Boca Rio course profile is posted

[Ran Morrissett]

Waiting for the weather to break at Old Marsh, I struck up a conversation with a local 50 year old pro who was asking where we were playing etc.

When I mentioned that we were off to Boca Rio the next day, his eyes lit up as he said "What a course! It's the real deal with no BS, no housing, no one holding you up, you'll have a great time but be warned - it will really test you. You're very lucky to be playing there - most people have never heard of it."

And he was exactly right.

One of the best things about this web site from my point of view is the opportunity it has afforded me to met people who are making a difference at their own club, people like Ed Baker, Doug Stein, Rick Holland, Paul Richards, Geoffrey Childs, Ted Sturges, Linc Roden, Dr. Terrie and Dick Cesana.  

Same with Pat Mucci, who has every right to be very proud of the work that was done during his watch as Green Chairman. Not surprisingly  , Pat was hands-on when the work was underway in the early 1990s - he shuffled back and forth during the summer from New Jersey.

Dick Wilson's influence over Von Hagge's early work is both enormous and very appealing. I have not seen much of Von Hagge's other work but I suspect the Wilson influence became less pronounced as time went on, which may not necessarily have been for the best. I would be curious to hear from others who have played more of his work but I would be shocked if Boca Rio isn't his finest design.

Cheers,  

[John_Conley]

Dude!  That is so funny!!

I just checked The Next Fifty and saw it was no longer listed.  I wondered if you got to it or displaced it with another "get to".

Can't wait to see the profile.  Been in these parts 9 years and haven't heard anyone but you and Mucci talk about Boca Rio.

Great point about people making a difference at their home club.

[SPDB]

I noticed Hollywood is up too (and off the next 50)

[Scott_Burroughs]

There was talk of Boca Rio when the AOTD was shown here:



and thread here:

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forums2/YaBB.cgi?board=GD1&action=display&num=1014214094

with Pat Mucci's comments inside.

[Ed_Baker]

Great profile Ran.

Is this not one of the coolest of golf expeiences?

There's never anybody out there!

Pat,

I played Boca quite a bit in the 80's, does "Bama" still caddy or is he gone? I think Chuckie "I'm a gentlemen" McCarthy used to write Bama off as a dependent every year!

For my money it doesn't get any better in Florida than, Seminole,Jupiter Hills,Pine Tree, Boca Rio, and the old JDM East course!  Superb.

It's funny about Pine Tree though, seems like I always walk upstairs to the locker room when I arrive to play but I need help getting out of the elevator to go home! Why is that?
Say Hi to Jamie Kelley for me if you run in to him, he was the most politically wired civilian in Massachusetts for a long time,great guy,lots of fun.

Sorry guys, I probably should have put this on the message function, but I'm too lazy to retype it! Mea Culpa.

[Ben Cowan-Dewar]

I thought this went up 2 weeks ago?  Great feature.

Ran,
Could you add to the next 50 section, the ones you are featuring soon?  I know you posted a message about it a little while ago, but I could not find it.

[Patrick Mucci]

Ed Baker,

I used to tell Bama that he shouldn't charge Chuckie for caddie rates, as he was being underpaid.
I told him to charge what the local Physciatrists charged, plus caddie fee if he wanted to be compensated fairly for the work he was performing in the four hours he spent on the golf course with Chuckie, plus fees for the counseling he would need after the round.

I asked Chuckie, why would a member of 30 years ask a caddy who's been there 3 years, how the greens break ?

Bama has been gone for a few years, and Chuckies handicap has risen in those few years.

I've only been to Florida once this year and haven't seen Chuckie as often as I would have liked.  He and I hit it off fabulously from the moment we met.  I've missed him.
But, I do plan on visiting him this summer.

Boca Rio is a neat golf course, a course that brings pressure to most elements of one's game.

In the aerial, cart paths can be seen, 17,000+ linear feet of them.  But, while playing, they are all but invisible.

