Accessories

[Jeff Mingay]

It's amazing how poor accessories (tee markers, flagsticks, signage, clubhouses, etc.) can detract from quality golf architecture.

For example, how about signage on the tees providing a diagram of each individual hole layout at private clubs. Do you think club members actually review these diagrams before they tee off on each hole, ever?

Which golf courses throughout the world possess accessories that properly complement their architecture, like Redtail's clubhouse, Merion's wicker basket pins, and the tee markers at Sand Hills do?  

[Kevin_Reilly]

Should the color of caddie uniforms/overalls be included in the discussion?  

PS, your first paragraph was a doozy!

[A.G._Crockett]

One of my favorites:
At Fort Benning, GA, which is the infantry HQ for the US Army, they have two courses on the base.  One, Lakeside, has a number of blind landing areas.  The devices that you ring to signal back to the tee that you are clear of the fairway are large artillery shells with firing pins for the clapper.  Kind of cool, given the setting.

[Chris_Clouser]

Dornick Hills uses the little rock theme almost to a fault.  All of the tee markers are rocks and there are stone walls all over the place up by the clubhouse.  Even the water fountains have this added touch.  

[Rob_Waldron]

Proper etiquette calls for understated simplicity

A wooden bench, ball washer, and tee markers made from a tree limb are quite apropos!

[Mike_Cirba]

Rob;

Just caught your new "motto".  

For those unaware, Rob and I have caught onto the fact that we have completely opposite tastes in golf courses and architecture.  For instance, a course that gets an 8 on the Mikeometer will likely get a 2 on the Robometer, and visa versa.

For anyone who likes good golf courses, believe what I tell you and cast Rob's opinions a very skeptical eye.  In fact, if I had to only play Rob's lauded courses, I would soon give up the game in complete disgust.  

It's not surprising to see him on a thread worrying about tee markers and ball washers....next he'll be fighting for increased use of carts and GPS systems!

[Rob_Waldron]

Mikey C

Please give me the courtesy of reading my posts PRIOR to your pontification.   You will note that I am the one promoting simple elegance. Since your opinions are inherently opposed to mine, might I assume that you favor granite monuments complete with advertising? Do you take advantage of the ones with the message "Mention this ad and receive one free (filll in the blank of your choice)"? I thought so!

PS:  I am making plans to play three of my favorites (therefore courses that you despise) during the next two weeks, Aronimink, Manufacturers and Congressional. What don't you like about these courses???

[Jason Hines]

Jeff,

Back to the topic, Wild Horse in G-burg uses cattle skulls for the 150 markers.

Jason

[Mike_Cirba]

Rob;

Just bustin' on ya.  

Perhaps I should amend my previous post to indicate that Rob and I are almost always diametrically opposed in our opinions of modern golf courses.  Far be it for me to argue that Aronimink (have you played the recently restored Ross version, or are you a fan of RTJ Sr.'s work there? ), Manufacturers (a superb Flynn routing that needs about 8 gazillion trees removed, but would still be held back by his blandest bunkering I've seen and generally flattish greens), and Congressional (would this course be among the country's finest if it weren't for the US Open, capital city cache?) are anything less than great courses.  

We have to get together and play, Rob.  

Now, back to Jeff's topic.  My apologies to all for getting this thread off track.  

[Dunlop_White]

I have always believed that proper golf course accessories are integral to the restoration process.

Gray Stone Walls, Gray Stone Bridges, and Gray Stone Tee Markers!

Old Town Club in Winston-Salem, NC evokes an antiquated sensibility by its very name and by its archaic "gray stone walls and bridges" which dot the course like ruins. "Stone tee markers" and "wooden, 'woody' flagsticks" are other touches which create a distinct sense of place and time. The juxtaposition of the golf course, its visual imagery, and accessories reflects a classic theme of an era gone by.



Sand-and-Seed Containers and Water Buckets!

These items are typically found on or around the tee boxes of par 3's and/or the driving range. Too often they are ordered through the golf catalogue of a large supplier. As a result, they are plastic with a large conspicuous brand name or logo. Ordinarily, they are artificial in appearance and simply detract from the design. Instead, use a green pale for your water bucket and have a local carpenter or handyman make a sand and seed container in keeping. The wooden one below is more suitable and appropriate at a classic design.




Woody Flagsticks!

Flagsticks come in many styles; however, Cheesebrough, Inc. offers the traditional, wooden-style flagsticks which golfers would have found in the early part of the 20th Century. The antique "Stout" sticks are thick and short being just seven (7) feet in height. They come in wide, green/white stripes and wide, black/white stripes. They are presently used at venues throughout Scotland and Ireland and are catching-on at classic designs throughout our country as well. Ryan Blair, superintendent at Holston Hills, claims that these flagsticks contribute significantly to the antiquated, traditional look.  I agree! You simply cannot imagine how replacing your present flagsticks with these can add a touch of class to your classic design.

