The Rawls Course at Texas Tech

[Lou_Duran]

Matt Ward,

You play a game which I am not familiar with.  Driver-2 iron to a 600 yard hold into a northern wind?  On 18, did fly your drive over the inlet to the lake, what, 320 yards from the tee?  Or are you now hitting 220+ yard 7 irons?

Maybe my bearings are wrong, it's been over two years, but any suggestion that Rawls is easy with a brisk north wind just sounds ludicrous.  Perhaps too it might be another indication at just how the game has been bifurcated by technology.  

BTW, how hard was the wind blowing?  With the wind in the 20-30 moh range from the north, Don Mahaffey and I barely rolled our drives into the water on 18.  My recollection is that from there, we still had well over 200 yards to the green from a downhill lie.  Is my memory off?    

[Matt_Ward]

Lou:

Let me point out that the 18th hole has water that angles in from different distances as you approach the H20 that cuts off the first part of the fairway with the second part that lies beyond. If you favor the left side the distance from behind the hazard to midpoint in the green is roughly 210 yards. If you go down the right side the distance shrinks to 178 yards. My drive was on the right side and I had about 190 yards to the green.

Win velocity was roughly 10-15 mph from the northeast. One other note -- the fairways were firm -- not concrete mind you -- but they certainly allowed for players to get additional distance upon landing.

Beg your pardon -- but the northeast wind allows for all the long holes -- save the par-4 5th (462 yds) to play downwind -- I'm speaking about the 7th, 9th, 13th, 14th, 16th and 18th holes. That's quite a stacking of long holes that would play even longer when the prevailing southwest winds are in play.

Next time I'm in Lubbock I'll be hoping to see the southwest winds because then the full nature of what the course was designed to handle will be apparent.

Nonetheless, the issue of course balance is one I evaluate with any visit. If the architect seeks to maximize the nature of the course only when the prevailing wind kicks-in -- then the possibility exists -- as I believe at The Rawls Course -- that the "odd day wind" can mean a somewhat different course than originally crafted.

No matter -- I truly enjoyed the course and believe it's vastly underrated nationally among other public courses because of two things ...

1). Being located in Texas
2). The isolated location (nothing exists for a good bit of miles when thinking of going to Lubbock).

[George Pazin]

Matt -

(Honest question here )

How much do you think the very different nature of The Rawls Course affects its standing among raters? I haven't sampled much else in Texas, but I can't imagine there are many other courses like it.

Contrast that with the more traditional courses like Colonial or one of the Champions courses, which may be very good, but are certainly more traditional in appearance and play (I'm guessing, haven't had the pleasure of playing either).

Mark Tilker -

Thanks for the trip down memory lane.

[Matt_Ward]

George:

Don't know what you mean when you say "the very different nature" of the course? The simple fact is that location allows for a broader segment of people to visit and therefore evaluate.

Lubbock is essentially in no man's land -- no one makes a conscious decision and says "let's go to Lubbock" unless you are playing football for Texas Tech.

No doubt the golf course will change plenty of thinking if people actually decide to go. However, Lubbock is isolated and the next solid golf offerings are a good bit aways from there.

Let me point it this way -- if you had a body of water next to The Rawls Course like you do with Pacific Dunes I would bet the Texas layout would have equal or greater standing than what you see with the design in Bandon.

I'm not putting down Pac Dunes for a New York minute but I am truly supporting what you find at The Rawls Course minus the balance argument I have already made.

Frankly, the very latest crop of courses from The Lone Star State have been most welcomed and clearly above and beyond the courses that have been touted -- I can never see how Champions gets all the hype it does -- there are courses in the 50-100 range within the greater New York / New Jersey area that blow it away. It is a tribute to its founders more than so than its bland architecture.

The Rawls Course is extremely imaginative and fun to play. I don't know when I will be in the Lubbock area again but it's one I would certainly want to play if the opportunity arises.

[Daryn_Soldan]

Here are some more pictures from Lubbock.  These were taken in late February when the fairways and roughs were dormant.

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forums2/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=17648;start=msg311707#msg311707

[A_Clay_Man]

Don't know what you mean when you say "the very different nature" of the course? The simple fact is that location allows for a broader segment of people to visit and therefore evaluate.

Matt- How do these two sentences above relate to each other?

