What Are Each Architects Biggest "Signature Feature"?

[Jeff_Brauer]

Following up on Pat Mucci's thread regarding architects "Bias" or "predispositions, which I think is excellent, why don't we simply list what we think are features some famous architects, living and dead repeated most.  To me, this indicates a "predisposition" towards that feature.

Since routing is so site specific, I tend to look at built features, since those seem more repeatable from site to site.  
Forget parsing words from their meager writings, and concentrate on the actual results.  For me:

Pete Dye - Cape Hole 18th, Angled Fairways
Jack Nicklaus - Split fairways, greens angle right, steep shelfs
Tom Fazio - Valley fairways, Tees in settings
Doak - ? Don't know, haven't played his courses
RTJ Sr. - bunkers framing landing areas, large greens
RTJ JR. - More of same, large scale, almost too large of bunkers
Rees Jones - Simple Bunkers shapes

and for the golden age guys:

McKenzie - Beautiful Bunkers, artfully staggered placement
Tillie - Too Diverse
Raynor and CBM - set hole concepts
Maxwell - Rolling Greens, Clamshell bunkers
Ross - Very frugal design, bunkers often asymetrical, (I call them Loch Ness Monster Bunkers, as one side seems narrow, the other fatter on many occaisions.)  Note, I don't think fall away chipping areas exist many other places than Pinehurst.

And Mid Period Guys:

William Diddel - Clamshell Bunkers, Except on short approaches, only one side of green bunkered
Dick Wilson - beautiful Bunkers, often framing landing areas
Joe Lee - Ditto above

Feel free to add architects and features that most clearly (ie, one of two features) distinguish an architects work FOR YOU!

[Jeff_Brauer]

Most people would say my signature features include an earth backdrop of mounds, ridges, or some kind behind green - I really hate the skyline approaches in most cases, and will not have one only if the trees are really nice back there, or if there is a spectacular vista.

Most of my courses include a double fairway hole, or two, although Wildhorse, in housing, and tight property is not one of them.

That's just my thoughts.  Golfers may have others

[Scott_Burroughs]

Dye - railroad ties, par 4's with fade drive and drawn approaches (or vicde versa) preferred, steep drop-offs with sharp edges.

RTJ, Sr. - aerial shots necessary to greens, par 3's over water, very wide and shallow greens.

Rees - Rees' Pieces, though he's mellowed on that (even removed a number at Pinehurst #7).

Fazio - holes maximizing scenery.

Strantz - intimidating-looking holes that are usually easier than they look due to hidden width available, not afraid to 'bend' the rules of typical design.

Raynor/Banks - "strip" bunkers, sometimes with mounding behind them.

Ross - down, then up holes, across elevation, rather than parallel to it, par defended at/near greens more than off tee.

[Jeff Goldman]

Langford:  Engineered look sometimes more severe than Raynor, very raised "caketop" greens, strategic cross-bunkering with high faces (is this true at Skokie as with Lawsonia and H.H.?)

Jeff Goldman

[Chris_Clouser]

Jeff,

I don't know that I would categorize Maxwell with "Clamshell bunkers."  That unfortunately, is how many have ended up over the years, but that is not how he put them in the ground.  I would tend to say the "Maxwell Rolls" and core routings.  

Hopefully, in the near future all of you will be able to read more about Maxwell's tendencies, or as Pat Mucci describes it, his biases.  

As for Tillinghast, I've only seen two courses by him, both recently and I would say use of angles for approach into the green.  

Chris

[rgkeller]

Dye's signature is the visual intimidation he presents the golfer.

No one does or has done it better.

[Craig Van Egmond]

In the Northwest,  Bill Overdorf green's are usually described as amoeba shaped. Very distinctive. Good stuff!

[Bill_McBride]

RTJ: aircraft carrier tees

Coore/Crenshaw: excellent use of land (Talking Stick flat site), lay of the land, greens draped across sloping sites (Cuscowilla).

Tom Doak: naturalistic minimalistic on excellent sites (Apache Stronghold, Pacific Dunes)

Jack Nicklaus: all holes are downhill.  How is this possible?

[JNC Lyon]

Ross- Flat-bottom, steep-faced bunkers, squared-off tees, Fan-shape routing.

Raynor- Linear, deep bunkering, use of "replica" holes.

Alison- deep, somewhat irregular bunker, though none of them are very dramatic.

Steel- minimal bunkering, though the bunkers which he builds are very deep.

[ChipRoyce]

Someone previously commented on Tillinghast - specifically that there were no specific features as his "signature".

Its been my experience (albeit limited) that Tillinghast has a signature green complex.... raised green with a "throat" that only allows a run-up along the "perfect" line of play. Deep bunkers which seem to usually flank most / all other sides of the green are there to snare any errant approaches, esp those that come from less desirable angles to the green.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Jeff Brauer,

Bill McBride indicated "aircraft carrier" tees for RTJ Sr.

Dick Wilson and Robert Von Hagge, a Dick Wilson disciple, employed the same, what I'll call "long surf board" tees.

I'd be curious to know if Joe Lee, another Dick Wilson disciple, did the same.

Dick Wilson and Robert von Hagge also emphasized the aerial game in their designs.