It is a golf course that must be played to be appreciated.
And, Boca Rio is fortunate to have one of the NICEST and BEST Superintendents anywhere in Bob Randquist,
who, despite some elements of the membership, adheres to the fast and firm school, having come from Southern Hills.

[Ran Morrissett]

Ben, I anticipate the next three course profiles being Augusta CC, Skokie CC, and Prairie Dunes.

Pat,  I hope Kelly Blake Moran will see this thread and chime in with his thoughts on the overall quality of the design/course.

[johnk]

Beautiful photography.  Ran, do you do that while playing, or do you make a separate trip.

Also, could you define "grunkeled"?

Finally, on the top of the 1st page, there's a humorous typo in the title - or maybe it's an intentional pun?  

[Kelly_Blake_Moran]

Boca Rio was a treat to work on because it was so different from our typical work.  From what I understand, it received a lot of attention from RVH when he designed it. He told me the owner gave him a million dollars and said they would be back in a year.  RVH was responsible for using the money to build the course and the clubhouse, and when all was finished he gave back $100,000.

The bunkering had deteriated, and the peppers had taken over the play corridors, but you could tell the course was special.  The greens seemed small and tightly bunkered.  Pat Mucci eventually took charge of the restoration and made bold moves to get the work properly done.  If left to others that were running the course very little would have been done to help the course.  Pat consulted with RVH frequently, and he insisited on RVH's involvement in site visits.  He did it right.

I often think about the Doral Blue Course when I think of Boca Rio.  I walked the Blue Monster probably 4 times with RVH taking notes about improving the course.  It seemed to me much of what had been done by Wilson and RVH would be restored, and some minor additions to improve strategy would be made.  I never envisioned what did happen to the course by Floyd.  In the same way I feel RVH improved Boca Rio but he respected his original work.

It also reminds me of the story he told when Dick Wilson was invited to tour Augusta National, with the intent of redesigning some holes.  RVH described some interesting ideas in general terms, but Wilson was rude to Bobby Jones, telling Jones partner in the club, whose name escapes me, that he would not consult with any GD pro.  I cannot imagine anyone wanting to particiapate in the redesign of a major course.  It is most difficult enough on the lesser known courses like Boca Rio.  I believe Mr. Mucci will attest to this, because I know it was not always pleasent for him.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Kelly Blake Moran,

What many on this site don't see or realize is the tremendous in-fighting that goes on within the membership before, during and after a restoration/renovation project is undertaken.

There is this faulty notion that the membership have this single vision of what needs to be done, and how.  Nothing could be further from the truth, and I don't even want to get into the financial aspects of a project, which are couched in architectual terms.

That is why I was curious about the internal politics at Merion.

There are numerous factions within a club that can be divisive and whose opinion can shape the work on the golf course more than the architect and dozer-shaper.

The Boca Rio project was a tremendous educational experience, internally, externally and architectually.
It also takes its toll on you. No good deed shall go unpunished.

[Patrick_Mucci]

Ran,

You may recall, when an aerial of Boca Rio was first posted, many were critical of the bunker design, based on their view from above.  I wonder, after reviewing your narrative of Boca Rio on the "courses by country" section, complete with ground level photos, if any of the detractors have had a change of mind ??

[Tom MacWood (Guest)]

Kelly
Why didn't Wilson want to collaborate with Jones? And wasn't he an amateur?

[Kelly_Blake_Moran]

Tom MacWood:

The story as told to me used the word pro.  I can only assume Wilson used the word as a matter of simplicity or shorthand, or as a way to make his point that he does not need to consult an experienced golfer.  Or maybe he  thought Jones was a pro.  How are we to know? Why would Wilson, with his accomplishments, need to consult with Jones?  Or, why would Jones with his accomplishments need to consult Wilson?

[George Pazin]

Another good one.

Ouch, just felt a jab from someone's voodoo doll...

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