Terry L:
You are right -- the track record there has been superlative to date. Is waiting for a completed course too much to ask for before definitive comments are made on its overall standing?
David B:
I believe if you read Brad Klein's statement on how the visiting reporter from WSJ was "invited" to see the new course being built you will see one such element in getting word of mouth started.
Please keep in mind a simple "invite" is not akin to a mega marketing effort one sees with a broad range of other courses attempting to build "buzz" as they move along final completion.
No doubt the writer made the final call to describe what he saw and frankly that soft promotion was far less than other more intense pre-opening efforts I have experienced. His presence there was "unplanned" but the folks there did take advantage of it to show what they are doing. That's fine. I did salute the folks at Bandon for making sure that people in the media are aware of what they are doing. I've received post cards previously highlighting what they are doing and it's clearly far less than the other situations I have witnessed.
In regards to fees -- let's keep this in mind. No doubt Bandon is cheaper than Pebble and Whistling Straits but one needs to keep in mind what they are charging now to play at Bandon.
Rob:
Hype can be a very vexing issue to deal with. At times it may be right on the money -- at other times it can really cause a major sense of disappointment because the expectation bar can be risen to such a high level and the final product can be much less so.
Your attendance at the latest Bond movie proves my point. Sometimes the marketing gurus at the film studios will throw all the key elements of their thin bare movie into a 90-second trailer and get potential movie goers to fork over their $$ to see it.
In regard to your question -- I'd have to say Old Head in Ireland was a bit of a let down. Not a huge disappointment mind you -- but I was hoping that a place with such an ideal location -- I mean it's utterly drop dead gorgeous -- would have been able to deliver an 18-hole layout that would be world class.
Mind you -- the course does have stellar holes -- I've opined that one-third of what you play there is world class golf. The other six are somewhat in the middle between the superb and the mediocre.
What are some of the courses that you have visited that were highly touted due to big name involvement, great financing and marketing, etc. that turned out to be huge disappointments?
Old Head is a stand alone place from what I can remember.
I'd still recommend people to play Old Head if they travel to Ireland - no doubt the fees aren't modest but the place is not to be confused with standout links like Lahinch, Ballybunion / Old, Dunluce at Portrush or County Down.
On the States side - the one that comes quickly to mind is The Preserve in the Carmel area of CA. Designed by TF the property is also superb but the actual golf is simply much less so -- TF has done better from the other courses I have played. I'd still suggest people play there if the time and option is present but all the build up I heard prior to going there was a good bit less when finally played. In the case of The Preserve I believe there is limited housing and much, if not all of it, is a good bit removed from the course itself.
I'd also mention what C&C did w Saguaro at We-Ko-Pa. The course is good but it's not really cutting new ground for this talented duo. It's case of been there / done that given the range of other courses from their hands that I have played. It's still worth a play for those coming to the immediate area but I frankly believe you can enjoy even better options that get far less attention (see Vista Verde, Los Caballeros, Outlaw at DM, etc, etc). I believe housing / resort elements are involved with each.
Matt V:
The competition for "best new" is never an easy thing to predict. Years ago Friar's Head was thought of as a can't miss and it was beaten out in the Digest poll, I believe, by Jim Engh's Black Rock in ID. Dallas National was also eligible that same year and finished, again if memory serves, behind both of them.
You are certainly right -- the vision Mike Keiser started at Bandon has certainly elevated that OR location with a desire to reach core golfers. Pebble Beach used to have that distinction -- Bandon has since taken that particular slice of the golf market and run with it big time.
I have no idea on who will be competing for the best new tag -- that's hard to put one's hands around because of when courses open and whether or not the finished products are actually as good as the acclaim leading up to a visit has been.
I think a wait and see approach works well ... no doubt the market differentiation approach Bandon is following will clearly be the driving force for core golfers who want an experience that takes design concepts and the manner by which the game was played from the distant past and brings them to life in a modern way.
Adam:
Please stop with how Old Macdonald and its roots to the past is being "slammed." That is so wrong to the point of being laughable.
My only point was for the entire work to be completed before people start making concrete assessments on where it will stands in relation to the other more established clubs or even those that have been opened at Bandon to date.
Another error on your part -- I've commented on what Trump (and others) has done at a few of his places -- his club in Westchester comes to mind quite quickly. The layout simply cannot handle what the property provided and as a result you get a place where only the supremely talented player can handle and only if high execution is front and center most of the time.
On the flip side -- Trump did well with his 36-hole complex in NJ. It's important to point out that sometimes people apply "tags" to people and presume that such "tags" will always be connected no matter what courses can forward.
I look at each course INDIVIDUALLY. What came before has no meaning to
what is being built / designed now. The same things applies to my reviews of other architects -- I like a number of TF designs, there are others that I feel are simply mailed in versions of earlier works. Ditto w Rees Jones, ditto w Jack Nicklaus, et al.
The persecution defense is really odd and certainly misplaced.
I just personally feel waiting for a complete course is the appropriate thing to do. It provides a final point for review -- not a moving target whether it be 20% completed or 56% completed. If you feel differently so be it.