[Steve_ Shaffer]

The Dallas News has published their annual Golf Magazine. There  are stories on the Rawls Course at Texas Tech and the new TPC at Craig Ranch but perhaps the big news is the following:
www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/golf/texasgolf2005/vitindex.html

Top 50 shakeup: Vaquero No. 1
Colonial drops to No. 2; top four separated by narrow margin


06:23 PM CST on Thursday, February 24, 2005
 

By RICHARD DURRETT / The Dallas Morning News
 


Three years ago, when golf course designer Tom Fazio visited his two newest Texas clubs – Vaquero and Dallas National – he made a bold prediction.

He said that one day three of his Texas golf course designs would make the top three of The Dallas Morning News' annual rankings. He moved a step closer to prophet status in 2005 as Vaquero in Westlake leapfrogged Colonial – No. 1 the last two years – to claim the top spot. Dallas National, No. 2 last year, dropped to fourth. The top four courses were separated by less than two-tenths of a point.

"I'm not surprised that Vaquero is No. 1," Fazio said. "It wouldn't have surprised me if you said Dallas National was No. 1. But Vaquero deserves it."

It's the attention to detail and commitment to the overall experience that Vaquero general manager Michael Abbott credits for Vaquero's quick ascent (the course opened in May 2002 and was No. 3 in the rankings in 2004).

"We always set out to build a place that would have great tradition and value," Abbott said. "We hope Vaquero passes the test of time. From the moment you drive in the gate, people joke that it's 'Vaqueroville.' You can leave everything else behind."

The Club at Carlton Woods, the Jack Nicklaus-designed course in The Woodlands, continues a rapid move up the rankings at No. 3. It was No. 20 in 2003 and No. 8 in 2004. The 7,368-yard par-71, which opened in June 2001, hosted the Texas State Amateur last year.

A statewide panel of club pros, amateurs, architects, writers and others involved in the golf industry rated the courses on a 1-10 scale. The rankings are determined by the courses' average score. To be ranked, a course needed to receive votes from at least 20 panel members who have played the course. This year, 92 panel members participated.

While several courses climbed in the rankings, others dropped. Another Fazio course, Briggs Ranch in San Antonio, went from 11th to out of the top 20. The Cypress Creek course at Champions Golf Club was No. 1 in 2002. It is now No. 8. The biggest drop was Georgetown's Cimarron Hills, which fell from the top 50 after debuting at No. 15 last year.

As Fazio points out, which course is the best in the state is a matter of opinion. If you ask Texas' most famous resident, President Bush, Barton Creek's Fazio Foothills Course in Austin gets the nod.

"That's what he told me at a fund-raiser last year in Cincinnati," Fazio said. "It was nice to hear the president say that. It's nice when people enjoy the courses you design."

Fazio has four courses in the top 20 this year, with three of those in the top 12. His designs in Texas continue as he's scheduled to open a course in The Woodlands in September. He's also designing Escondido, a course in Marble Falls.

Fazio said he's amazed by how quickly Texas has become a golf destination. He took groups from 50 of his courses to Dallas National and Vaquero last year for an annual tournament, and many of them expressed an interest in having the tournament at both sites annually.

Fazio also is astonished by some of the changes in the golf design industry. Gone are the days when architects could only design holes with what they had on the land. Now, he said, as long as you have investors willing to spend the money, you can make flat land around Dallas into a hilly course that looks like another part of the country.

"There are high expectations in Dallas and Texas, and that's good," Fazio said. "What town is better to build these kinds of courses than Dallas, because of its reputation of making things happen?"

[JakaB]

As Fazio points out, which course is the best in the state is a matter of opinion. If you ask Texas' most famous resident, President Bush, Barton Creek's Fazio Foothills Course in Austin gets the nod.

"That's what he told me at a fund-raiser last year in Cincinnati," Fazio said. "It was nice to hear the president say that. It's nice when people enjoy the courses you design."

Dear Dr Childs,

You are in our thoughts, please accept my apologies and return to the board.  It is at times like these you are sorely missed.

Sincerely,

Barney

[RJ_Daley]

The Dallas Morning News' annual rankings

Who and how many votes, by what criteria?  On first impression, it sounds pretty close nit to me...

