Ian Andrew's “Hall of Shame” post of the cedar hedge was an interesting one, in large part due to the reactions it produced.
While none would argue that the cedar hedge was odd looking and unusual, there seemed to be variances of opinion on the worth of that feature. Some saw it as a negative, others as a positive.
I, for one, see it as a positive. And I’ll try to explain why.
There is too great a strive for perfection in the world. Not just in golf, but in all artforms. I like to compare it to Rock & Roll vs. Pop. Today, Pop music is basically a pre-fab industry, with young, beautiful singers performing the latest generic song with digitally enhanced sound and everything choreographed flawlessly.
Rock & Roll, on the other hand – particularly in decades past – had an inherent imperfection to it. The singers weren’t necessary good looking, the songs had character, the sound wasn’t as artificial and “programmed”, and those guys couldn’t even spell koreografy.
It’s basically akin to the difference between a line drawn by hand and one drawn by computer. The former is not perfect. It waves about a bit, it’s thinner here and thicker there. Yet it’s a much warmer, softer line than the cool precision of a mechanical line.
It’s also the occasional cracking of the singer’s voice. It’s the brief feedback on the amplifier. It’s the minute pause on the piano as the artist moves his hand. It’s the funny shape of a home-made cookie. It’s the rugged texture of a carpenter’s chair. It’s the little scar on a actor’s face.
And so it is as well the entrance-road cutting across the first hole. It’s the non-returning nines. It’s the par 71. It’s the blind tee shot on the 5th hole. It’s the ditch running down the 8th fairway. It’s the overhanging branches on the 11th tee. It’s the ridiculously small 12th green. It’s the chainlink fence lining the right side of 14. It’s the silly looking fairway bunker over on 16. It’s the large tree smack in front of the 17th green.
It’s the cedar hedge in Ian's post.
All these features, these wrinkles, must not be ironed out of the design. In our endless strive to create the perfect setting, we are killing the very elements that form the true character of the golf course, it memorability and it’s charm.
Long live the quirck!