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Ran Morrissett

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Hollywood GC profile is updated New
« on: February 02, 2023, 09:05:18 AM »
The term restoration has become pretty elastic, perhaps too much so. Properly used, it means to restore something. Shocking, I know! Well, I have no qualms in applying it to what has occurred at Hollywood Golf Club. Literally from a map in the Men’s Locker Room, Brian Schneider painstakingly expanded all eighteen greens and reworked the vast majority of the bunkers as seen on the locker wall. What a job he did too. While some courses enjoy natural advantages over Hollywood, how many have better bunkers and/or greens? Well! That list gets very short, very quick IMO. To convey its strengths, I turned to photographer Benjamin Herms for series of 2022 photographs to update its profile. 

Here is the result:

Hollywood Golf Club – Golf Club Atlas

Walter Travis had very strong notions on what constituted good golf and he conveyed them eloquently over the years in The American Golfer. To me, what Brian did (with help from Blake Conant and Matt Hunter) is to infuse Walter Travis’s inimitable style back into this rectangular parcel of land. I don’t know what to admire more - the hazards (like the volcano bunker left of 16) or the greens (the 6th is a master class). Luckily, I don’t have to choose. There is a main ridge that bisects the property and Travis did a masterful job of utilizing it in varied ways at holes 14, 16, 17, 4, and 5. Otherwise, the property has modest movement, which allowed Travis to go to town building such fabulous features. The course is a breeze to walk too, an increasingly important personal consideration with each passing year.

There are thousands of 200-acre parcels across the country of comparable quality to Hollywood’s raw land. Also, I consider the quality of today’s new course construction to be at a similar (high!) level to that of the Golden Age. And yet, here is the rub: if you gave your favorite modern architect a comparable site to Hollywood, I reckon the odds are low that anyone would build a finer course. That’s the magic of Walter Travis and Hollywood - and Brian. Even in the golf-rich Garden State, Hollywood stands out.


Best,
« Last Edit: February 20, 2023, 06:26:28 PM by Ran Morrissett »

Bill Healy

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Re: Hollywood GC profile is updated
« Reply #1 on: February 02, 2023, 10:20:53 AM »
Great photos of Hollywood GC.
Thanks,  Bill Healy

Josh Bills

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Re: Hollywood GC profile is updated
« Reply #2 on: February 02, 2023, 11:04:55 AM »
Enjoyed this write up from the USGA Bulletin in 1923 of the 4th hole with photos.  Appears there were a few more bunkers back in the day.








Tommy Williamsen

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Re: Hollywood GC profile is updated
« Reply #3 on: February 02, 2023, 11:10:33 AM »
I goofed when I played next-door neighbor Deal in not trying to play Hollywood. It looks just terrific. Thanks.
Where there is no love, put love; there you will find love.
St. John of the Cross

"Deep within your soul-space is a magnificent cathedral where you are sweet beyond telling." Rumi

Josh Bills

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Hollywood GC profile is updated
« Reply #4 on: February 02, 2023, 12:33:49 PM »
The review was wonderful to read, thank you for sharing.  It appears the 15th used to be a bit flashier away from the green, but the large bunker in front and large mound behind appear to remain. 







MCirba

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Re: Hollywood GC profile is updated
« Reply #5 on: February 02, 2023, 04:18:05 PM »
Periodically I get to channel The Old Man and he wants you all to know that  he heartily approves of Brian's wonderful restorative work, Ran's excellent write-up, and Benjamin's captivating photos.   


That means your collective work is exceptional because Mr. Travis does not praise lightly.
"Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent" - Calvin Coolidge

https://cobbscreek.org/

Bill Crane

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Hollywood GC profile is updated
« Reply #6 on: February 02, 2023, 04:44:03 PM »
Great Job !!  As Always
Photos are super as well.
I remember standing on the back of the 9th green with the pin in that bowled section that slopes away from the tee just marveling at that green. 
So many wonderful and interesting details, a course really worth getting to know over repeated visits.
Hollywood really has a presence, almost an aura that you feel intuitively.


New Jersey, LOOK before you LAUGH!!
_________________________________________________________________
( s k a Wm Flynnfan }

Peter Flory

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Re: Hollywood GC profile is updated
« Reply #7 on: February 02, 2023, 06:29:23 PM »
Not too many courses that I'd rather play than this one. 

Eric LeFante

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Re: Hollywood GC profile is updated
« Reply #8 on: February 02, 2023, 09:10:06 PM »
Great write up and beautiful pictures.


The profile says not many architecture critics have Hollywood outside the top 5 in NJ. I too have knowledgeable friends (I hesitate to say "smart" friends and inflate their egos even more) who think Hollywood is third best in NJ. I've been playing golf in NJ my whole life and I really struggle with settling on my top 5. I love Hollywood. I get to play it a handful of times per year and last month drove an hour to play it when it was 45 degrees and the greens were aerated; it's that good. But I struggle to put it in the top 5.


