworked-rock-be-resurrected/

[Rob Marshall]

Did Faldo design any decent courses?  He did one called The Rock, north of Toronto in the Muskoka region that was panned.  It was not received well, other than winning a new course award, and was closed and redone within five years:  https://canadiangolfer.com/2008/10/19/review-can-reworked-rock-be-resurrected/

He did a renovation of the Old course at Ballyliffin.

[Jim_Coleman]

   I think he designed one in the Dominican Republic that has closed.

[Doug Bolls]

I have played two of his designs:
Cottonwood Hills is (was?) outside Hutchison not too far from Prairie Dunes - I stayed over and played it after enjoying Prairie Dunes.


I found Cottonwood Hills very difficult - tight landing areas and forced carries that I could not handle.  I could not find a website for them - only a Facebook page.  Not sure it's still in operation?


From a review on GolfTexas.com:
"The Creeks at Beechwood is tighter than a camel's rear in a sandstorm.
Want a challenge? Do you like golf holes that are long and narrow? How about arriving at your ball in the middle of the fairway and there's a tree in your line to the green?
Will The Creeks frustrate you on your first visit? Was it David Feherty who said: "I feel like I was led into a circular room and told to go stand in the corner?"
It has since been reworked by Jay Morrish and is now an enjoyable course out by the Texas Motor Speedway - course was renamed "Golf Club at Champions Circle.  Fairways widened substantially.  Routing reversed and changed to make it more player friendly.
Those are my only experiences on courses designed by Sie Nick.

[Doug Bolls]

So much for copying text!


Let's try this from word:


This quote is from GolfTexas.com:


The Creeks at Beechwood is tighter than a camel's rear in a sandstorm.
Want a challenge? Do you like golf holes that are long and narrow? How about arriving at your ball in the middle of the fairway and there's a tree in your line to the green?
Will The Creeks frustrate you on your first visit? Was it David Feherty who said: "I feel like I was led into a circular room and told to go stand in the corner?"
It's now been renamed Champions Circle out by the Texas Motor Speedway.  Redesigned by Jay Morrish and is now very player friendly.  Wider landing areas - open shots into greens - a nice place to play

[David_Tepper]

I think Chart Hills in Kent, England was on of the first Faldo designed courses in Britain:
https://charthills.co.uk
 

[David Kelly]

I have played two of his designs:
Cottonwood Hills is (was?) outside Hutchison not too far from Prairie Dunes - I stayed over and played it after enjoying Prairie Dunes.

I found Cottonwood Hills very difficult - tight landing areas and forced carries that I could not handle.  I could not find a website for them - only a Facebook page.  Not sure it's still in operation?


From a review on GolfTexas.com:
"The Creeks at Beechwood is tighter than a camel's rear in a sandstorm.
Want a challenge? Do you like golf holes that are long and narrow? How about arriving at your ball in the middle of the fairway and there's a tree in your line to the green?
Will The Creeks frustrate you on your first visit? Was it David Feherty who said: "I feel like I was led into a circular room and told to go stand in the corner?"
It has since been reworked by Jay Morrish and is now an enjoyable course out by the Texas Motor Speedway - course was renamed "Golf Club at Champions Circle.  Fairways widened substantially.  Routing reversed and changed to make it more player friendly.
Those are my only experiences on courses designed by Sie Nick.

Cottonwood Hills in Hutchinson has opened and closed about 3 or 4 times now and it is currently closed, this time most likely for good.


The place was a complete botch job.  I agree with your observations, Doug.  Faldo and whoever he worked with/for had beautiful land for golf on which to work. It wasn't as good as Prairie Dunes which is about 5 miles down the road, but is was very good.  They disregarded the prevailing winds and had too many long forced carries and blind shots over the gunch and the bunkering looked like it had been airlifted in from Florida. It didn't need to be a replica of PD but you could tell that that course and land was not studied very much by the builders.


It's too bad because there was the potential for another great course to be built on that land (that whole area of 10-10 sq. miles has wonderful golf land) but I doubt if anyone will try again in the foreseeable future.

[Mike_Clayton]

I think Chart Hills in Kent, England was on of the first Faldo designed courses in Britain:
https://charthills.co.uk

\




A story - perhaps apocryphal - that so little had he been there he got lost on the way to the opening.

[Ally Mcintosh]

I think Chart Hills in Kent, England was on of the first Faldo designed courses in Britain:
https://charthills.co.uk

\




A story - perhaps apocryphal - that so little had he been there he got lost on the way to the opening.

Whether that one is true or not, I know for definite of two cases where the “designer” only visited their site twice, once for the obligatory pointing in to the distance / looking at a plan, site analysis photo-shot at project announcement… and the other on opening day when they mistook where the first hole was.

[John Kavanaugh]

Pioneers in the work from home movement.

[Carl Johnson]

Got to say that I won't miss his TV commentary.

[Sam Morrow]

So much for copying text!


Let's try this from word:


This quote is from GolfTexas.com:


The Creeks at Beechwood is tighter than a camel's rear in a sandstorm.
Want a challenge? Do you like golf holes that are long and narrow? How about arriving at your ball in the middle of the fairway and there's a tree in your line to the green?
Will The Creeks frustrate you on your first visit? Was it David Feherty who said: "I feel like I was led into a circular room and told to go stand in the corner?"
It's now been renamed Champions Circle out by the Texas Motor Speedway.  Redesigned by Jay Morrish and is now very player friendly.  Wider landing areas - open shots into greens - a nice place to play

Creeks at Beechwood was hard but it was a Norman.

[Craig Sweet]

Wilderness Club in Montana

[Ben Stephens]

I think Chart Hills in Kent, England was on of the first Faldo designed courses in Britain:
https://charthills.co.uk

\




A story - perhaps apocryphal - that so little had he been there he got lost on the way to the opening.

Whether that one is true or not, I know for definite of two cases where the “designer” only visited their site twice, once for the obligatory pointing in to the distance / looking at a plan, site analysis photo-shot at project announcement… and the other on opening day when they mistook where the first hole was.

I still have Nick Edmund's Classic Golf Courses of Great Britain and Ireland - Chart Hills is mentioned in it and Steve Smyers was the co designer so it makes you wonder who did most of the work. https://www.stevesmyers.com/copy-of-philosophy

[jeffwarne]

I always respected Faldo as a player and as an announcer.

[John Kavanaugh]

I always respected Faldo as a player and as an announcer.

Did Faldo retire from competitive golf as near the top as anyone ever had? I can't recall watching him hack it around.

[Mike_Trenham]

JK:

You're on a roll and have momentum this morning.  I was thinking the same thing; 8 events a year for Sir Nick cuts down on his time away from the new ranch dramatically - he might even be getting a raise for working less.

Yeah, he should devote more of his time on golf course design in order to reduce his time away from home.   

Tom, Thanks for this, it made me laugh out loud.

[Kalen Braley]

Given how low most American golf announcers have set the bar...

I quite enjoyed listening to him, even if he messed up from time to time.  And by my ear he never seemed to impose himself on the broadcast like a Johnny Miller or Jim Nantz...

[Edward Glidewell]

Given how low most American golf announcers have set the bar...

I quite enjoyed listening to him, even if he messed up from time to time.  And by my ear he never seemed to impose himself on the broadcast like a Johnny Miller or Jim Nantz...

Yeah, I don't think he was a great announcer, but I'd certainly rather listen to him than Paul Azinger, who is completely insufferable.