Two articles on Ralph Plummer...

[Ran Morrissett]

... are posted under In My Opinion, one by Lou Duran and one by Jeff Brauer.

My experience of Plummer is limited to Tryall. Being a big fan of that design, when I posted its course profile, I wondered why more wasn't known on Plummer. His work on the flat portion of the front nine and his routing into the foothills on the back was top notch and it seemed to me that his talents may have gone underappreciated. Lou wrote back that he agreed and that he would do some research and provide GCA.com with more information on Plummer. The lead article is the result of his work and is a most welcome addition to the site.

Following on is an article by Jeff Brauer, and I enjoy reading nothing more than an architetct's praise/kind words for another architect's work. It happens all too rarely but here is one such fine instance.

Cheers,

[Jason Topp]

Thanks for all of your work on this piece Lou.  It is well written and clearly well researched.

I have not played any of the courses.  Nonetheless, it is interesting how a limited budget seems in some respects to have a positive impact on architecture, because of what it forces the architect to do - make use of the land and think very carefully about the resources the architect does deploy.

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Very interesting stuff Lou.  He seemed to have an interesting take on greensize and approaches and the like.

I think it was at the last GCSAA show in Anaheim, I met what I thought was a Plummer who did architectural work in Texas. Is this a grandson? (I seem to remember that there was some connection) I have a portfoilo of his around here somewhere.

[Lou_Duran]

Jason,

Thanks.  You are so right: necessity being the mother of invention.

While few Plummer courses would rate highly in the Doak scale, I would be a happy member at a number of them.  For whatever they lack in sophistication and pizzaz, Plummer courses are stimulating and foster improved play.

Tommy,

To the best of my knowledge, there is not a Plummer descendant in golf design.  Perhaps you met Steve Plumer who is based in the DFW area and designed two courses near Fort Worth, Hidden Creek and Waterchase.  I may be wrong, but I think that he may have come out of Jeff Brauer's shop.

Ran,

For clarification, Jeff's article was an email response to my request for his thoughts on Plummer's work he had come across in his design and renovation assignments.  It was probably written to be incorporated in the main article, but I thought the information was better conveyed in his voice and its entirety.

[Jeff_Brauer]

Jason,

Truer words were never spoken.

Tommy,

Lou is right - Steve Plumer (not Plummer) worked for me. I hired him away from Kevin Tucker - a Nashville land planner and gca - in 1993 after taking his phone call by mistake - we were working on a project where the golf course superintendent had the same name. No matter, I liked him, we needed him and he came on board. Sadly, one of the big work slowdowns caught up with him and we had to let him go.

He started his own firm immediately, and got some work early by going to those shows.  He did some work for the Maxwell group (I could be wrong, but I think its the same group that won the best new affordable two years ago but is now out of the business) in Alambama.  As Lou notes, he also got two 18 hole courses here, and also remodeled some Plummer work in Ft Worth at Pecan Valley among others.

He got into ASGCA a few years ago, but I don't know what he is currently doing.

[T_MacWood]

Lou & Jeff. Very well done.

Would you consider Plummer a disciple of Bredemus? Do they share any common design style or philosophy?

[John_Conley]

Nice essays, Lou. Jeff.

Thanks.