[John Kavanaugh]

What's up with the sudden acceptance of desert architecture/golf...Has the architecture improved that much or are we looking through rose colored glasses.   I was under the impression that desert architecture/golf was second rate by its very nature.          

[Jason Topp]

Good question.

I've always loved playing in the desert, primarily for its beauty.

I do think desert courses have done a better job in recent years of introducing more width within the land usage restrictions.

[John Kavanaugh]

I do think desert courses have done a better job in recent years of introducing more width within the land usage restrictions.

How..condsidering tighter water supplies.  Have there been technological advances allowing this..

[Mike_Sweeney]

John,

When I was doing some work in California, I played a few in Arizona and always enjoyed desert golf. I just don't get out to Arizona much as Florida is much easier to get to. However, I haved always loved the Fazio courses at Ventana Canyon. One is better that the other, but I forget the names. I would love to go back someday and see if they still appeal to me.

[ed_getka]

John,
   What desert courses are you referring to? From what I have read here over the years the desert courses I would like to see are Desert Forest, Apache Stronghold, and Talking Stick. Not sure if Black Mesa is high desert or not, but I want to see that.

[John Kavanaugh]

ED,

Approximately 15% of the Golfweek Modern top 100 are desert courses...that seems out of whack with logic to me..It is clearly a new trend.

[John Kavanaugh]

Is Rustic Canyon a desert course...and is the site of KPV considered desert.  

[ed_getka]

John,
   I doesn't seem all that illogical to me, other than the water availability part. There is plenty of desert land not being used for anything else, and I'm sure the acquisition costs are less (although I don't know the economics of the water issue) so maybe its not so suprising after all.
   

[Mike Hendren]

Approximately 15% of the Golfweek Modern top 100 are desert courses...

That's indeed surprising.  The renaissance movement might be short-lived, giving way to spectacular, flashy and sensational golf courses.   Is Red Lawrence turning over in his grave?

FWIW, I'm biased:  I like to play by the rules but don't like to re-load or pay retail for golf balls.

Mike

[ed_getka]

Rustic is in typical SoCal chapparal country. I don't know what the parameters are for land being considered a desert but I don't think Rustic would qualify.

[Ryan Farrow]

One of my studio teachers last year is a landscape architect and he said that golf courses use up less water per acre than farm land. And if you get outside of phoenix there are thousands and acres of farmland. Plus the extra tax revenue a golf course can generate should balance out its high water usage.  

[Tom Huckaby]

JK - the sites for KP-V are most DEFINITELY desert.  I'm with Ed - I wouldn't call Rustic Canyon that at all.  

TH

[Jay Flemma]

Even thought the back nine conditioning is lousy, Doak did a great job at AS by a) using the land use restrictions wisely - as a diagonal cross hazard...he then wove in naturally occurring green sites matching redan, punchbowl and biarritz shapes...world class design work.

Miller did a great job creating lines of charm all over we-ko-pa.

We have all discussed how great TSN is...

Sum total...the golf industry doing a better job of building and identifying excellent golf course features in the desert.

[Steve_ Shaffer]

John

I'll be playing the new Vista Verde in AZ in April and will report thereafter. Ken Kavanuagh is the archie. He knows something about desert golf.

[cary lichtenstein]

Isn't Pine Valley the first desert course?

[John Foley]

John

Your post would lead me to think that desrt architecture is not acceptable in the first place. I don't think thats the case at all. Give me a desert vist of So Cal, NV, AZ & NM any day over a tree lined death march for many of the courses in the NE or water on 18 holes in many of the new development in FL.

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