Definition of minimalism

[Dan_Callahan]

I was reading a new interview with John Sculley about his time at Apple working with Steve Jobs. Sculley made this observation about Jobs:

"What makes Steve's methodology different from everyone else's is that he always believed the most important decisions you make are not the things you do, but the things you decide not to do. He's a minimalist. I remember going into Steve's house, and he had almost no furniture in it. He just had a picture of Einstein, whom he admired greatly, and he had a Tiffany lamp and a chair and a bed. He just didn't believe in having lots of things around, but he was incredibly careful in what he selected."

I'm sure other definitions of minimalism and great design have been offered before on this site, but I thought that was as succinct as it gets: "the most important decisions you make are not the things you do, but the things you decide not to do."

[John Chilver-Stainer]

A very astute comment but with all decison making - how far do you take it or not take it?

This is my take.

Minimalistic is generally, as applied to golf course architecture, doing the least  that is necessary to create and maintain a golf course.

Now if the Client is prepared to forego USGA greens, full irrigation, full drainage and occasional blind holes then one can talk about “minimalistic”.

However there are hardly any recent golf courses that have been constructed, including the Bandon’s, that are minimalistic.

Minimalistic  were the golf courses that our forefathers in Scotland played on, some of which still exist and can still support a fun and interesting game of golf.

The only one under construction I can think of is Jon Wigget’s course at Brahan near Dingwall in Scotland. (Hopefully Jon will put up a couple of pictures up of the work so far).

In Switzerland there are a few “special event” courses that are without doubt minimalistic golf course architecture, which are played in the summer over alpine pastures on to very rudimentary greens.
Usually along the tracks of the melted ski pistes such as the famous Lauberhorn Downhill in Wengen, Switzerland or the Hahnenkamm in Kitzbühl, Austria.
Something for Bode Miller no doubt!!!
My favourite is the annual event on the Gornergrat in Zermatt, Switzerland under the shadow of the Matterhorn.


As far as the Bandon golf courses and others that can claim to make a cheap build I believe they are termed. “Naturalistic”. (Tom Doak please correct me)
“Naturalistic” for me means, adapted to the terrain or shaped to look like the natural terrain, but includes all the modern standards necessary to maintain a golf course at optimal condition most of the year round. This includes drainage, irrigation, specified root zones etc.

That's my minimalistic take.

[Michael Dugger]

Minimalism is a philosophy....a belief that less is often more.

In GCA, it is rooted in the thought that mother nature is the best architect, and that we cannot design and build features better than she can.

But where we must, we do, and we attempt to make the created features indistinguishable from the natural ones.

[Melvyn Morrow]

Michael

Look down and what you are holding in your hand can certainly be defined as minimalism. Said of course in the best possible taste.
 
Melvyn   

[Mac Plumart]

Play it as it Lies...

in playing the game and building a course.



To me that defined minimalism in a nutshell.



Of course this phrase and how it relates to golf course architecture is my very own and I stole it from no one!!  


I would also add, again from my own thoughts and meditations, that if you want to judge whether a particular designer is really comfortable in the minimalist style, ask him what he does when a hole has no natural feature to build upon. The real minimalist will respond that he's never faced that situation -- he'll always find something, whether it's the length of the hole, or a small hump, existing vegetation, or simply the direction of the prevailing wind -- and expand upon that to create an interesting golf hole.


Of course this guy writes a good essay on the topic...I guess...

http://dev.brightbridge.net/RGD/selected_essays/play_it_as_it_lies/

[Michael Dugger]

Michael

Look down and what you are holding in your hand can certainly be defined as minimalism. Said of course in the best possible taste.
 
Melvyn   

Your sense of humor, or "wit," is so terribly lacking.  Spare yourself future humiliation and just cease...