Hollywood GC profile is updated

[Ran Morrissett]

The term restoration has become pretty elastic, perhaps too much so. Properly used, it means to restore something. Shocking, I know! Well, I have no qualms in applying it to what has occurred at Hollywood Golf Club. Literally from a map in the Men’s Locker Room, Brian Schneider painstakingly expanded all eighteen greens and reworked the vast majority of the bunkers as seen on the locker wall. What a job he did too. While some courses enjoy natural advantages over Hollywood, how many have better bunkers and/or greens? Well! That list gets very short, very quick IMO. To convey its strengths, I turned to photographer Benjamin Herms for series of 2022 photographs to update its profile. 

Here is the result:

Hollywood Golf Club – Golf Club Atlas

Walter Travis had very strong notions on what constituted good golf and he conveyed them eloquently over the years in The American Golfer. To me, what Brian did (with help from Blake Conant and Matt Hunter) is to infuse Walter Travis’s inimitable style back into this rectangular parcel of land. I don’t know what to admire more - the hazards (like the volcano bunker left of 16) or the greens (the 6^th is a master class). Luckily, I don’t have to choose. There is a main ridge that bisects the property and Travis did a masterful job of utilizing it in varied ways at holes 14, 16, 17, 4, and 5. Otherwise, the property has modest movement, which allowed Travis to go to town building such fabulous features. The course is a breeze to walk too, an increasingly important personal consideration with each passing year.

There are thousands of 200-acre parcels across the country of comparable quality to Hollywood’s raw land. Also, I consider the quality of today’s new course construction to be at a similar (high!) level to that of the Golden Age. And yet, here is the rub: if you gave your favorite modern architect a comparable site to Hollywood, I reckon the odds are low that anyone would build a finer course. That’s the magic of Walter Travis and Hollywood - and Brian. Even in the golf-rich Garden State, Hollywood stands out.


Best,

[Bill Healy]

Great photos of Hollywood GC.
Thanks,  Bill Healy

[Josh Bills]

Enjoyed this write up from the USGA Bulletin in 1923 of the 4th hole with photos.  Appears there were a few more bunkers back in the day.

[Tommy Williamsen]

I goofed when I played next-door neighbor Deal in not trying to play Hollywood. It looks just terrific. Thanks.

[Josh Bills]

The review was wonderful to read, thank you for sharing.  It appears the 15th used to be a bit flashier away from the green, but the large bunker in front and large mound behind appear to remain. 

[MCirba]

Periodically I get to channel The Old Man and he wants you all to know that  he heartily approves of Brian's wonderful restorative work, Ran's excellent write-up, and Benjamin's captivating photos.   


That means your collective work is exceptional because Mr. Travis does not praise lightly.

[Bill Crane]

Great Job !!  As Always
Photos are super as well.
I remember standing on the back of the 9th green with the pin in that bowled section that slopes away from the tee just marveling at that green. 
So many wonderful and interesting details, a course really worth getting to know over repeated visits.
Hollywood really has a presence, almost an aura that you feel intuitively.


New Jersey, LOOK before you LAUGH!!

[Peter Flory]

Not too many courses that I'd rather play than this one. 

[Eric LeFante]

Great write up and beautiful pictures.


The profile says not many architecture critics have Hollywood outside the top 5 in NJ. I too have knowledgeable friends (I hesitate to say "smart" friends and inflate their egos even more) who think Hollywood is third best in NJ. I've been playing golf in NJ my whole life and I really struggle with settling on my top 5. I love Hollywood. I get to play it a handful of times per year and last month drove an hour to play it when it was 45 degrees and the greens were aerated; it's that good. But I struggle to put it in the top 5.


Golf Magazine's latest ranking for NJ is PV, Somerset, Baltusrol Lower, Plainfield, Ridgewood E/W, Hollywood and I'm leaning towards agreeing with this ranking. The restored Lower is really good, Plainfield's land movement is spectacular, and Ridgewood has some of the best par 4s and in my opinion a top 10 set of Par 5s in the US. The rankings do not use Ridgewood's championship routing and that holds it back a little because it is significantly better than E/W. Maybe it doesn't matter and the bottom line is all 6 are fantastic golf courses. But every time I play one of them I'm ready to change my personal ranking.

[Thomas Dai]

Looks cool. Thanks for sharing.
Atb

[Max Prokopy]

Beautiful photos and an (as always) eloquent profile.


Is there a reason for some of the sharp-lined boundaries between the green rough and meadow-ish native grasses?  For example, the photo of the 7th green complex. 


I'm speculating it's to satisfy some environmental requirements but am also curious how the high contrast looks on the playing grounds.

[Pat Burke]

I goofed when I played next-door neighbor Deal in not trying to play Hollywood. It looks just terrific. Thanks.

I grew up on Deal, and yes, you did Tommy, it’s an amazing place!

[mike_malone]

It’s a unique course which I always enjoy because of David Greene.

[Sven Nilsen]

By all accounts the bulk of the routing was the work of Isaac Mackie, and he should be mentioned in any discussion of the course. 


Travis reworked the greens and bunkers.


From the Travis Society website -



1917 — [/size][/font][/color][/size](r) Hollywood Golf Club[/color][/size], Deal, NJ   According to the HGC centennial history book, [/color][/size]“With two exceptions, Travis followed Mackie’s original routing. He did, however, combine the original 13th and 14th holes, 260 and 150 yards, respectively, into the present 13th hole, and built the present par-three 17th to compensate, shortening the original 17th to creat the prestn 16th.  Travis’ major contribution, however, was a complete reworking of the greens and the bunkering.”[/color]

[MCirba]

By all accounts the bulk of the routing was the work of Isaac Mackie, and he should be mentioned in any discussion of the course. 


Travis reworked the greens and bunkers.


From the Travis Society website -



1917 — (r) Hollywood Golf Club, Deal, NJ   According to the HGC centennial history book, “With two exceptions, Travis followed Mackie’s original routing. He did, however, combine the original 13th and 14th holes, 260 and 150 yards, respectively, into the present 13th hole, and built the present par-three 17th to compensate, shortening the original 17th to creat the prestn 16th.  Travis’ major contribution, however, was a complete reworking of the greens and the bunkering.”

Sven,


That's correct and I'd also note that the club records indicated some discontent with the course Mackie designed in 1913 and first in 1916 brought in Seth Raynor prior to Travis.  However, according to William Quirin's Hollywood history book, "Apparently, Raynor's suggestions did not provide the desired effect, and the entire Green Committee which employed him resigned in August of 1917."

[George Pazin]

Reading Tom MacWood's name brought a tear to my eye, I remember many discussions about Hollywood back in the early days.


Great review, as always, thanks for sharing.

[Kurt Everett]

Great pics and write-up.  One of my favorite courses from last year

[Terry Lavin]

Reading Tom MacWood's name brought a tear to my eye, I remember many discussions about Hollywood back in the early days.


Great review, as always, thanks for sharing.

Ditto, my man.