Architecture's five greatest moments of the 20th century?

[Ran Morrissett]

With the century drawing to an end, I ask: what were the five key events/moments/developments in architecture during this century that saw the greatest courses built ((or modified extensively) with one exception)? Ignore the influence of technology/course conditioning (yawn) in your answers.My nominations would be (in no real order):1. Charles Blair Macdonald building America's first great course - too bad only a few  architects learned from it.2. A Doctor turning to golf and architecture as a way to improve health and enjoy life.3. Crump and Co. - the influence that Pine Valley has had an all architects worth two bob CAN'T be overstated.4. The placement of a bunker in more or less the middle of the 4th fairway of Woking. Strategic golf design received a shot in the arm as a direct result.5. Pete Dye's inspiring trip to Scotland in the early 1960s - not only for the resulting courses but for the number of architects who learned/worked for him.Who thinks the courses built next century (exclude the all-important Carthage Club) will exceed the best of this century?

[TEPaul]

A few other events/developments:1/ The depression and hiatus of production and loss of influence and passing of the "old guys".2/ The reinterpretation of design, playability and shot requirement of RTJ et al., taking architecture on a not so great path for the latter half of the century.3/ The "Renaissance". The influence in the '90s back to the design values of the "old guys". The work of Doaks, Hanses, Kays, C&Cs and the writings of Kleins, Doaks and Shaclkelfords. Threre may be parallel tracks for awhile, but the "Renaissance" will win out for obvious reasons.

[Joel_Stewart]

3/ The "Renaissance". The influence in the '90s back to the design values of the "old guys". The work of Doaks, Hanses, Kays, C&Cs and the writings of Kleins, Doaks and Shaclkelfords. Threre may be parallel tracks for awhile, but the "Renaissance" will win out for obvious reasons.

Old thread but interesting.  The renaissance has to be in the top 5.  What is old is new again.

[JakaB]

Who is Kays and what happened to him....why is he no longer a God..

[Kyle Harris]

John,

I think he is refering to Stephen Kay.

[Philippe Binette]

First try, I'm probably wrong

1) National Golf Links Of America

2) Augusta

3) TPC Sawgrass

4) Bandon & Pacific Dunes

5) Misunderstanding Augusta...

[Mark_Rowlinson]

It's very simple.  Golf architecture's greatest moment was the day I thought about becoming a golf course architect and rejected it immediately, knowing that I hadn't a clue about it and never would have.

[michael j fay]

1.) William Henry Fownes builds the first modern American Golf Course in a suburb of Pittsburgh called Oakmont in 1903. His work would essentially be in Championship play 102 years later.

2.) CB MacDonald hires Seth Raynor to help construct the National Golf Links of America.

3.) George Crump and anybody that was anything on the Golf Architecture contemplate the course at Pine Valley.

4.) Robert Trent Jones is hired to remodel Oakland Hills for the 1953 US Open.

5.) Peter Dye opens the door to imaginative new modern Golf Architecture with the Goldf Club in Columbus, Ohio.

[ChipOat]

With all due respect to Ran:

1) I don't like bunkers in the middle of the fairway very much (even on #8 at NGLA) unless they're "uncarryable" by anybody (e.g. #7 at Pine Valley);

2) I think Oakmont is a work of utter genius given what was(n't) out there in 1903.

Otherwise, Ran's list is hard to beat.

The original thread pre-dates me on GCA by about 18 months.

What strikes me the most is that there was only a single response (by Guess Who?) to a) an excellent post that b) was by Ran.  The Treehouse must have been pretty small back then.

[A_Clay_Man]

Chip-

1) I don't like bunkers in the middle of the fairway very much (even on #8 at NGLA) unless they're "uncarryable" by anybody (e.g. #7 at Pine Valley);

Was this tounge in cheek? Are you serious? Where do you like them? On the side?

and...

What strikes me the most is that there was only a single response (by Guess Who?) to a) an excellent post that b) was by Ran.  The Treehouse must have been pretty small back then.

I suppose I could go any which way with this one... but.... It is apparent that most of the old archives have been edited to only include a few responses.

Have a nice day!

