Hi Ian,
I for one got a lot out of the discussion. You provided a sort of "ah ha" moment for me when you talked about how the rhythm of a round is dictated by how holes each with varying degrees of difficulty interact in a round...that the architect leads the golfer on a path between holes of "opportunity and perseverance." I really liked that! In our case, as the project progressed, some of us started to look at our 11th hole as lacking the same pizzazz as some of the ones that Mike more recently renovated. But my newly enlightened view would hold that the 11th serves an important function in that (along with the short par-3 12th) the player is allowed to catch their breath for an interval before the next stretch of holes that, as you said, “requires absolutely your very best.” And a hole of that type, where the golfer is put on warning – you used the 15th at Kingsley as an example – is now part of our routing, Mike’s 465-yard closer. Like Kingsley, I think we need a spot right near the teeing area where the bottle of Jameson can be discreetly accessed. I suspect there are a few of us who might appreciate the need for a small booster before the assault begins.
“Opportunity versus perseverance!”
Thanks so much for being a part of the day. The three of you were just terrific!
I look forward to going over to see your work at Knollwood.