Good article on Memorial-Houston

[Peter Pallotta]

Came across this on the Golf Channel. And besides thinking it clear & well written, it was interesting for focusing not so much on the 'art' as on the 'craft' that Tom D (and team) bring to the table.

Here's the link: 
https://www.golfchannel.com/news/future-bright-houston-open-memorial-park-move

A couple of snippets:

What Doak did with this previously flat, flood-prone land was remarkable. He effectively added elevation and improved drainage into the Buffalo Bayou, which runs through the park. (How effective? Tropical Storm Imelda dropped nine inches on Memorial Park last month; the next day, the greens and fairways were being mowed.) He cleared out trees. He lengthened holes. He shortened holes. He widened fairways. He completely changed the second hole, bringing it over a ravine.

“This course is going to make the Tour players really think about how they approach every hole,” said Butch Harmon, who played the old Memorial Park during his 16-year stint as a teaching pro in Houston and saw the redesign for the first time Tuesday. “You just can’t bomb it on every hole there.”

The most noticeable change Doak made was adding a fifth par-3 while keeping the other four par 3s under 200 yards – a recommendation made to him by Brooks Koepka, who has done some advising on the redesign through his friendship with Crane and AGF president Giles Kibbe.

As Koepka told Doak: “We’ll be heroes if we do that.”

[MCirba]

Where's the "Like" Button?

[Peter Pallotta]

Yes, Mike.
The architectural nerd in me asks "How did they do that"?
The blue collar sentimentalist in me thinks "Renaissance has not done more valuable/important work than this". 

[MCirba]

Yes, Mike.
The architectural nerd in me asks "How did they do that"?
The blue collar sentimentalist in me thinks "Renaissance has not done more valuable/important work than this".

Damn we need a "Like" button, Ran.

[Jay Mickle]

LIKE!

[Mike Nuzzo]

Previously the irrigation system only caught the few acres of rain that landed directly in the irrigation pond. The irrigation pond was previously filled with close to 100% city potable water. Now we catch at least 50 additional acres that shed into the pond system. And are already using far less city water even during grow-in (watering intense period).
The golf course wasn't prone to flooding, but Houston was/is. The new system created a significant amount of new detention and allows rains to be slowed from leaving the site. Anecdotally the amount of flow and potential erosion has also been greatly reduced as it leaves the site.


The best thing about the old golf course was that it was in Memorial Park and a pleasant and efficient walk. The individual holes were nondescript. The routing was slightly changed, and is now an even better walk in the park. The holes all now have character and interest.


Cheers

[Peter Pallotta]

Thanks, Mike, and congratulations on being part of a job very well done.
You see, for an outsider (or at least this outsider) the thought never occurred that a golf course's irrigation pond was only 'catching' & holding a small percent of total rainfall, and that instead it was mostly fed by city water. 
As you and Don and others have been bringing to light, the 'holistic' and 'synergistic' approach to combining top-flight architecture with smart irrigation systems and sustainability, maintainability, and affordability are the key (or at least "a" key) to sensible golf development moving forward, in America and beyond.