What's on this years Ballot for best new courses Golf Digest

[Matt_Ward]

Huck:

I like to see if an architect has tendencies for the way he creates holes -- does he favor fades, draws, you know the drill, to name just one dimension. Too often many architects leave the same fingerprints on any number of their designs and it becomes fairly easy to detect.

Clearly, knowing where a person has come from can give you some idea on where they might head. However, one cannot assume that because there's no saying 100% that the person may opt for another direction -- see the evolution of Jack Nicklaus as a case in point.

In knowing this information I try to look at the finished product and see how it stacks up on its own merits.

[Tom Huckaby]

Matt:

OK, I can understand that.  I just do see a bit of a danger if one starts thinking too much about the architect, at the expense of the course at hand.

But here's perhaps an interesting question:  I know this isn't possible, but wouldn't the rating game be improved if we did it like wine?  That is, without any architect labels?

TH

[Adam Clayman]

What on G-d's green earth does a courses chronological order have to do with the quality of golf?

That is what we are discussing isn't it? The specific course? Whether it's a first, last or middle in the designers timeline is immaterial. It is expected that a designer should get better with each effort, but it's more than that. These pet archies Matt keeps mentioning, have put TEAMS together. Those relationships and their evolution seem to be much more important than software.

[Matt_Ward]

Huck:

You are right -- removing the names of the people who designed the courses would likely make for a different outcome.

There are people here on GCA who simply refuse to play much beyond their limited field of people. I don't do that -- in fact -- I often try to find out if others who carry less of a profile are doing interesting work and head in that direction.

Unfortunately, what you have proposed won't happen because the people hiring such "name" designers want all the ink they can get from their respective participation.

[Tom Huckaby]

Matt - oh I know it won't happen.  I just was speculating on how much importance who did a course ought to have.  To me, it's very, very little.

TH

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