On the first, which is actually a question, I do wonder how it is that George Pazin, with his limited exposure, on a national level, to the weath of America's GC's, is able to recognize that different style, and you do not. Can you please s'plain?

As for the second comment, are you implying a high ranking, needs validation from many more panelists, than just the few who would go out of their way to get to Lubbock?

[Dan Smoot]

The amazing thing about the Rawls course is location.  The aerial pictures shown previously tells the story.  There is nothing like this in West Texas or Eastern New Mexico where the land gives little if anything for an interesting piece of golf property.  Rawls provides excellent contouring that appears very natural as if you have been transported away to someplace other than West Texas.  I can't remember one area of the course that made me think about how the construction was done.  I am an engineer by profession, so my mind usually goes in that direction.  I just became lost in the experience of playing the course.  Contrast that with the fact that there are some very uninspiring golf courses in this area of the country (West Texas).

[Matt_Ward]

Adam:

If there's confusion partner it rests with you -- not me.

Location has plenty to do on why certain courses are celebrated here on GCA and elsewhere. The Rawls Course is in Lubbock, TX -- let's get real OK. Have you checked the booming metropolis that surround the area. More cattle than people!

Lubbock is around n-o-t-h-i-n-g get it. People have to want to go to Lubbock and minus the football and b-ball players that go there it's doubtful much spurs people to go to the community.

No doubt the golf course will change that -- to a degree. There is also an ingrained bias against Texas golf and much of that can be traced to the golf courses that are there that can on hand prior to the most recent of times.

When George mentioned "the very different nature of the course" I don't know what that means. I have played -- maybe you have not -- countless number of courses that have been "created" from nothing or next to nothing. The Rawls Course benefits to some degree from its remoteness and the lack of any real competition. The Doak team also did a superb job in so many ways minus the balance issue I have previously raised.

There are a number of public courses in the daily fee category but less than the CCFAD model that get little attention from those here on GCA and elsewhere. I have played such courses -- maybe in your limited travels you have not. Many of these facilities are located in remote locations and likely will not get the sheer number of raters to ever play them.

Red Rock in Rapid City, SD is one of them. The architect Ron Farris is not one of the "chosen few" and is simply ignored because he is not a big name in the design field. There are other countless examples I can mention. The Hideout in Monticello, UT by Forrest Richardson is another that comes to mind.

The validation process is part and parcel of overall acceptance. People may not like that fact -- sometimes I don't either -- but for overall stature to be achieved it's critical that a certain number of people apply their positive comments upon playing specific courses that are at that high a level. No doubt the qualities of certain courses are already there the minute the door opens -- Black Mesa comes to mind quickly for me -- but the collective breath of those who rate and play throughout the country / world is what elevates the stature of a given course to the elite level. Sometimes that takes plenty of time because of remoteness or other issues. Black Mesa is on its way to that level of greatness but I still detect an inability by a number of certain raters to fully comprehend the greatness of the course because of its location -- even though it in the Santa Fe area -- and because it doesn't have the pedigree designer (Baxter Spann) that many often favor before such blessings come forward.

[A_Clay_Man]

Thanks for the reply Matt. Sorry it took me so long,  I was out-of-town.

After reading your response my thoughts are;

Now, I can see why so many value a GOLF COURSE because it has a nice clubhouse, or other perphery. In other words, the location is ohh so important versus whats on the ground. PUHHHLllleeeezzzzzzeee.

Would the qualities of the golf course, at Sand Hills, be any different if only a handful of locals played it?

[Matt_Ward]

Adam:

I simply review / assess the golf course -- and nothing more. No doubt others are very much interested in the added features. I evaluate the golf and nothing more.

Sand Hills benefits for having a deep pocket owner with superb vision and the desire to engage the services of a talented duo in C&C. In some cases -- just the sheer notion of remoteness can actually draw people to a given location. Royal Dornoch and Cruden Bay are two across the pond that come quickly to mind.

Sand Hills is also blessed to be in a geographical area that is so unique here in the States. You can now see the rush by others (e.g. Dismal River, to name just one) that is moving ahead and is trying to piggyback on the success of the Mullen layout.

Will people rush to Lubbock? I don't see the signs to indicate that right now. Although the course is clearly well done. I would rate it below the likes of Black Mesa because the Santa Fe area course has the better property and therefore rates the edge in the "land" category which for me is the forst among equals followed by routing and overall shot values.