First look at TX Tech Red Raider Course

[Don_Mahaffey]

My partner and I had some business in Lubbock today. After our meetings we decided to drive by the new course at TT and see if we could get a look. It was a little late in the day, 4:30 pm, and we didn't know if anyone would be around, although I had a suspicion that the supt. might still be on site. As luck would have it, Eric Johnson, the Golf Course Supt. was in the shop and he, very generously, gave us a quick tour of the new course. All I can say is wow!

Now, I have a very good idea of what the property looked like before they started, and thus I know just about everything was "manufactured", but boy, oh boy does it not show it. That is some of the most incredible dirt work I've ever seen. For those of you familiar with West Texas and the I-40, try and remember what the caprock looks like as your driving across the state line from NM towards Amarillo. Jagged, abrupt escarpments and rock faces eroded by water and wind over eons of time. Take that vision and compare it to what Doak and Co. have created at TT and see if you see the similarities like I did.
We obviously didn't play as the course will not open for many months and we didn't even have time to tour the entire project, but I believe they have created a great golf course. The bunkering is, described in one word, stunning! Deep, sheer faces, huge, small, hidden, staring you in the face, I have a tough time describing the rugged beauty of the bunkers.
Many times as we drove a hole Eric would say "the tees are here" and I would look and say "where"? The tee complexes blend in seamlessly with the landscape, and without them cut down to tee height, it was difficult to recognize where they were. I could go on and on, but I want to see the course again before I get too specific. But, I will say this. I don't know Tom Doak, and I’m certainly not some kind of groupie, but to have the vision and the talent to create what he and his partners did there is a rare gift. I am truly awestruck by what they've done there. And, quite honestly, I had a feeling in my gut that it would not live up to the hype, but boy was I wrong.

[Tim Weiman]

Don Mahaffey:

Thanks for your report. I was kind of inclined to go check out Cape Kidnappers before seeing Tom's work in Texas. But, now maybe I'll reconsider. Lubbock is a lot closer to Cleveland!

[ed_getka]

Don,
 Thanks for posting. Maybe Tom can put up some pix when he has time.

[Craig Van Egmond]

Don,

    Do you know if that's the same Eric Johnson who used to be at Spyglass?


    I can't wait to see the course, its only about 7 hours from here, about the same time it took me to get to Bandon when I lived in Seattle.

[Slag Bandoon]

 Dirt works ...  I believe these picts are from April,2002

http://www.texastech.ocsn.com/sports/m-golf/spec-rel/041002aaa.html

Eager for greenswards

[Slag Buffoon]

Oops!    Try  http://texastech.ocsn.com/sports/m-golf/spec-rel/041002aaa.html

 Fingers crossed.

[John_D._Bernhardt]

Thanks Don for I was curious how Tom Doak would find a natural feel to a very difficult site.

[TEPaul]

DonM:

Thanks for the interesting report: This is some of what you said that just fascinates me;

"For those of you familiar with West Texas and the I-40, try and remember what the caprock looks like as your driving across the state line from NM towards Amarillo. Jagged, abrupt escarpments and rock faces eroded by water and wind over eons of time. Take that vision and compare it to what Doak and Co. have created at TT and see if you see the similarities like I did."

I haven't traveled that road and that country in decades so my image of it is hazy but nevertheless you describe it well enough.

Lot's of times some of us talk about golf architecture and the necessary attempt to blend the "lines" of it into the "lines" of the site somehow. To harmonize the natural with the arhitectural well. I'm talking small, medium and large "lines" here and apparently you are too.

Maybe a little bump here that's manufactured that blends and twists and turns naturally with that little bump there that's natural. And then onto the blending of some manufacturerd medium sized "lines" with some medium sized natural "lines" and then on to blending the big stuff, like horizon "lines" and such that are natural with the bigger horizons "lines" of the man-made architecture.

To me that's great stuff--a very necessary attempt to try to stay "site natural" with your architecture and its architectural "lines". This seems so much more pure and interesting than just building "North Carolina" in the Nevada desert that although probably a startling and maybe even interesting juxtaposition, is nevertheless enduringly "odd" and unnatural to me.

It's just so great to hear you describe TT that way--that's so cool and so fundamental in my book!

Doak & Co. seem to be really hitting their stride that many had some big expectations about. And they seem to be doing it in a variety of different architectural ways from site to site but always looking hard at those sites to figure out what goes architecturally with each one really well!

Picking up all the small, medium and large natural "lines" and blending and harmonizing them into their architecture or their architecture into them! What could be better and more fundamentally pure than that?

