[Ira Fishman]

This one is for architects and shapers:


Which course did you enjoy working on and why?


Thanks,


Ira

[Joe Hancock]

Ira,


This is a tricky question, because the answer(s) vary from project to project. I’ll start to answer the question with a list of things I value on any given project:


A) People. There is nothing I hold in higher value than people. They are the true reason that any project brings joy.
B) Location. I have taken jobs mainly because it’s a place I’ve never been, and I am always intrigued by the variety this country has.
C) Architect Team. Sometimes you fit in because of style, personality, or quality of character. Sometimes you don’t.
D) Proper resourcing of a project. Nothing will make everyone involved look bad than lack of people, money or time.
E) Lodging. At 60 years old, I’ve gotten a bit fussy. I want to be somewhere my wife will want to be with me.




So, a couple examples (not all-inclusive of my “favorites” list);


A) The Mines GC, Grand Rapids, MI. It was my first project where I started to learn about architecture, shaping, and construction in general. I was an inquisitive student and Mike DeVries was an enthusiastic (and smart) teacher.


B) Bandon Dunes, Bandon, OR. To be the person asked by DMK to revamp the bunkering ahead of the US Am was special….there’s many others as talented (or more), but I got the call and will always be humbled and grateful for that. The aspect location is special here, and spending 4 months there allowed me to bond with the landscape, and, more importantly, with many people there.


C) Yeaman’s Hall GC, Charleston, SC. I hadn’t worked with Jim Urbina prior to Yeaman’s. He called me 2 years in advance of the project, and, having been there before, I was honored and excited about the opportunity. It’s just a special place with a unique ambiance. They put us up in one of the on-site cottages since the club was closed for the renovation. My wife loved it, as I have always thought she is a misplaced Southern Belle.


D) Midland Hills CC, Minneapolis, MN. Great project in a place that’s familiar to me, so it was easy to be there. The best part of this project was the superintendent and the team there. The leadership and project management was the utmost. I will always admire how hard everyone worked to make this project the best it could be.


E) Last, but not least, Harbor Point GC, Harbor Springs, MI. This will always hold a special place for me, as they were the first ones to give me a shot as their consulting architect. To be able to start utilizing all the bits and pieces of knowledge I’ve learned over the years in an effort to make adjustments and improvements to this 1896 David Foulis design has been a privilege. The people, the location and the golf course are an annual highlight to my work and travels, and I would say my wife would concur. She has been as much a part of the success we’ve had at Harbor Point as any other factor.


Thanks for the question, Ira. It reminds me to maintain focus on the important things.

[Ira Fishman]

Joe,


Thanks for the as usual very thoughtful answer. I should have said courses v course in my OP.


Ira

[Tom_Doak]

There are really very few projects I haven’t enjoyed working on.


The first project I worked on was on Hilton Head Island in the summer, working 70-80 hours seven days a week in 90 degree heat and humidity.  But everyone there was totally engaged doing things they’d never had the opportunity to do before, and having the time of their lives.  We were so energized that we even played softball one night a week in a local beer league!


From that day on, I understood that one of the key components of a successful project was for the crew to all be loving what they are doing, and that it was a big part of my job to ensure that, and to avoid taking jobs where it couldn’t be achieved.  That’s the main reason I keep ducking calls from Saudi Arabia.



Joe Hancock did a pretty good job listing the potential roadblocks to happiness; the only category I would add (which he might have covered in People or Resources) is Creative Freedom, not just for myself but for all the key people on the crew.  In that respect, when business is slow, you can have an over-qualified crew; the reason it worked so well at Long Cove was that we were all under 25 and getting a chance to punch above our weight.  My internship program exists not just to give young people a chance, but to channel their enthusiasm through the grind of a long construction project.


I can’t say that my highest-ranked courses were precisely the ones where everyone had the most fun in construction, but it’s not far off:  Pacific Dunes, Barnbougle, Ballyneal, and St Patrick’s are all on the short list.  No one ever complained about living in St Emilion or New Zealand, either.

[Ira Fishman]

Tom,


Thanks for the fullsome reply. I certainly have found that energizing passionate people is the best way to produce great results and have fun along the way.


I read somewhere that Ballyneal was built in less than six months with people from Renaissance plus other architecture firms. Is that true? If so, did the cross firm teams add to the enjoyment?


Ira

[Anthony Gray]

There are really very few projects I haven’t enjoyed working on.


The first project I worked on was on Hilton Head Island in the summer, working 70-80 hours seven days a week in 90 degree heat and humidity.  But everyone there was totally engaged doing things they’d never had the opportunity to do before, and having the time of their lives.  We were so energized that we even played softball one night a week in a local beer league!


From that day on, I understood that one of the key components of a successful project was for the crew to all be loving what they are doing, and that it was a big part of my job to ensure that, and to avoid taking jobs where it couldn’t be achieved.  That’s the main reason I keep ducking calls from Saudi Arabia.



Joe Hancock did a pretty good job listing the potential roadblocks to happiness; the only category I would add (which he might have covered in People or Resources) is Creative Freedom, not just for myself but for all the key people on the crew.  In that respect, when business is slow, you can have an over-qualified crew; the reason it worked so well at Long Cove was that we were all under 25 and getting a chance to punch above our weight.  My internship program exists not just to give young people a chance, but to channel their enthusiasm through the grind of a long construction project.


I can’t say that my highest-ranked courses were precisely the ones where everyone had the most fun in construction, but it’s not far off:  Pacific Dunes, Barnbougle, Ballyneal, and St Patrick’s are all on the short list.  No one ever complained about living in St Emilion or New Zealand, either.

 Sounds a lot like golf. Your favorite course is the one you are playing with your buddies.

[Jaeger Kovich]

In general the projects you have the most fun on turn out the best.


I’ll have to think of a more specific response, but you definitely can’t discount the food on a project. And not just the food, but when you are regularly going out to dinner with the guys/gals you are working with, that is normally a really good sign.


Another good sign is when there a bunch of side trips to play the other courses in the area.

[Dan Kelly]

Joe —


I was happy to see that Midland Hills made your short list.


You rightly praise the superintendent, his staff and the rest of the club’s management.


I can tell you that everyone, members and guests alike, raved about your new Double Plateau green at number one, the green complex you reshaped at number nine, and the spectacular improvement of the bunkers and green at number 10. Oh, and the spine at the back of 18: minimal but inspired!


As a matter of plain fact, I don’t believe I heard one disappointed word about anything Jim and you and Zach Varty did.


(The very few disappointed words, mostly mine, were about things you didn’t do … at least not yet.)


Hurrah for the shapers!


Dan

[Peter Pallotta]

Joe's a happy (contented) person - and happy people create happy working environments, where they make those they work with happy and contented too, which leads not only to very good work but to a particular kind of very good work, i.e. you guessed it, to the kind of very good work that makes the people the work was meant to please the most happy and contented of all. (And as CS Lewis once opined, that is the way in which "good work" and "good works" become one.)

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