[Ran Morrissett]

An interview with David Eger was posted today. Just when you tire of the typical clone golfer, along comes David - one of golf's most interesting figures, especially off the course!We also figured it was to time to do an interview with an ace golfer, which David most assuredly is despite his advancing years.

[Clark]

Finally!!  Someone recognizes the greens at Somerset Hills.  Great interview.

[Scott Kraus]

I was worried at the start when Eger didn't mention MacKenzie as one of his three favorite architects but everything after that made sense. I didn't realise they had moved the tee so far back on the 9th hole at No.2 - it played far too hard and now I know why.But getting back to question no. 1 - I wonder why MacKenzie doesn't crack his top 3? MacDonald/Raynor is a great selection but MacKenzie would have to be ahead of AW or D.Ross.

[Bob Ellington]

Clark,I know you live in NJ. Where in the world is this Due Process course Eger refers to? I have never heard or read anything at all about it. Give us the story on it.Bob

[DBE]

To:  Clark and BillMackenzie is my fourth favorite.  The reason he's fourth is because other than Cypress Point, (partially) Augusta National and the Valley Club, I've not played any other courses he designed. I enjoy those and think they are great, great (10-18) and very good, respectively. Due Process is in Colts Neck.  Its formal name is Due Process Stable.  It is on a horse farm.  Unfortunately, it's very exclusive--helicopter pad, only 50 or so members, divy up the club expenses at year's end, etc. Hope you can play there using your NJ contacts.Most fun in NJ to me are Somerset Hills and Mountain Ridge.  The big boys, Plainfield, Baltusrol (U&L), Montclair and Ridgewood are not nearly as interesting or fun.  Of course, PV is in a class of its own.  

[DBE]

To:  BobSorry, I'm on my second class of wine.  I meant Bob not Bill.

[Lloyd Bickerton]

The course set-up for Shinnecock Hills in 1995 was the best I've ever seen for any major. If Mr. Eger was responsible, then the USGA needs to get him back ASAP. Pinehurst's pin locations were suspect, to say the least. Why trick up a great course?

[Ran Morrissett]

Dear David,Thank you for your email stating I am the best Morrissett golfer - you are a fine judge and I respect your opinion. Three questions for you:1. How can you call Lochinvar a "fun" course? I played there with Steve Elkington in 1986 and got so bored, all I could do was offer Elk some swing tips. The rest as they say is history... The course is pancake flat and - there is no other word - dull. I know Colin Montgomerie also has a high opinion of it but surely, it's a far better club than course?2. Why do you like the design of Olympic so much? Is it because it makes you work the ball both ways? The high lipped bunkers obscure the greens and give a "sameness" to far too many of the approach shots eg 3 of the par threes (8, 13, and 15) are over a high lipped bunker. That and all the trees, the course loses brownie points with me.3. By now you will have played Wilderness Valley? What did you think - and don't say too easy??!! Did you beat Tom?Cheers,

[John Sessions]

To Mr. Eger,I was surprised and delighted to see you mention Pine Needles as an underrated course.  My golf group enjoys that course more than any course in Pinehurst (#2 has become too regimented), but I thought a strong player  might say it is too short. What is it that you like the most about Pine Needles?

[T. Doak]

Since he will be too modest to report, I will state for the record that David shot even-par 73 from all the way back at Black Forest -- not too shabby.  Birdied 1 and 3 [and missed an eight-footer on 2!], bogeyed 4 and 7, slashed his way to pars the rest of the way.I shot 88 -- my usual WV score -- while explaining my mental state during some of the greens construction there.  All my wildest work comes at Black Forest [during the summer I got married and we got pregnant], and last year during my divorce!

[Ran Morrissett]

If a 73 is the best you can do (yikes!), no wonder you have never travelled to Australia with some crappy little golf game. What would WV be on a slope rating - 146-ish?