[Don_Mahaffey]

Craig,
I believe Eric did relocate from Nor Cal, although I don't know whether he was at Spyglass.

Tom,
The caprock formations that I describe are probably over a hundred miles from the course. I don't know the area well enough yet to know if there are some features closer, but I would say the caprock break is the most dominant and well known feature in the region. My partner grew up in this area and he wasn't on the course for more then a minute when he mentioned how the work reminded him of the caprock formations. Only Doak can share where he found his inspiration, but I would be surprised if some of the local geological features didn't influence his design. BTW, the course looks like it could play very, very tough. He seemed to direct some of the most difficult holes into the wind, and the wind blows every day there. Luckily, there's lots of room to hit the ball, something like 230 irrigated acres, but I saw a lot of places I wouldn't want to be.

[A_Clay_Man]

Don- Bunch of questions: WHat turf will they be using and is it the turf Herr Doak suggested? (referencing your bro's course)
How does this course compare to the other TD courses you've seen?

I don't know if the variety of landforms are as vast there as it is here, but one of the aspects I notice daily, of the natural stuff here in western NM., is that almost everything and anything goes. Movement that spans the spectrum from gently rolling to abrupt drop-offs, natural mounds of every size with Flat being almost non-exisitent.

ANd there?

[Don_Mahaffey]

Adam,
I have no idea if any turf recommendations were made, followed, ignored, or changed. My guess is after talking with Eric is Doak had a free reign on turf selection, but that's only my feeling, not something I know for fact.
They have a bentgrass blend on the greens, I don't remember exactly the various cultivars, but I believe they were chosen based on the water they would be working with. The fwys and tees are tifsport bermuda and I think they used a seeded variety in some or all the roughs. They also used some bahiagrass on the fringes on some holes. I will be watching the bahia closely as I'm looking for something to use in similar areas on my course. When it opens next fall I'm counting on a visit from you to play my course and then head south to play TT. (of course you don't have to wait until fall to visit.)

[A_Clay_Man]

Kewl and thanx for the info. I don't want to wait till fall either, but if thats when I should, I will. My plans are all up in the air and think that would be a great time to see it all.

[Tom Doak]

I haven't seen the course in Lubbock since October so it was nice to get a report.  Jim Urbina has still been going down there to follow the tree planting but they are almost done with it now.

Eric Johnson, the superintendent, is not the one who worked at Spyglass Hill (and is now, I believe, in Bandon).  This Eric was an assistant superintendent in northern California (near Sacramento I believe) but went to school at Texas Tech and is excited to be back there.  Maintaining a complicated design like TTU in a harsh climate like Lubbock's is a big job, and I'm glad that Eric has the energy to succeed.

The grassing concept is as follows:

Dominant bentgrass blend on greens;
Tifsport bermuda on fairways and in primary roughs;
Bahiagrass in roughs in low areas where water collects; and
Common bermuda and fescue in the roughs on "high areas," including the rugged backdrop for the course.

All the grasses were my first choice, except that we originally specified a different type of seeded Bermuda for the fairways and roughs; not enough seed was available, and the Tifsport was obtained at a better price.

There has been some controversy over our use of the Bahiagrass in the "low" roughs; several people at Tech have been told that it "won't grow in Lubbock" or will die in the severe winters there.  I hope that's not true.  Our goal was to find a grass that contrasted with the bermuda in the winter months, without overseeding, and that would be low-maintenance in areas between fairways or in front of tees.  I won't get into a debate about that here; time will tell whether we were right.

[RJ_Daley]

Tom, there is an article in the research section of Golf Course Management mag, Oct 02, page 107 that discusses newer cultivars (southeast, tulsaII, greystone) of tall fescues for those high, hot and dry areas of rough, in the transition zone and used as contrast to warm season turf types.  Nothing about the low wet areas however.

[A_Clay_Man]

Thanks for the info Herr Doak. I have never heard of Bahaigrass, other than the grass in Wilmette around the Bahai Temple
Would someone describe it?
And

Tom Doak- I was wondering how you feel about the turf problems at AS, or do you have to take on the  attitude that it's thier headache now?

[Tom Doak]

Adam:  When a course is in poor condition, mostly all we can do is cross our fingers and hope for the best.  

I steadfastly refuse to be put on the spot about whether the superintendent is doing a good job (a lot of times our consulting clients ask this not too subtly).  And if we approach a client to volunteer the course is not in good shape, it's taken either to reflect on the super's ability or on the architect's ego.

