5 characteristics that differentiate famous architects work

[Thomas Dai]

If someone who is keen to learn about golf course architecture but has no specific prior knowledge of famous designers or their work was to visit a course what 5 basic characteristics should they look out for that are likely to help tell them whether the course was a MacKenzie, a Colt, a Ross, a Braid, a Fowler, a Raynor etc etc etc.
In other words, what are the 5 fundamental characteristics that distinguish a particular designers work?
Atb


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[Michael Moore]

1. Bunker edging
2. Bunker size
3. Bunker shape
4. Bunker placement
5. Bunker depth

[Thomas Dai]

Looks like I haven’t made the question clear enough.
Fundamentals of MacKenzie design
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Fundamentals of Colt design
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Etc etc for Ross-Braid-Fowler-Raynor-etc-etc
Atb

[Jeff Schley]

Thomas good exercise as I'd be learning more than telling.  One aspect that we perhaps can assume for your exercise, but in reality not a given is the current condition / preservation of the course. We know by all these GCA's who are basically making a living by doing restorations, that the bones may be there but are long in the tooth.  Some features maybe removed or altered over the years.

[Colin Macqueen]

Thomas,


Ian drew's blog spot had a list of his top 25 architects with a potted version of their work and style.


http://ianandrewsgolfdesignblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/


In his blog archive 2010 scroll down to find the list.


So you have Raynor's routing skills over and above Colt's desire to have the course "residing rather than imposing on the land".


I always thought Ian Andrew's golf blog was the best out there and he STILL has not acceded to my request that he distill and compile the content in a book! Ash well!


Cheers Colin

[Thomas Dai]

Good shout Colin (and Ian). Thanks for highlighting.
Atb

[Ian Andrew]

Ian Andrew's blog spot had a list of his top 25 architects with a potted version of their work and style.

Probably the last month for the blog
It's 80% gone already.



I always thought Ian Andrew's golf blog was the best out there and he STILL has not acceded to my request that he distill and compile the content in a book! Ash well!

It was too expensive to print my Thompson book, so no, that will never happen.
You may get more opinion or best of pieces published here because of that.

[Niall C]

David


I'll have a go at actually answering although not sure I can give 5 characteristics or indeed that they necessarily distinguish them from other architects but for MacKenzie I'd suggest his routing in terms of how he focused on natural landforms and made the most out of them to the extent of perhaps trying to cram too much into a confined area (Pitreave GC). Also his love of TOC and his habit of imitating with fairways playing in towards each other as though they were double fairways.


I'm undoubtedly not the best person to speak about Colt (or indeed MacKenzie) but the obvious answer for him is his par 3's and how he found them first. I assume his par 3's therefore would not only be outstanding but feel completely natural int terms of how they fit into the routing for the very reason he partially worked round them. (Colt fans - please feel free to trash this idea  )


One thing I find hard to attribute to any particular architect is their use of bunkers, particularly in relation to the ODG's, since given bunkers have been moved, added to and rebuilt so many times I find it harder to really discern any particular pattern. It's easier to do that with routings.


Niall