[Mike_Cirba]

Great stuff, Dunlop!

Personally, what I like to see with "accessories" is WEAR and some degree of neglect.  

Give me a cranky, paint-chipped ballwasher that is one of those where you insert your ball between wooden planks holding brushes.

Give me a bench where slivers in the posterior are a definite possibility should I linger too long, or better yet, something made of cold stone, with a big piece cracked off the corner.

Give me a thick flagstick with a white or red flag, that neither denotes hole location or easy visual detection.  Neon yellow is for matters of life and death, like highway striping.

Give me delapidated bowling pins, or some other wooden or metal object which had a useful function in a former life for tee markers, and not some fussy, fabricated, symbolic icon that screams self-importance.

Give me a map of the course somewhere, but not on the scorecard.  Said map should be strictly directional so that I can figure out the routing if the course was designed by the architecturally impaired.  Forget the little numbers indicating distances, as I don't wear my reading glasses on the course, and I wouldn't bother reading them if I did.

As far as the clubhouse, if it is a building built after 1930, I should immediately be able to determine that it was an afterthought, and that significantly more money went into the golf course than the other amenities, even if the course only cost $1 million to build.  Especially if the course only cost $1 million to build.  If it has food and refreshment, and a place to change your shoes, I'm not sure what else is needed except a library/sitting/talking room dedicated to being so stiflingly uncomfortable that one gets their butt out of there and back onto the golf course.  

[Dunlop_White]

As for the yardage markers, drive a stake in the ground at the 150....about 2' high. I like these! Perhaps, this stake could match the short stout woody pins on the greens....in the style of those at Cape Breton. Other than this type of marker for distance orientation, do away with all the others, especially those on the irrigation heads, which denote yardages to the back, middle, and front. Trees, shrubs, and birdhouses at the edge of the fairways simply do not work either. Red, White and Blue flags which suggest pin locations are inappropriate as well. Cart paths, especially those with curbs are hiddeous.

Simply try to avoid purchasing accessories which are generic. Refurbishments work much better, particularly when they compliment the culture of the setting  (ie) Farm courses may use old barnes as the club house.

If it is artificial looking, it probably will not work. A good rule of thumb is to simplify. This may entail taking away the accessories which currently clutter the premises. Clean up this mess! Sure you may establish a theme which is consistent with the history and culture of the site, but do not overdo it. Cherokee Golf Club, for instance, does not need to adorn the premises with bows and arrows, tomahawks, and teepees. However, some hatchets for tee markers may highlight their heritage. Therfore, Understate the theme!

Wooden Slated Totes:  can be used for golf balls on the range as well. These work much better than the standard green bag with your club logo.

Rakes:  If you use bunker rakes, the Flex Frame rake (by Cheesebrough) was used around the world for crop harvest and landscape grading for many past generations. In appearance, the wooden frame design presents the simple, elegant lines so much admired in the products crafted by our forefathers. Purchase these!

[Dunlop_White]

Check out Cheesebrough's website which shows antiquated accessories for the classic design! The link is below:

http://www.cheesebrough.com/igolf.htm

[Thomas_Armstrong]

 I certainly hope this is a joke?

[Mike_Cirba]

How could I have forgotten what we Americans call pull-carts, or "trolleys" for the rest of the world?  Any type without a motor will do.

Bunker rakes?  They should be gone the way of the dinosaur.

Thomas Armstrong;

I think what Dunlop and I are belaboring is that "subtlety wears well", functional simplicity is underrated, and that necessary accessories should integrate as naturally as possible to avoid being a distraction from "the golf".  

[Dunlop_White]

Below is a photograph of the water buckets which are set beside tees at Roaring Gap Club. They are simply hardware pales painted green with many dings, dints and scrapes. Water buckets have been used beside teeboxes for decades on this Ross design.

[A_Clay_Man]

It's amazing how poor accessories (tee markers, flagsticks, signage, clubhouses, etc.) can detract from quality golf architecture.

Jeff- I wonder if this is exactly what you wanted to say or mean?

I somehow could care less about the accesories. Perhaps my publinx backround makes me just evaluate (enjoy)the golf course and not someone elses idea of what is esthetically pleasing.

The attention to detail should be a source of pride for those who are diligent and that is usually not a municipal employee. Although, at PG the crew were each assigned and responsible for specific holes and the difference was sometimes amazing.

But, I reiterate, it had no bearing on the GCA.

[Jeff Mingay]

You're absolutely right. I meant, it's amazing how classy accessories, like the water buckets at Roaring Gap, can add to the golfing experience. And enhance classical golf architecture.

My bad... wish I had time to read, re-read and edit all of my posts at GCA