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Matt Kardash

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Capilano
« on: January 26, 2022, 10:46:08 PM »
Enjoy this profile of Capilano, a course I would venture to guess not many on this site have seen.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmTpgOgwnpU
the interviewer asked beck how he felt "being the bob dylan of the 90's" and beck quitely responded "i actually feel more like the bon jovi of the 60's"

Robert Mercer Deruntz

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Re: Capilano
« Reply #1 on: January 27, 2022, 02:18:37 AM »
Capilano could be the most underrated golf course in Canada, even though it is considered one of the Stanley Thompson great five.  Though set on a mountainside moving within truly giant trees, only a very few trees are in play through very wide playing corridors.  And the greens have great undulations and interest.  An aside, a good friend won one of his Pacific Coast Amateur titles there about 50 years ago

Pete Lavallee

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Capilano
« Reply #2 on: January 27, 2022, 08:29:09 AM »
Thanks Matt that was a great video, brought back some great memories too. Q0 years ago the wife said we’re going to Vancouver for vacation; I said nooo we don’t have a connection to play Capilano! I was lamenting this in our weekend group and one guy said don’t worry I know a member and I’m sure he’ll host you. Turns out he was Jeff Mingay’s uncle. We were sweating bullets as a storm blew through the mourning of our round, which was also the last day of our trip, so no chance of playing the next day. But the storm passed and we teed off at 11:00. You should have seen the look on our hosts face when my wife declined the pushcart and said no I would rather carry!


The course is amazing, plunging down the hill on the front nine and then getting back up to 15 without ever noticing your climbing back up hill. The 18th is all world with a most unique green site. The clubhouse is fantastic, sighted on the hill and the view from the Mens Locker Room is out of this world. Stanley Thompson’s work at its finest, truly a genius at designing golf courses.
"...one inoculated with the virus must swing a golf-club or perish."  Robert Hunter

Michael Chadwick

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Capilano
« Reply #3 on: January 27, 2022, 05:26:08 PM »
Great video, thank you for posting. Perhaps aside for Bandon Trails, it's difficult to imagine a better course set within the trees that manages to simultaneously embody golden age strategy and firm and fast surfaces, while also being fully rooted to its Pacific Northwest environment. Capilano appears to stand alone in that regard.
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[/size]As it happens, my in-laws are just south of the border in Bellingham, WA. Look forward to studying more of Thompson's work in the coming years.
Instagram: mj_c_golf

Matt Kardash

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Capilano
« Reply #4 on: January 27, 2022, 06:21:28 PM »
Great video, thank you for posting. Perhaps aside for Bandon Trails, it's difficult to imagine a better course set within the trees that manages to simultaneously embody golden age strategy and firm and fast surfaces, while also being fully rooted to its Pacific Northwest environment. Capilano appears to stand alone in that regard.

As it happens, my in-laws are just south of the border in Bellingham, WA. Look forward to studying more of Thompson's work in the coming years.
You mean the Pacific Southwest to us Canadians!  :P
the interviewer asked beck how he felt "being the bob dylan of the 90's" and beck quitely responded "i actually feel more like the bon jovi of the 60's"

Wayne_Kozun

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Capilano
« Reply #5 on: July 16, 2022, 02:22:43 PM »
I just played Capilano for the first time yesterday and it is a wonderful course.  One issue is that the greens are a bit severely sloped for modern green speeds which makes some putts extremely treacherous.
The club is currently doing some construction and building a new tee shop and redoing the surrounding area including the first tee and the 18th green.  The 18th green is being redone.  Anyone know who they use as their architect these days?

Andrew Harvie

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Capilano
« Reply #6 on: July 16, 2022, 02:36:50 PM »
I just played Capilano for the first time yesterday and it is a wonderful course.  One issue is that the greens are a bit severely sloped for modern green speeds which makes some putts extremely treacherous.
The club is currently doing some construction and building a new tee shop and redoing the surrounding area including the first tee and the 18th green.  The 18th green is being redone.  Anyone know who they use as their architect these days?


It is a wonderful golf course and club. But, one issue with your assessment: there is no such thing as too severe of greens for modern green speeds... only green speeds too severe for classic greens! Capilano lost one of Thompson's best greens on the 14th... let's not make it more.


As for an architect, it is still Doug Carrick

Ben Malach

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Re: Capilano
« Reply #7 on: July 16, 2022, 03:22:26 PM »
Drew,


wouldn't it be nice if they made the choice to move on to an architect that had a better grasp of history and the spirit of golf.
@benmalach on Instagram and Twitter

Daryl David

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Capilano
« Reply #8 on: July 16, 2022, 05:59:02 PM »
Drew,


wouldn't it be nice if they made the choice to move on to an architect that had a better grasp of history and the spirit of golf.


+1

Wayne_Kozun

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Capilano
« Reply #9 on: July 16, 2022, 06:23:37 PM »
Drew,


wouldn't it be nice if they made the choice to move on to an architect that had a better grasp of history and the spirit of golf.
I had assumed, and hoped, that they were using Ian.  Who knows more about Stanley than Ian?

Bret Lawrence

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Capilano
« Reply #10 on: July 19, 2022, 12:00:51 PM »
Here is a link to the Olmsted Archives for Capilano.  If anyone is interested in a deep dive, you can scroll through this album and find several course routing maps.  Sven posted one of these on the Compilation of Routing maps thread a few years back.


https://flic.kr/s/aHskTgKR2C


This link includes the corresponding letters:



https://www.loc.gov/manuscripts/?q=Capilano
« Last Edit: July 19, 2022, 12:08:06 PM by Bret Lawrence »

Wayne_Kozun

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Capilano
« Reply #11 on: July 19, 2022, 12:11:37 PM »
Very cool.  Some of those maps were shown in Ian Andrew's book:  In Every Genius There's a Bit of Madness.

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