[Gary_Mahanay]

RJ,

I think you know one of the voters pretty good, that would be one Arlington, Texas amateur Lou Duran.  When he gets back on here there should be a perfectly logical explanation for everything.  There are 92 voters on the list, some are very respected in the states golf industry and I personally know many of them.  But from my time spent on this site I would value Lou's opinion over any on the list.

Gary

[mike_beene]

Once again Jeff Brauer's Cowboys made the list.Also,I think Texas Tech opened too late,but there is an article on it which describes Tom Doak as "a Mich based architect and author"  I picture a pipe smoking intellectual with a beard.Congratulations guys.The Morning News has done this list for years.Of course it is opinion,but at least they post the voters and get some good people.

[Lou_Duran]

Who and how many votes, by what criteria?  On first impression, it sounds pretty close nit to me. RJ Daley.

According to the "Texas Golf 2005", there are "92 professionals, amateurs, and others in the golf industry" who make up the panel.  The DMN tries to get wide geographic representation and from what I see, it has accomplished that.

The criteria is well explained in the publication, and includes Versatility (variety), Shotmaking (all types of shots required), Design (balance), Afterthoughts (memorability), Beauty, Maintenance, and Enjoyment.

Panelists rate the courses they have played on a 10-point scale (10 highest).  These are aggregated, and after some minor adjustments for the outliers, the list is generated.

Throughout the section, the editor made it very clear that this is a very subjective process.  No doubt that he will get quite a bit of heat, but the process is what it is and nothing more.

I don't know what "it sounds pretty close nit to me" means or implies, but on the list I recognize about half of the people, and play golf with only three or four ocassionally.  We have no group meetings or organized golf outings.  Most of our communication, 90%+, is done by email.

For the record, while I like Vaquero a lot, it is not my #1 Texas course.  The Rawls course was on the ballot.  I don't know why it did not get more support.  Perhaps it did not get enough raters who played the course (a minimum of 20 votes is needed to make the list).  It is definitely in the Texas Top 50 in my book.

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Lou, I am glad you chimed in. I was curious about this.

[Jeff_Brauer]

Lou,

I have always said I like Vaquero better than DN. No problem with me there.

I DO have a problem with the DMN panel allowing Mr. Colligan to attribute courses I have designed to himself! I have just sent an email to one of the writers I know, as I do every year, hoping to get that corrected, as it should be.  

With over 100 courses listed, why do you suppose it is that only on my courses, a former associate and current panelist is allowed to do this?  Fazio doesn't credit his son Logan, nor do any other architects, with the exception of Chet Williams (another former associate of mine) who did an individual design at Whispering Pines as JN allows from time to time?

[Steve_ Shaffer]

The Rawls Course was voted #1 Economy Course-under $45.

"...The Rawls Course, which opened in September 2003, was voted one of the best new courses in Texas. At $40 for a weekend round, it is one of the best values in the state and was voted the No. 1 economy course ($45 and below).

"I have played a lot of golf in West Texas, and this is the premier course west of Tarrant County," said panel member Rives McBee, a retired PGA Tour player who lives in Irving..."

[Lou_Duran]

Jeff,

I don't have any major issues with the rankings.  The only one that really puzzled me was Champions-Jackrabbit at #19.  Personally, I saw nothing compelling about the course and Fazio's redo to put it in my Top 50.  I much preferred Rawls, Tierra Verde, and TangleRidge.

As to course attribution, that is nothing that I or other raters have to do with.  We are provided an online ballot and the only thing we do is assign a number from 1 to 10.

Whatever the situation is between you and John, addressing your concerns to the paper is the right thing to do.  I am sure that the DMN wishes to provide accurate information.

[Jeff_Brauer]

Lou,

I noticed a lot of volatility this year.  It used to be that the list gave "list tradition points", which kept new courses from moving up the list, because they were heavily weighted based on their last ranking.  It appears that with all the new courses, they lowered that criteria.

Similar to golf digest, it appears that many new courses are ranked higher.  And, some long time stalwarts, such as Keith Foster's Quarry and Texas Star, along with my Tangleridge, etc. are dropping fast. I suspect that, like GD, they will stabilize at some point.

As with any list, its just a story to the newspaper.  Change is probably good, much to the consternation architects and, say, Colonial, which dominated the rankings for a long time.