[DBE]

Re:  Olympic Club, Lochinvar, Pine Needles and Wilderness ValleyRan, I like(d) Olympic because its design works pretty well with the terrain.  Finding a decent piece of property with which to build a course in SF must have been difficult, even years ago.  The course "terraces" down the property.  Yes, some of the bunker faces have built up over the years, but I like that look, provided it's not overdone.  Yes, there are a lot of trees, but did you play it prior to 1987?  Par four holes dogleg both ways, there's a driveable par four (even though there has been discussion recently to move the green back about 50 yards), long, medium and short par threes and a reachable par five.  I think it's better than SFGC for the expert player but perhaps not as much fun.  The Open set up last year was diabolical. I also must admit that because it's in SF has something to do with my opinion of it!For Texas, a state that unfortunately is lacking for good courses (I'm not a fan of either Colonial, Champions, Brook Hollow or Preston Trail) I thought Lochinvar was the most fun.  Yes, it's flat, but everything in Houston is.  I liked the two level fairways Nicklaus and company built there a couple of times.  I said it was fun, not great.Pine Needles is fun to me because Pinehurst #2 has gotten so difficult with its greens and length.  Peggy Kirk Bell, the owner, has allowed her son in law, Kelly Miller   (medalist at this summer's North and South shooting 137) to make some subtle adjustments to the course, bringing back some of the Donald Ross design traits.  He will continue to make adjustments.  I can reach every par four in two shots also.Wilderness Valley's Black Forest course was beautiful and quite challenging.  The hole settings in the trees along with Tom Doak's bunkering really is good.  The greens would be a little much with more speed, but were quite manageable at yesterday's speed (8 feet on the stimpmeter--whatever that is).  Slope rating?  I'd say 145-150 from the black tees.  It's worth the drive and a heck of a lot better than the TreeTops courses of Rick Smith, Rick Smith, Tom Fazio and Rick Smith.  My only observation was that it was very soft from irrigation, but it was certainly a brilliant shade of green.

[John Morrissett]

David--What were your three favorite and three least favorite holes from WV?  

[Clark]

Mr. Eger:Please elaborate on your choice of the 1st at Garden City as your favorite short par four.  I think of its appeal within the context of a first hole -- it's a very pleasnant opener.  But as a stand-alone hole, do you really prefer it to others such as 8 at Merion, 8 and 17 at Pine Valley, 9 at Cypress Point, 10 at Riviera, etc.Thank you for your comments.

[Ran Morrissett]

One last question: in the question regarding "a friend from the UK coming over, which 12 courses would you take him to?", you reply World Woods. Based on a conversation you and I had in Indy, do you mean the Pine Barrens or Oaks course? If Pine Barrens, I am just curious that you would select both it and Pine Valley. If the Oaks, are you crazy? Wilderness Valley is far better.Cheers,

[DBE]

To:  John MorrissettWilderness Valley three favorites:  #'s 1, 8 and 11; three least favorite:  #'s 2, 16 and 18To Ran MorrissettBoth courses at World Woods.  I don't get any vibes from Pine Barrons that it's like Pine Valley.  It's more like something in Pinehurst.  I like both courses there (Though the front nine of Rolling Oaks is the least favorite of the four) and simply enjoy Fazio's designs.To:  ClarkThe first hole at GCGC is driveable and during the Travis most in match play take a shot at it.  Missing the green usually leaves a tricky pitch, chip or long bunker shot because of the Wilderness Valley type green with several small humps in it.  Laying back with an iron leaves only a short iron but it's hard to get the second shot close because the front of the green has a gentle downslope and balls bounce forward--hard.  I've seen players (myself included) make six more than three when trying to drive the green.  All of your examples are wonderful holes, but none are driveable.  Tough second shots, though.

[JohnV]

That first hole at Garden City sounds almost like the first hole at Eastmoreland.  Although they build a new tee a few years back (I believe at the USGA's behest) that doesn't make it quite as drivable.  The green has a severe slope to the right and lots of little knobs that make it very difficult to hold or putt.

