Psycholgy vs. Strategy per Desmond Muirhead

[ward peyronnin]

I ran across a quote attributed to Desmond Muirhead

"The average golfer is more affected by the psychology of a golf course than its strategy
They play golf not to analyze but to feel good"

Now this clearly reveals why he employed some of the unique visual  and other flamboyant features for which he is known but i don't agree with his premise. If that were exclusively true the flat overstated yardage goat track where anyone can score would deliver the ultimate golf experience. Also i believe , even if only subliminally, the average golfer does process the strategic elements when skilfully optioned in a design and respond with appreciation especially if he considers them fair. Certainly flower beds and other unessentials can contribute to a positive impression  as well.

So what does one examine when aspiring how to balance features that "enhance the psychology" of the loop vs strategic emphasis

[Tom_Doak]

Ward:

The flat overstated yardage goat track may be easy to score on, but does that make you feel good?  Would that make it fun?

Your post makes me wonder what would happen if one built a severe-looking golf course, but one that was short and that tended to funnel golf balls back into play, such as with a lot of punchbowl greens.  I can't think of where anyone has really built a course like that, but it would likely be popular, particularly among beginners.

[Tim Gavrich]

Ward:

The flat overstated yardage goat track may be easy to score on, but does that make you feel good?  Would that make it fun?

Your post makes me wonder what would happen if one built a severe-looking golf course, but one that was short and that tended to funnel golf balls back into play, such as with a lot of punchbowl greens.  I can't think of where anyone has really built a course like that, but it would likely be popular, particularly among beginners.

Tobacco Road seems to fit this description as well as any I've played.  It has its own peril, but if one plays it sensibly it can certainly be had and be rewarding.

[Tom_Doak]

Tobacco Road seems to fit this description as well as any I've played.  It has its own peril, but if one plays it sensibly it can certainly be had and be rewarding.

You've got to be kidding.

There are parts of it that fit the description, but on the whole it is a course that intimidates players and is not very easy to score on.  And they sell it on the basis of how intimidating it is.

There are many bowl features on Mike Strantz courses and on Jim Engh courses as well, but both of them are good players and have (or had) a tendency to throw in a lot of difficult features.  Sometimes, yes, they are not as hard as they look, but neither one of them aspired to build any course which could be labeled "easy", which is what I was talking about.

[ward peyronnin]

Hi Tom

It may somewhat like drinking Boone's Farm versus a decent Cab: they both make you feel good but are nothing alike.
I do not enjoy courses such as that unless i am with a much less skilled player.

But how does a hole featuring bunkers shaped like Nordic weapons impart a feel good psychology? It's kind of a one trick pony.
I still believe the average golfers eye can be led by strategic targets throughout a hole. Berkely Hallis a decent Fazio course but it seems like they realized some holes were very weeked and dumped tons of azaleas and other elements unrelated to golf to compensate.

What strategic elements would you say would best contribute to the average golfers "psychology" of the hole

[Mac Plumart]

Frankly, I find Mr. Muirhead one of the most interesting figures in golf course architecture.  I haven’t taken the time to study him, his work, or his philosophy in depth yet…but he certainly appears to be very unique.

Also, I struggle with the quote that Ward posted as I don’t know the context behind it.  He says,

"The average golfer is more affected by the psychology of a golf course than its strategy
They play golf not to analyze but to feel good."

Feel good in what regard?  Feel good about themselves at the end of the round?  Feel good with the quality of the shots they hit?  Feel good in the sense they don’t go in a hazard or go O.B?  This statement is too vague to really dig into it.

However, I can see where Tim thought of Strantz.  Here is a quote that I like from Mike Strantz…

“It is important to make the golf hole look more difficult than it really is...if your mind convinces you that it really is a difficult shot, you’re beat before you even take the club back.”


Clearly, this plays on the psychological part of the game and, therefore, it is easily recalled when reading the Muirhead quote.  But Strantz doesn’t use this type of psychology to make the golfer “feel good”, rather he uses it to scare the $hit out of a golfer!!

Also, Bobby Jones comes to mind every time I hear of psychology being used on a golf course and in golf design.  Perhaps mainly due to this quote…

“Competitive golf is played mainly on a five-and-a-half-inch course, the space between your ears.”

Given all that I can piece together, I doubt Mr. Muirhead meant a golfer wants to see flowers to feel good on a golf course.  I think he might have been talking about the types of shots a golfer wants to hit.  Avoid dangerous shots, like forced carries or challenging bunkers, etc.  But like I said, I haven’t studied Desmond Muirhead and I don’t know the context of the quote.

[Ronald Montesano]

I find Muirhead to be one of the most inconsistent figures in golf course architecture.  To begin, first he was alive, now he's dead.

Next, his book on St. Andrews, walking around with Tip Anderson, was fairly uneventful on first read.  I need to take another look at it before I completely dismiss it.

Third, the two courses I've played (River Oaks-New York and Haystack-Vermont) are on completely different bits of terrain, yet share the characteristic of one or two extreme holes, 14 or so solid to excellent holes, and one or two absolutely uninspired holes.  I wonder if his attention wandered or what.

Fourth, within those courses, his greens did very little to impress me.  There are examples of large swings/movement, rarely the subtle breaks that I like most.

[Steve Lang]

  Damn good fun psych olgy is..  if fun has to be defined, can anyone really play?

Sophisticated views of things are not average, never will be... but they can be noticed in part and lead to bigger and better things by many folk, even learned!   So giving folks, even beginners somewhere to play, something to think about, can create a fun and even educational experience...

sounds like muirhead did it his way.. go figure