[Matt_Ward]

Lou, Jeff et al Texans:

How much is the final result skewed towards the big cities like Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, -- as opposed to those courses like The Rawls wich is really away from the prime spotlight?

I would think that given the size of Texas it's fair to say that many of the panelists realy have a tendency to value higher than courses that they personally see / play more often.

Be curious if the folks at the Dallas News would insist that people highlight the last time they played the courses being rated.

[Jeff_Brauer]

Matt,

According to the paper, they can only vote for courses they have played, and they need at least 20 panelists to rate it.  No specs on when they play the course, however.

It appears they are going through several tweaks, like the national mags in trying to make their rating systems as legit as possible.  However, I suspect they will always be subject to criticisms, as are other lists.

[Matt_Ward]

Does the newspaper print an all-public listing?

I mean, frankly, if you don't know some well-connected people the question of whether Vaquero or Dallas National or the other elite courses is #1 is really not something that Joe Sixpack should get too excited about since it's fairly likely he / she will never play there.

Jeff --

When someone plays a course is important. How many times is also important because those folks aren't influenced too much -- high or low -- from just one round.

[Kelly Blake Moran]

I remain amazed by one quote in the Fazio article and commented on it in another thread, but wanted to copy it into this thread as well.


 Fazio said in the Dallas Morning News article:

"Fazio also is astonished by some of the changes in the golf design industry. Gone are the days when architects could only design holes with what they had on the land. Now, he said, as long as you have investors willing to spend the money, you can make flat land around Dallas into a hilly course that looks like another part of the country. "

Now contrast what he said with some quotes from a book I am presently reading:

“They provide a way of looking at our natural environment and suggesting an attitude of humility be adopted as we manipulate that environment.”

“..a more keener appreciation of the relationship inherent between native vegetation and the landscape.  It is this inherent relationship that many a landscape architect (golf course architect?) seems to forget in his eagerness to organize land and landscape for human use and to show his creative ability as an artist”

“The various components of the landscape industry have been quite effective at marketing not only their products but also an aesthetic standard for developed landscapes as they replace the previously existing forests, fields, prairies, and wetlands that once surrounded our cities and towns.”

“…Jensen espoused the use of native plants in designed landscapes and the study of naturally evolving landscapes as sources of inspiration for design.”

“Furthermore, by utilizing patterns and processes that are intrinsic to naturally evolved landscapes, we can create designed and managed landscapes that are clearly of the place and that approach the ideal of sustainability.”

“Simonds used local landforms, and native vegetation to express regional character.”

“Hopefully wth the distribution of this new edition, respect and admiration for indigenous plants and naturalistic settings will be heightened, along with efforts to restore them to designed and managed landscapes as well as to preserve them in areas where they already exist.”

As I said in the other thread, clearly Fazio is on top of the game and is driving the design business in the direction that most writers and golfers seem to agree, leaving the rest of us to ponder where we went wrong. How did we so grossly miss the direction golf course design should go given the enormous success of the Fazio style, the design juggernaut that he has become.  Clearly, Fazio's way is the right way in the golf design business, the bus has left the terminal and some of us missed it.

[Lou_Duran]

Matt,

To the best of my knowledge there is not a plan to include a date of last play field in the ballot.  Given the limitations of any rating, I don't know how it would be used to compile the list.  Remember that the DMN repeats the caveat that the exercise is subjective.  It does not purport to be the definitive and irrevocable list of top Texas courses.

You saw last year's section, and the 2005 edition follows that format.  Beyond the top 50, there are lists for the top 25 private courses, top 25 "expensive" ($71 & >), top 25 "mid-priced" ($46-$70), and top 25 "economy" (< $46).  The fees appear to be the rack rates, which often are higher than those prevailing.

The issue of recent and multiple play is a good one.  We all have different abilities in reviewing courses.  It may take you one time to gain a good understanding of a course while it may take me three or four times.  From a practical standpoint, I don't see an effective way to fairly weigh or standardize the process based on familiarity.

Suffice it to say that the list is a composite of opinions, some really learned, some less so, and, quite possibly, a few that are not very good.  I doubt that the folks at Colonial are losing any sleep.  The members know that they have a top Texas course and no list is going to tell them otherwise.  I am sure that their 12 year+ waiting list will not be shortened by one day as a result of its #2 DMN rating.