Golf Magazine's latest ranking for NJ is PV, Somerset, Baltusrol Lower, Plainfield, Ridgewood E/W, Hollywood and I'm leaning towards agreeing with this ranking. The restored Lower is really good, Plainfield's land movement is spectacular, and Ridgewood has some of the best par 4s and in my opinion a top 10 set of Par 5s in the US. The rankings do not use Ridgewood's championship routing and that holds it back a little because it is significantly better than E/W. Maybe it doesn't matter and the bottom line is all 6 are fantastic golf courses. But every time I play one of them I'm ready to change my personal ranking.

Thomas Dai

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Re: Hollywood GC profile is updated
« Reply #9 on: February 03, 2023, 05:27:07 AM »
Looks cool. Thanks for sharing.
Atb

Max Prokopy

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Re: Hollywood GC profile is updated
« Reply #10 on: February 03, 2023, 10:05:10 PM »
Beautiful photos and an (as always) eloquent profile.


Is there a reason for some of the sharp-lined boundaries between the green rough and meadow-ish native grasses?  For example, the photo of the 7th green complex. 


I'm speculating it's to satisfy some environmental requirements but am also curious how the high contrast looks on the playing grounds.




Pat Burke

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Re: Hollywood GC profile is updated
« Reply #11 on: February 03, 2023, 10:34:35 PM »
I goofed when I played next-door neighbor Deal in not trying to play Hollywood. It looks just terrific. Thanks.


I grew up on Deal, and yes, you did Tommy, it’s an amazing place! :)

mike_malone

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Re: Hollywood GC profile is updated
« Reply #12 on: February 03, 2023, 11:05:27 PM »
It’s a unique course which I always enjoy because of David Greene.
AKA Mayday

Sven Nilsen

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Hollywood GC profile is updated
« Reply #13 on: February 04, 2023, 01:06:57 PM »
By all accounts the bulk of the routing was the work of Isaac Mackie, and he should be mentioned in any discussion of the course. 


Travis reworked the greens and bunkers.


From the Travis Society website -



1917 — [/size][/font][/color][/size](r) Hollywood Golf Club[/color][/size], Deal, NJ   According to the HGC centennial history book, [/color][/size]“With two exceptions, Travis followed Mackie’s original routing. He did, however, combine the original 13th and 14th holes, 260 and 150 yards, respectively, into the present 13th hole, and built the present par-three 17th to compensate, shortening the original 17th to creat the prestn 16th.  Travis’ major contribution, however, was a complete reworking of the greens and the bunkering.”[/color]
"As much as we have learned about the history of golf architecture in the last ten plus years, I'm convinced we have only scratched the surface."  A GCA Poster

"There's the golf hole; play it any way you please." Donald Ross

MCirba

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Hollywood GC profile is updated
« Reply #14 on: February 04, 2023, 02:52:49 PM »
By all accounts the bulk of the routing was the work of Isaac Mackie, and he should be mentioned in any discussion of the course. 


Travis reworked the greens and bunkers.


From the Travis Society website -



1917 — (r) Hollywood Golf Club, Deal, NJ   According to the HGC centennial history book, “With two exceptions, Travis followed Mackie’s original routing. He did, however, combine the original 13th and 14th holes, 260 and 150 yards, respectively, into the present 13th hole, and built the present par-three 17th to compensate, shortening the original 17th to creat the prestn 16th.  Travis’ major contribution, however, was a complete reworking of the greens and the bunkering.”


Sven,


That's correct and I'd also note that the club records indicated some discontent with the course Mackie designed in 1913 and first in 1916 brought in Seth Raynor prior to Travis.  However, according to William Quirin's Hollywood history book, "Apparently, Raynor's suggestions did not provide the desired effect, and the entire Green Committee which employed him resigned in August of 1917."
"Persistence and determination alone are omnipotent" - Calvin Coolidge

https://cobbscreek.org/

George Pazin

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Re: Hollywood GC profile is updated
« Reply #15 on: February 06, 2023, 03:17:58 PM »
Reading Tom MacWood's name brought a tear to my eye, I remember many discussions about Hollywood back in the early days.


Great review, as always, thanks for sharing.
Big drivers and hot balls are the product of golf course design that rewards the hit one far then hit one high strategy.  Shinny showed everyone how to take care of this whole technology dilemma. - Pat Brockwell, 6/24/04

Kurt Everett

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Re: Hollywood GC profile is updated
« Reply #16 on: February 07, 2023, 03:40:27 PM »
Great pics and write-up.  One of my favorite courses from last year

Terry Lavin

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Re: Hollywood GC profile is updated
« Reply #17 on: February 13, 2023, 06:49:05 PM »
Reading Tom MacWood's name brought a tear to my eye, I remember many discussions about Hollywood back in the early days.


Great review, as always, thanks for sharing.


Ditto, my man.
Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people.  H.L. Mencken

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