Great article on Jackie Burke & how to run a club

[Scott_Burroughs]

Normally I don't post articles like this to start a thread, but it's a great article and has a great insight on how to run a succussful club, and is a real-life situation that we could compare to our proposed "Papazian Hills".

Boy, that Floppy needs some marital adivce.

http://www.golfdigest.com/features/index.ssf?/features/gd200207burke.html

[Paul Richards]

Scott:

thanks.  it is a very good article.

[Ed_Baker]

I'd like to clone Mr. Burke several times and install him as "benevolent dictator" at about a dozen clubs including my own.

Thanks for the article.

[Houston-David]

As a member at Champions, I must agree with your comments.  Mr. Burke is the best!  It is all about golf at our club.  Every club needs a Jackie Burke running the show.

[A_Clay_Man]

Wow! Thanks Scott for posting this.

Another prime example of how this site is uncanny. After reading this I am totally floored by this guy. I used to use Burke Irons from 66'-about 1990. It is amazing how the fundementals he uses, were taught to me, by some form of osmosiss, I assume thru the clubs.

I instantly want to go and meet this guy and see if there is a disruption in the space time continuem.

[Ben Cowan-Dewar]

David, and others,
How good is this course?  I remember Nicklaus and Palmer used to rave about one hole, 14??

I have heard so many great things about this "club", but never enough talk about the course.  Can someone tell me more about it?

[Mike Nuzzo]

And Jackie isn't the only throw back there either:
(the following is from an old post)


"At Champions, what we've done since 1997 is not overseed at all. We rely on the Bermuda greens even when the Bermuda stops growing. What we've found is that good players don't mind greens being a little brownish looking or having thin grass as long as they still putt true. And we think that by not overseeding, we get more days per year when our greens are good."

"And the bad thing is, it takes 30 to 50 days for those rye grass seeds to germinate. They have to be planted about this time of the year when the temperature starts to drop somewhat, but before it gets too cool.

Then, in the spring, when the Bermuda begins to grow again, it takes another 30 to 50 days for the transition from the rye grass to the Bermuda. Sometimes, like this past spring, it takes even longer if the weather doesn't cooperate."

- Charles Joachim  10/24/01 Houston Chronicle

"To think that you're going to have greens perfect all the time because of overseeding, you're an idiot. The idea is to get as many good days for your greens as possible. Because everything isn't green isn't necessarily bad. Tan is a nice color."

- Charles Joachim  1/23/02 Houston Chronicle

[Mike Nuzzo]

Ben,
As for the course..
Huge greens make for some great pins during the tour championship (and the week after   )
I think they are in the middle more during regular play.
Cypress creek makes for a couple of nice par 3's.
The water features on the par 4's are a nice change as they are only there to tempt.. alla 11 at augusta (i.e. not boring forced carries with no strategic consequences like a lot of texas and florida?)

David could most likely provide more insight.

David-
What do you think about the Jack Rabbit renovation?

One member friend of mine really likes it... (he built it)
the other older member friend of mine goes back and forth.
I think the green complexes are very interesting and provide for a lot of options like pinehurst #2 (which was I presume the goal/intent/model)

Mike

[Gib_Papazian]

Although I have never heard any glowing reports about the golf courses themselves (hard and long), one of my friends at Olympic was a member there for 20 years and says it is the best "club" in America.

Frankly, after our discussion a few weeks ago, our ideas look a whole lot less original having read that piece.

What a place.

[John Bernhardt]

Gib, I read the article on the plane home yesterday. It is a golfer's club in the sense portrayed in the article. Therefore , it is a delight to play and practice there.  The locker room is a good modal and I love it. The strength of the course like Olympic Lake is the long demanding par 4's. They reflect the nature of the land and the people. They are very straightforward strong long holes most of the year.  They are firmer for ther Tour events like most tour courses are. The greens are large and good, with strategic options, but not particularly interesting or do they have alot of contouring. The par 5;s are ok. there is not one as strong or significant as 16 at Olympic. The par 3's are good as are the shortish par
4's. I do wish they would change to one of the new grasses for the greens do have a number of months which they are slow. This in unfortunate for the greens as noted are large and
this takes some of the fun from a birdie or par after two well played shots on those brusing par 4's. I like the course alot and look forward with anticipation and joy much like Olympic
 Lake to every round there. And Yes it does seem Jackie Burke and his wife are there every time I play there. I especially love the comment that it takes one hundred years to build a club. As we talk about architecture and clubs, it is wise to remember the evolution of a club and a course and what it takes to become the clubs we admire the most.

[David-Houston]

I agree with John.

This is a great golf club with more single digit handicap players than any course in the country.  The reason you do not hear much about the courses themselves is that they are just like John mentioned, long and straightforward.  No tricks, just what you see is what you get.  That is why the pros and good golfers really like to play here.  If you hit the ball well, you will score well.  The size of the greens really make the course.  I could set you in the middle of each green in regulation and most of you would have at least 8 three putts for 18 holes.  It is not uncommon to hit 18 greens and still shot 5 or 6 over.  We are currently in the process of changing out the grass on the Cypress course greens.  We are doing nine holes at a time with the first nine to open back up at the end of July and the back nine to shut down then and open up in mid October.  It should allow us to have better putting surfaces year round and keep the greens cut to a speed that all of the players prefer.   I will give you an update after they are completed.

As for the Jack Rabbit course, Fazio came in and did a lot of work and it plays much different than before.  This was the first course that Tom worked on as a youngster.  His uncle George did the routing.  It used to be the secondary course, but now many of the members prefer it to Cypress.  I like what they did by making the course more playable but reworking the greens to make them much more challenging.  Jack Rabbit put all new grasses in place that can stand the Houston heat and humidity, and so far they seem to be holding up just great.  Jack Rabbit is another course that is not glamourous but is just a great test of golf.  You will hit every club in your bag if you are to play well.

Anyone that would like to come visit, just drop me a line.