[Nate Mady]

This thread has no mention of the Myopia Hunt Club, 18 holes completed in 1901, Hosted 4 opens in a 10 year span.

quoted from this site

"Myopia had a tremendous impact on the direction of golf course architecture in the United States. Donald Ross arrived in Boston from Scotland the same year that Myopia hosted its first US Open. Also, Philadelphian George Thomas, Bostonian Wayne Stiles, and A.W. Tillinghast were influenced by the abundant placement and penal nature of the hazards that Leeds employed."

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/myopiahunt1.html

[ForkaB]

Arnold Palmer's visit to the Open in 1960.  It erased 30 years of slumber in the eyes of US golfdom vis a vis the magic of links golf.  The later visits of Dye, Wind et. al. were just repercussions of this moment.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

I would replace #5 in Michael J. Fay's post above with Pete Dye's Harbour Town in Hilton Head. While The Golf Club may have been an eye opener to the golfing cognoscenti, HT showed Dye's to the world via TV. Palmer's win there sure helped too.

[Chris_Clouser]

I don't know if it would qualify as great, but one cannot help but notice the impact that the building of Shadow Creek had on architecture.  It proved that with enough money anything can happen.  

[rgkeller]

Well, certainly the publication of Doak's "Confidential Guide" must be placed among the first three.

[BCrosby]

This thread has no mention of the Myopia Hunt Club, 18 holes completed in 1901, Hosted 4 opens in a 10 year span.

quoted from this site

"Myopia had a tremendous impact on the direction of golf course architecture in the United States. Donald Ross arrived in Boston from Scotland the same year that Myopia hosted its first US Open. Also, Philadelphian George Thomas, Bostonian Wayne Stiles, and A.W. Tillinghast were influenced by the abundant placement and penal nature of the hazards that Leeds employed."

Others influenced by Myopia because of college golf would include H. Chandler Egan, Max Behr, the nutcase that did Colonial, Bobby Jones and Robert Hunter.

[PThomas]

the name of the nutcase who did Colonail escapes me...pls help, and also why was he a nutcase

[Pete Lavallee]

the name of the nutcase who did Colonail escapes me...pls help, and also why was he a nutcase

John Bredemus

[Michael Dugger]

1.  Construction of Macdonald's NGLA

2.  The extensive agronomic advances begun at Merion with Wilson, Piper...etc.

3.  RT Jones bulldozer era, creating golf amongst lava fields.

4.  Pete Dye and his TPC/target golf movement

5.  Naturalism comes back to golf via C & C, Sand Hills, Pacific Dunes, Friar's Head....etc.
 

[Chris_Clouser]

Not to hi-jack the thread, but Bredemus was not solely responsible for Colonial.  He was part of a team that designed the original layout and very little if any of his course remained after the early 40s.  

As for him being a nutcase, I would like to think of him as more of a character.

[ForkaB]

Interesting how USA-centric this thread began and continues.....

Let me offer an ROW perspective:

1.  Park Jr. brings the principles of links golf to the suburban London heathland

2.  Allison brings golf to Japan

3.  Braid modernises many of the great Old Tom Morris courses in the UK

4.  Ross (MacKenzie), Duncan et. al. create greater courses than existed previpously (Turnberry, Dornoch, et. al) from the ruins of WWII military "facilities."

5.  Kyle Phillips (and Robert Price and Walter Woods, etc.) create a great linksland course (Kingsbarns) from virtually nothing.

I am sure there are more......

[BCrosby]

Chris -

As any of us in the treehouse know too well, there is a very thin wall between a nutcase and a character.

Didn't Perry Maxwell go to Princeton? Wouldn't he have played college golf matches or tournaments at Myopia?

Bob

[Chris_Clouser]

No,

Perry did not attend at Princeton.

He was born in Princeton, Kentucky.  So maybe that is where you are getting confused.  He attended briefly at the University of Kentucky and Stetson University, but had to drop out due to health issues at each.

Ironically, he went to Princeton  in New Jersey to join another institution.  He married his second wife at the chapel on the Princeton University campus.

[BCrosby]

I stand corrected. Though with all of those Princetons in his life, the professor ought to give me some credit for imagination.

[Chris_Clouser]

Bob,

The next time you go to Culver, you will have to run two laps around the track as punishment.  

Chris

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