If a client asks, I'll refer them to a consulting agronomist to try and help straighten it out, and I'll tell the agronomist what I really think so it doesn't come out in the wash.

[ed_getka]

Tom,
 When you chose Bahiagrass, was that from previous experience with it? If people are concerned with its viability isn't there some turfgrass resource that can advise regarding that?

Sounds like we should try to get a group together next year to see your latest work.

Regarding  poor course conditions and people trying to assign blame, that must be one of the less enjoyable aspects of your job, since to the general public it must reflect on you. Given the number of times maintenance is mentioned in regard to High Pointe and AS, is there anything you try to do in your more recent designs to prevent those problems from arising?

[Matt_Cohn]

http://texastech.ocsn.com/trads/text-rawls-golf-course.html


This link has a full course map and descriptions of each hole.

How would you now rank the Big XII golf courses? From south to north, there are university golf courses at Baylor, Texas Tech, ours at Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Kansas State.

1/2. Texas Tech or Oklahoma State (Karsten Creek)?
3/4. Baylor or Kansas State?
5. Oklahoma

How would you resolve this list? And is there any way to rank the Jimmie Austin OU Golf Course in front of any of those four?

[Slag Bandoon]

Interesting practice grounds.
I know it's taboo to judge a course by pictures and plans but that layout from that site is fun to walk through in the imagination.  

The water doesn't even irk me. I can see how it would only come into play for two or three shots (for the proficient).
And in North Texas, I'm sure it is a welcome site.

#12 looks easy.  What diabolical green features have you incorporated for this one?  Foxy inspired?

Tom, do you have any fears that THIS course will be too easy to score upon?

[RJ_Daley]

Tom, how did you go about the tree selection?  Was there a regional arborist consulted?  About how many varieties of trees are there incorporated into the overall property design to provide diversity against stresses of weather, drought, infestations likely for that region?  When designing the tree planting, was a program like LANDCADD used, where all varieties of trees are listed in the design program, and matched to regional growth characteristics, where you can use the computer to somewhat see the extent of growth-overhang near fairways and greens or tees of the various trees multiple years out?  Do the tree providers give some sort of warrantee of tree survival for a period of time?

PS: The bunker placements look very exciting!  Like Slag observes, I'll bet that bunkerless 12th is a real rock and roll doozy.

[Slag Bandoon]

"Let's get out of here."

                 "We can't leave."

"Why not?"

                 "We're waiting for Godot."

"Oh yes."

[Tom Doak]

First of all, I must mention that the map and hole-by-hole description of the course were done before the start of construction.  Certain details have changed.  The holes are all basically in the same place; the second hole was changed to a short 5 as I've noted before; but bunker positions and descriptions are probably only 80% accurate, as we tinker a lot in the field during construction.

I giggled over the listing of Texas Tech 1/2 with Tom Fazio's Karsten Creek.  We tried very hard to get that job at Oklahoma State years ago, and it's one of the reasons we liked the idea of working at Tech.  But the property in Stillwater was a hell of a lot better to start with, and so was what Jeff Brauer had to work with at K-State.  (I've never seen either finished course, but I've heard nothing but good reports.)

Regarding the bahiagrass, Dave Wilber was our consultant for Texas Tech.  We really racked our brains regarding this selection, as most authorities insisted nothing but bermudagrass was good there ... they didn't understand (or care about) the look we were trying to achieve.  Dave stuck with us despite the flak, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it turns out.  (We also talked about the possibility of paspalum, since those low areas tend to be wet and the water in Lubbock is not the greatest, and I learned from Dave that Bahia and paspalum are cousins.)

Regarding the questions about course conditioning, past experiences have made me a bit more sheepish about going away from conventional grassing schemes -- in the end, I want to make my name as a golf course architect, which to most people is the golf hole design and not the grassing.  But I learned from Pete Dye how important grassing schemes can be to the overall look of a course, particularly when you're trying to do something different and to overcome a lack of natural plant materials, and Texas Tech needed something like this.

Regarding the trees, yes we did have the help of a local nurseryman in species selection, who unfortunately didn't get the contract for the bulk of the tree installation.  (He missed the low bid by a few thousand dollars, and university bidding procedures leave little room for sentiment.)  I am very, very curious to see how the planting will turn out -- it is after all a substantial part of the budget, nearly $1 million worth in total.  Jim Urbina called me from Lubbock today and told me I wouldn't recognize the place anymore ... and that was the general idea!