[Ran Morrissett]

David, Have you or are you going to play High Pointe on your Michigan swing? Just like the 11th at Wilderness, Doak has the ability to create long - but vastly interesting - par fours, a trait missing from most architects. At High Pointe there is a string of them from the 8th hole on that you would really like.

[Tom_Doak]

I didn't steer him that way.  I played High Pointe for the first [and only] time this year two weeks ago with an old friend and Ryder Cup captain, and it was in such bad shape it was hard to enjoy.  The only fun we had was looking at the greens.  Ben's verdict:  "if they'd just mow it, it would be great."But I wish David had time to see Lost Dunes.

[Scott Kraus]

I am glad to see Eger mention Indianwood Old as an underrated courses - I thought everyone had forgot about it. I lived in Detriot in 1988/9 and got to play there several times. I never played Oakland Hills but I did play several other courses like Detriot GC and Franklin Hills and my favorite was Indianwood. It looks like how I imagine Shinnecock Hills on Long Island would be.Was David Eger involved with the Women's Open when it came to Indianwood? I thought the course was a terrific site but a decade latter, it seems to be drifting out of the public's attention.I don't get it.

[DBE]

To:  Scott KrauseI'll bore you with my association with Indianwood.  In 1985, during the week of the US Open at Oakland Hills, a good friend of mine and also at that time Stan Aldridge's financial planner, told me about a course that Stan had purchased and put it back into shape after it had been shut down for nearly 30 years.  I went there, played it and was really impressed with the Wilifred Reid design and the work that had been done by Stan restoring it.  I told P. J. Boatwright about it that week and that fall he visited Indianwood.  Shortly thereafter the USGA announced the 1989 Women's Open would be played there.  I was not there in 1989 but was in 1994.   The Women's Committee sets up their Open sites so I was not involved with anything but the Rules, slow play and weather suspensions.  I played there recently and it is still one of my favorites.  There are a couple of new tees and it was tougher than ever.  Too bad Detroit has Oakland Hills and the Senior Tour has to play at one of Motown's worst courses:  TPC at Ford's Dearborn Landfill.

[Clark]

Mr. Eger should be on GOLF Magazine's panel. He is just what they need - a well traveled, very good player who understands the original architect's intent.To Mr. Eger:1. Do you put any stock in the golf magazine rankings? If so, is there one you tend to agree with the most?2.If you were on GOLF Magazine's, you wouldn't vote for all those lame Rees Jones designs, would you?

[DBE]

To:  ClarkI find all publications' rankings interesting.  None are to my liking, but I think the controversy is a good thing. I'm not booking any trips to play any of Rees Jones' designs or renovations at the present time.  

[Ran Morrissett]

Speaking of rankings, David, can you think of any reason why the Medallist GC doesn't make it at least into the US Top 100?  As Snead said of the Cascades, if you can play there, you can play anywhere. Don't you really enjoy your time at The Medallist?Norman's architect has seen Greg drive the 11th green there. Can you possibly believe that?? As an architect, seeing stuff like that would fry my brain.

[DBE]

To: RanMost people think that the Medalist is just too difficult.  Except for putts, the threat of water exists on every shot.  I like it but that's because I've never been given a score card on the first tee and asked to return it upon completion of my round.  I  stayed with the current club champion when he won the tournament last spring.  He was a nervous wreck for 3 nights.  I watched the last two groups in the club championship tee off in their final round (stroke play) and you've never seen such awful swings in your life from low handicappers.  The club refuses to change the format to match play so anyone who can break 240 for 3 rounds wins.  There was a rumor that the Medalist had a waiting list of members to resign.  Having said all that, I enjoy the course but I start my round with three balls and quite when I've lost them all.  Sometimes I play one hole, sometimes 5 holes or 9 holes and sometimes even 18.  The clubhouse practice areas and especially the staff are great.  p.s. When I was staying with the club champion during the tournament, I was playing in the Coleman at Seminole.  Most competitors at the Medalist told me that they wished they were playing at Seminole that weekend.  Go figure.

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