[Jeff_Brauer]

Matt,

If you look at the list of panelists, they are generally well connected in golf.  I doubt that access for at least half of the 92 would be a problem anywhere.  In fact the biggest problems I see are, for example, the fine female amateurs like Carolyn Creekmore or Toni Weiser getting access to all male clubs like Preston Trail.......

[Lou_Duran]

Jeff,

Access is a problem for many of us.  Lochinvar, Austin Golf Club, River Oaks, Columbian, and Houston CC are a few that I haven't been able to get on.  Toni and Carolyn, both much better players than me with great competitive records, probably have much better access than most of us.

In my opinion, the most important factors are having a large number of votes on all the candidates, and that the panel has sufficient breadth and depth of experience.  From what I can tell, the DMN does a good job in these areas.  A concern that I have deals with metrics.  I am not sure how much work the DMN has done historically to educate the panelists on a standard scale.  It is here that I hope to do some work with the editor to provide guidance to the panelists.    

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Matt

If you take a closer at some of the links, there are 4 lists of Top 25:

1. Private
2. Public Expensive>$70(#1 is Crown Colony by van Hagge/Devlin in Lufkin)
3. Mid Price$46-$70(#1 is Waterwood National by Pete Dye in Huntsville)
4. Economy(#1 is Rawls in Lubbock)

So they do give the public golfer 75 rated courses plus there's a 9 hole category. Pretty comprehensive. The Philadelphia Inquirer doesn't do anything similar for local or even statewide.

[Scott_Burroughs]

Where is Austin GC ranked?  I seem to remember that it was ranked in the 40's in the last DMN rankings.

I find it hard to believe there are 40+ better courses in TX than AGC.  Granted, I've only played 4 courses in TX, but it doesn't have the best reputation for depth of quality designs.

[Brian_Gracely]

Scott,

Austin GC was ranked in the Third 10 (http://www.dallasnews.com/s/dws/img/02-05/golf50best.pdf)

Interesting to note that only one of the Top 18 holes is without a large water hazzard (#11 at Austin CC).    

NOTE:  You need to register (free) online to be able to see the list.  

[Matt_Ward]

My point on when someone plays a golf course is no different than the expiration date you see on bread and milk. Sometimes information is outdated and doesn't reflect what is going on now.

We face this all the time in Jersey when we do our state ratings but given the compact size of the Garden State it's less so of an issue than when compared to the Lone Star State.

Nonetheless, I salute the Dallas Morning News in doing such a survey because too few newspapers -- my area included -- sees fit to provide golf coverage of this type.

[Scott_Burroughs]

Daddy Brian,

Thanks for the link.  I hate newspapers that require online registration first, usually loads of questions and an e-mail address I don't want to give them, so I refuse.  I did it once, for the Washington Post, but no more.  Papers such as the Charlotte Observer, Atlanta J-C, DMN, NY Times, etc.  Ick.

BTW, AGC was in the 4th 10, not the 3rd.    I'm still skeptical that there are 30+ better than AGC.

Nice to see "hidden gem" Pine Dunes at #15.  Have to admit I've never heard of Walden at Lake Conroe at #11 (?).  Did it change names recently?

This list seems a lot like the list that the NCCBI does every year for North Carolina.  Rater panel made up of industry and non-industry folks generally well-connected.

[Mike Nuzzo]

Nice to see "hidden gem" Pine Dunes at #15.  Have to admit I've never heard of Walden at Lake Conroe at #11 (?).  Did it change names recently?

Scott,
Have you been to Pine Dunes?
I think Lou likes it as well.
Hard for me to see it up that high.  
Walden has always been Walden.  I haven't been there, but have heard good comments.

Lou-
I do like Champions Jack Rabbit - it has some nice details.
Maybe you haven't been there enough, or were swayed by some conditioning issues?
I may be biased, but I've also played it a bunch.

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Mike I was also not overly impresseed with the number 2 at Champions. It was a cold wet day so I will withhold a bit but it was not anything to special to me. I do like Cypress Creek alot too. I like it more when the tour is not there. Normally it is a big mans course before they dry it out to shorten it.

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