[Bob Ellington]

When was this posted? I think the format of the Feature Interview needs to highlight when a new one is up.Having said that, I really enjoyed this one as well. His responses - the style of the responses - is similar to Rough Meditations. It is short and sweet. Too many writers go on and on without ever saying anything. Brad is the exact opposite. I am going to digest what he says and make another post but I wanted people to know the interview is up.

[Tony Dowling]

I said it in regards to the Doak interview and I will say it again here. I am surprised/amazed/disappointed that Mr. Klein doesn't consider Royal Melbourne's West green complexes among the top six in the world. The 3rd green design West has to be the world's best and if it isn't, then it is the 6th and if that isn't, then it is the 7th and if... you get the point.

[James Clifford]

Why didn't Donald Ross travel more?  His contemporaries such as A. MacKenzie (who came down here to Oz and New Zealand) and Colt (who went to Japan, USA, and Canada) left a far greater mark world-wide.My first real exposure to Ross was this year's US Open and it made me wish he had  come here. Our sandbelt region would have been a perfect fit for his style.

[James Clifford]

Upon further review, I am quite surprised by one of Brad Klein's answers.Most people would say Alister MacKenzie is the finest architect of all time and Klein is clearly a great fan, too. However, under the question of five "must see" courses for a student of golf course design, Brad Klein does not list one course by MacKenzie.

[Robert Adams]

I am delighted to see Klein call a spade a spade. My bigest beef (also my only one) with Golf Week's rankings was all the Tom Fazio courses. In the last one, Fazio had either the most or second most courses ranked for the combined 200 courses. How bad and misleading is that??At least now, I know Brad isn't part of the problem.  Brad, please get Fazio's damn courses out - they are all starting to look the same!

[Scott Kraus]

Anybody who doesn't like Olympic is a friend of mine. It is more 18 rows between trees than a golf course. What is the USGA's fascination with it?Also with the tree question at the back of the interview, Klein raises a very good point - Oak Hill's land has some natural dramatic qualities and would be much better showcased if half the trees went. I always thought the trees that are handsome but that isn't really the point, is it?

[Ted_Sturges]

I enjoyed reading Brad Klein's ideas.  I was especially in agreement with him on his views on trees.  So few people share this view though, that it is disappointing (so many courses would benefit from thoughtful utilization of a chainsaw).  

[Roger Kelly]

I am watching the second round from Carnoustie as I type this. Though I am thoroughly disgusted by the set-up, the course remains appealing, especially the powerful bunkering. Also, the burn adds another element to the overall challenge. None of the traditional 1 or 2 weak links holes seem present, even without the hay.  I appreciate Klein's comments on Carnoustie (especially if you are playing bad) and I don't know which course he prefers less than Carnoustie on the rota. Perhaps Troon or Lytham? As for myself, Caroustie would be my second favourite Open course, after St. Andrews. Hole for hole it is too strong compared to the others. I doubt anything I see over the weekend will sway this long held opinion.

[Bruce Simons]

Klein is spot on about the disgraceful tree program at Winged Foot. Tillinghast would hate seeing his best work covered up.If he was kicking today, Tillie would much prefer how Bethpage Black playsto Winged Foot.I assume the board at WF to be knowledgeable men as it relates to golf. There are no efforts I can see that point to even tree pruning taking place. How/why do they let this continue?

[James Braid]

To all those concerned watching the British Open:As someone who enjoys travelling around Britain, forget about the torture track you are seeing at Carnoustie. That is far removed from what makes golf over there so enjoyable. Look at the five courses Klein lists as those links courses he enjoys the most. The ones in  Britain are as fun a golf courses as you will  find.

[Ran Morrissett]

Dear Mr. Braid,Hear, hear! Klein's comments on Carnoustie being dull and gray summarise the Championship for me. That was the most boring Open I have seen for a long,long time.I was a much bigger fan of the course prior to the Open than now, but a lot could do with the course set up.Regardless, it is time to retreat to the Cruden Bays, Royal Aberdeens of the world.Speaking of gems, has anybody played or heard of the Manchester-by-the-Sea course Klein refers to in the interview?

[Sean H.]

What is the fascination with the 9th at Muirfield (Klein picks it as his favorite short par 5)  I just don't get it  -- there is sort of a fairway for the tee shot and the green is undistinguished and in the middle of a featurless field!  I know it can be difficult to squeeze the second shot between the wall on the left and the bunkers to the right (and I know John Cook had problems here in '92), but . . . big deal!  It's the worst three-shotter on the course.The best short par five in Scotland?  The 3rd at Prestwick.As a footnote, I will say I'm glad he didn't fall into the stereotype of picking the 13th at Augusta.

