Good Mike Stranz article by Jay Flemma

[Jeff Doerr]

http://www.golfobserver.com/features/Flemma/Strantz_021507.php

[Jeff_Mingay]

Jeff,

You beat me to it. I noticed Jay's article this morning, at GolfObserver.com.

Nice work, Jay.

I'm fascinated with Mike Strantz. Unfortunately I've only seen Tobacco Road in person. But I intend to make a point to visit, and study more Strantz in the future.

[RJ_Daley]

Jay, very fine writing!  

[Bill_McBride]

That's a really good article and tribute, Jay, thank you.  I am so glad we had the opportunity to play Caledonia and True Blue at last fall's Dixie Cup, and wish I could have stayed for Bulls Bay the next day.

[archie_struthers]

 

Jay,

NIce article, enjoyed it !


Would have loved to see him on site and in action.

[Jay Flemma]

Thank you, guys. It was a pleasure to write that one.  A piece is only as good as its subject...and Mike was a terrific man on so many levels with so many ionteresting facets.

Did you know his friends all keep small shrines to his memory?  I got the pleasure of seeing them in Awendaw.  When we're all down there next, we should go to the church where Mike did this amazing stained glass window of jesus ascending into heaven that ALSO looks like a phoenix rising form the ashes!!  Its even all done in reds, gold and orange...amazing!

[John Kavanaugh]

"If there is any drawback to his work, it may be that at this moment in history, his abstract lines - so beloved when they were Seth Raynor's - are too Baroque to find mainstream acceptance."

Are you trying to say tha Stranz and Raynor were similar in style or that Raynor's work was higly ornate.  Anyone else see this?

[cary lichtenstein]

"If there is any drawback to his work, it may be that at this moment in history, his abstract lines - so beloved when they were Seth Raynor's - are too Baroque to find mainstream acceptance."

Are you trying to say tha Stranz and Raynor were similar in style or that Raynor's work was higly ornate.  Anyone else see this?

I think Strantz work will always be polarizing because we have red and blue golfers.

The Reds don't like anything that isn't minialist except when C & C gets a great piece of ground and then it is brilliant because nature put it there even if it wasn't there to begin with because it looks like it was there, the 15+ handicaps probably think his work is too difficult to play and then the Blue Group loves it to death .

Any if you can figure out what I just said, explain it to me

[wsmorrison]

"If there is any drawback to his work, it may be that at this moment in history, his abstract lines - so beloved when they were Seth Raynor's - are too Baroque to find mainstream acceptance."

John,

Good call.  I didn't agree with, or maybe understand, the implication of that either.

"Except for Pete Dye, no architect was more inseparable, more indelible from his own designs than Mike Strantz."

Here is where I would certainly include Raynor.

"Strantz also used Mackenzie's philosophy of the "line of charm" as his central theme in building golf holes."

MacKenzie may have utilized the philosophy, but it was Behr that coined the phrase and was a cornerstone of his design theory.

[Jay Flemma]

JK...I absolutely see some Raynor in Strantz's work...particularly at RNK.

Wayne...good catch...I thought I had corrected that errata everywhere, but must have missed it.  yes indeed, Mackemnzie espoused the LOC...but he was expounding o Behr's ideas.

please remember my GO audience, while exceptionally well cultred in golf...still do not reach the towering heights of analysis we reach here and occasionally, for purposes of illustration, I must give a brief broad explanation.  Perhaps "baroque" is strong...any suggestions?

[John Kavanaugh]

JK...I absolutely see some Raynor in Strantz's work...particularly at RNK.

Please give an example.

[John Kavanaugh]

btw..If you want to get fancy and still appeal to your music audience I would call Raynor more of the Bauhaus school than Baroque.

[Tim Gavrich]

Re: The passage about Tot Hill Farm and flooding.  When was this makeshift par 7 created?  Does anyone have pictures of it?

[Michael Christensen]

great article Jay...I read it about a week ago.......just seeing you play Bulls Bay showed your true love for Mike and his work....what a great place, his presence is everywhere!

[Eric_Terhorst]

Jay,

I'm confused by this paragraph:

"In an industry that too often finds solace and comfort in hard-bitten solidarity and rigid adherence to tradition, Strantz's exuberant voice and vision are uncompromised by objective rules and ancient dogma. Instead, he fashioned the old into the 21st century neo-classic, paying homage to the ancient ways while polishing them for the future."

What tradition are you referring to?  If members of the industry had indeed rigidly adhered to "tradition," wouldn't that have relieved us all of the burden to prattle on endlessly about the Golden Age of GCA, since we'd still be enjoying it?  We wouldn't have needed Mike Strantz to come along and "pay homage to the ancient ways" Yes?

To my mind, as long as we have Donald Trumps, rigid adherence to tradition is but a dream...

[Ray Tennenbaum]

btw..If you want to get fancy and still appeal to your music audience I would call Raynor more of the Bauhaus school than Baroque.

music audience?  like, singing buildings?

[Jay Flemma]

JK...I absolutely see some Raynor in Strantz's work...particularly at RNK.

Please give an example.

14 green.