A question for architects

[Ed Oden]

Actually several related questions:  Has the unfortunate downturn in work given you an opportunity to play/see more courses than you might otherwise have seen if business was booming?  If so, has that experience had any impact?  Could it benefit the industry in the long run?

Ed

[Tom_Doak]

a)  yes
b)  no (not really, it's only a refresher visit to most places for me)
c)  maybe, for some

[Ed Oden]

Tom, regardless of whether you are seeing new places or returning to old ones, does the opportunity to play more change your perspective at all?

[Mike_Clayton]

For me it is a yes.
In the last month in Britain I have visited and/or played Reigate Heath, Royal Wimbledon, Ballybunion, Lahinch,Worplesdon, Sunningdale, La Moye and Royal Jersey, Porthcawl, Southerndown, Alwoodley and finally Slaley Hall.
At Slaley Hall by friend Bill Longmuir bought a copy of the Confidential Guide for a Spanish player,Domingo Hospital to see. Domingo is a huge fan of Simpson because of his influence on the continent and one of very few on the tour to have any interest in design.
The book was passed around the players room at lunch one day - amongst the Irish especially - and none had ever heard of it which was suprising to me in one sense but not in another.
It is always intersting to see old courses for the first time or to revisit ones you have seen many times. It reinforces why great is great,good is good and poor is poor.
Slaley Hall is a 'new' course  (maybe 15 years old)  and it forces you to ask why the principles that made for the brilliant old courses  (I would include all of the courses above in that group even though some are clearly better than others)  over here were just disregerded completely.
It does, however, qualify as a Ryder Cup course because the 9th hole comes back to the clubhouse!

[Tom_Doak]

Mike:

Nice to hear that The Confidential Guide is having a Renaissance in Europe.  (Too bad there's no courses to build over there right now!)

Ed:

Last week I played eight different courses (not always 18 holes of them), but I was pretty golfed out by the end of it.  Hitting 5/14 fairways at Pine Valley and Merion is not much fun.  Hopefully it won't affect my designs, because most clients can't afford for my fairways to get even wider than we've already been building them!

[Ronald Montesano]

Actually, Tom, sounds more like a birth than a rebirth for the confidential guide.  Those under-read touring pros, jeez!

[Ian Andrew]

Has the unfortunate downturn in work given you an opportunity to play/see more courses than you might otherwise have seen if business was booming?

Yes - I have taken extra time on each trip to see courses that I had not seen before - and reacquaint myself with a couple I had a long time ago. I had put money away for a while in preparation for this – so it gave me a chance to use that time to my advantage.

Has that experience had any impact? 

It always does - when you see great architecture - it opens you up to more potential ideas. I’ve also had dinner with a half a dozen architects over that time and there is always something to learn from those conversations.

Could it benefit the industry in the long run?

I doubt it since most are trying to survive this period.

[Jeff_Brauer]

Not really since I have been looking at the same amount of courses when I travel, but sadly, have been traveling less on business. I have never, and never had to, travel soley to look at other golf courses. I do it on business, and sometimes, on vacations or other trips. (to the chagrin of the kids and signfigant others)

I have aways felt seeing as many golf courses was good for my designs, though.  Knowing most of the gca's in the biz, I am sometimes amazed at how few of the great courses some of them have seen or played.