[Ed M]

I enyoyed the Klein Interview. 1)Does Klein mean Ross did not visit a lot of the courses he designed after they were completed or that he never set foot on the land at all and designed completely from topographic maps?  2)Why did Klein not include Maidstone among his Long Island courses?  3)Among the current architects he admires, Klein lists Mike Strantz.  I am surprised.  I think True Blue is awful -- particularly some of the greens.  Tobacco Road has more generous landing areas than first appearance suggests and is not overly long, but the first tee shot is unacceptably demanding for the average player and some of the greens are much too severe.  All-in-all Strantz' first course, Caledonia, is his best and his latest are not as good.  He has had unique land but instead of trying to tone it down he has carried the natural settings to further extremes. His greens must have the highest percentage of area that is not useable for holes of any architect.  4)Who does Klein think are the best and worst of the player/architects who are hired for their marquee value?

[Tony Dowlings]

I have just finished reading Klein's Rough Meditations as a result of the interview. Even though the book is written from a northern hemisphere perspective, I thoroughly enjoyed it and recommend it to those Australians in this discussion group. I couldn't find a reason to put it down and finished it in two days.

[Clark]

Reading Ed's comments makes me wonder as well why Klein listed Strantz as an architect he admires. Klein at the start of this year wrote a scathing article on Stonehouse in Virginia - and he was right. The 14th hole with its sunken green surrounded by fans is a low point in architecture. Perhaps Klein likes the fact that Strantz pushes the envelope as far as he does but I doubt whether you would want to play a Strantz course more than a few times a year - too much overkill. The maintenance budget required to keep his courses going must be enormous.

[Ran Morrissett]

From the little I have seen of Medinah so far (I've been traveling in Asia), I think it worth noting that Klein seems dead on the money when he said No.3 is a "stunningly mediocre" course, with or without the 4,100 trees.

[Bob Ellington]

I have just received September's issue of GOLF Magazine with their top 100 rankings. Brad Klein should be congratulated on one point: selecting the people who form Golf Week's panel. His team of rankers have produced an end result that make Golf Week's rankings the best in golf, with GOLF magazine now second and Golf Digest off the chart.

[Ran Morrissett]

To Brad Klein:If Ross returned today to the US, which of his courses would you send him to "right that which has been wronged"? Our Discussion Group seems to think that Scioto would benefit the most overall from a Ross visit but I'm not convinced.

[Brad Klein]

I'll deal with these in separate responses. But first, let me say it is a pelasure having thoughtful comments to consider rather than some of the mad-dog purist views expressed elsewhere.For now, Ross. He traveled only by train, occasionally (locally) by car, and the occasional steamer to Scotland and once (in 1911) to Cuba. he never flew during his life (1872-1948), and unlike all the other architects of his era, had a more or less steady job at Pinehurst (1900-1948) that occupied about half of every winer (Nov. 1-April 1 or so).He also had a small but very fine staff to whom he could enrust drawings, construction plabs, etc., The result was that as much as as 30 percent of his courses he never saw once! Another30 percent he probably walked once, maybe twice. Only a third were the product of repeated visits, but many of these were months, even years apart. So he had a good formula, but definitely mass-produced.

[Brad Klein]

I played Scioto in 1992 nd just didn't get it. Some of that is attributable to some clumsty redesign work by Dick Wilson/Joe Lee/Bob von Hagee in the early 1960s, and Bob Cupp's two greens in the mid-1980s were just about what one would expect from him - awful. Scioto, though well-routed, struck me as a golf course that had lost any charm, and then was over-treed. So it stands right there with other hacked-up Ross courses that need desparate attention: Oak Hills and Inverness come immediately to mnd, and whatever there is of Oakland Hills worth recommending is not Ross' doing but Jones.I didn't pick Maidstone as one of my LI favorites because it has six or seven truly dull holes interspersed with six or seven really fine ones.As for Strantz, I loved Caledonia, absolutely detested Stonehouse as unmaintainable and unplayable, and thought the first 16 holes of Royal New Kent were terrific - until the last two holes, which are straight out of a really bad Florida real estate layout. In any case, Strantz is interesting, visually the most experimental of all designers, and at least he generates discussion. Also disgust when he goes overboard, which noew, it seems, is everytime he designs.  

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