[A_Clay_Man]

Jeff Goldman- I assume from your question you have not been to Skokie? Let me assure you that before I knew who or what a langford/moreau was, I recoginzed the similarity to Lawsonia almost immediatly. The scale is not the same, or the frquency but the look/feel and strategy is.

I have noticed a motiff in Ken Dye's work. He really likes to put the faiway bunker on the best angle to the green. Coming to one of his tee boxes as a virgin lets me know right away where the hole is going. Of course, he throws in occasional bunker not on the prefered line.

[frank_D]

for JOHN BREDEMUS - his signature feature would be being mysterious

[Patrick_Mucci]

redanman,

I believe the tee is about 165 yards long from tip to tip.
In a good wind a piper cub could land on it.
The hole is 670 from all the way back, a genuine three shot hole for most

It's been alleged that some have hit the green in two, which would require a 370 drive and a 300 yard 3-wood.
I can't imagine it.

[Tom_Doak]

Jeff,

When I started designing on my own I thought my "signature" should be having at least one hole with a bunker in the middle of a fairway.  I did this at High Pointe, The Legends and Black Forest, but then I thought it would be forced at Stonewall, and decided against continuing any "signature."

Wide fairways and wild greens are fairly common to my designs, but I'm pretty careful to make exceptions.  In fact, if anyone can identify a "signature" of mine, let me know, and I'll be sure to go against it somewhere next year.

[Tommy_Naccarato]

if anyone can identify a "signature" of mine, let me know, and I'll be sure to go against it somewhere next year

Tom Doak-Greens that just aren't wild enough. That's his signature; Bases most of his work on inland canyon sites that are usually the side of a mountain with 95 % clay soils is another one of his too. He also avoids the West Coast, including California like the plague.  

[Mark_Fine]

Tom Doak,
You stated two points that I would have made, wide fairways and wild greens.  Stonewall II has a center fairway bunker on #14 I believe?  I may post later on this but just thinking quickly out loud, don't you like a demanding "par four", a long par three, free form bunkering, runoffs and swales around greens, limited use of "strategic trees",...  I've only played seven or eight of your courses so I surely need to see some more.  I'll dig out my notes on what I've played of your courses so far.  
Mark

[Forrest Richardson]

I'm interested to know why Brother Brauer wants to know...? For me, Jeff, it's been bumps fronting greens...although I'd not call it "signature". Perhaps a fetish.

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Forrest,
I like that about your work. It certainly adds a good little quirk to things.

[Forrest Richardson]

Thanks, Tommy. Quirk is good.....I know this because I read a thread about it on GCA!

[ed_getka]

Jeff,
  What do you have against skyline greens?

Forrest,
   I haven't seen any of your work, why do you put the bumps in front of the green? Are these to deflect  poorly struck approaches away from the green?

Tommy,
  You must be kidding about greens not being wild enough or else you simply haven't been to Lost Dunes. I took David Kelly there on our way up to Kingsley and CD just to see Tom D's WILD greens (wild in a good, fun way BTW).

[Forrest Richardson]

Ed,

You're not the first to ask. I believe it stems from interetsing contouring I observed on my first extended time in Scotland visiting courses. I enjoyed "odd" ground movement around putting surfaces, especially fronting approaches.

I do not do this all the time. But it often crops us when I'm working with a medium to long shot into a green that "needs" reinforcement. I find that even a subtle bump which fits the ridges and movement of the green can add much interest. It also serves to make the green look natural if I place such rises where they fit the contour. I've gotten better at this in recent years.

[Jeff_Brauer]

Ed.

I always had it drilled in to me that having a earth backdrop better defines the distance to the green, and often, helps golfers determine how far from the edge the pin is cut, and that good players like that type of thing.  From a landscape architecture perspective, I like the feeling of partial enclosure a green surrounded (at least partially) provides.  Of course, neither should be an absolute in design.

Forrest,

This thread is a take off on Pat Mucci's "Are architects biased" thread.  I was hoping it might be more flame proof, but still let participants name names, as it were, which seems to provoke more discussion here than esoteric discussion of "general principals."  Anyway, based on tepid response, I've whiffed again on topic starting.....

BTW, do you randomly place the bumps, or are they subtly arranged so that an approach from one side or the other actually has a "bump free" roll onto the green?

[Emil_Miller]

I'll second that. It's 235 to carry the ladies tee, so save your best tee shot for 16.

Dick Wilson ,  what I'll call "long surf board" tees.

Apparently the most remarkable long board is the 16th at Pine Tree. The Mother of all surfboards
 
(I'll have to see, is it try to hit 8-iron over it with new technology? Maybe, the next time I am there; it was 7-iron (Barely) with the balata stuff.)

[Forrest Richardson]

I do nothing randomly!

Well, now that that is settled, I'll think a moment. Ahhh, bumps. I place them to make a particular approach less forgiving. Accordingly, a preferred/accurate fairway position will typically not have to negotiate the bump(s) as frequently. Depends on pin position.

One aspect of bumps fronting greens is that they will often conceal a portion of the putting surface. This creates neat shadow differences and adds some mystique. Again, depends on the elevation difference between fairway and green.