[Doug Ralston]

My limited golf experience includes a fair number of courses from Dr. Hurdzan. They are generally very enjoyable courses. Hurdzan seems to favor large greens [Lassing Pointe is perhaps an extreme example], trees as both obstacle and definition, and fairly substantial fairways. His greens tend to be have slope but not be extreme. He clearly finds ways to make the holes feel isolated, and usually his courses have a 'nature' feel. His bunkers are not always overly penal [the one in front of #15 at The Willows being a naughty exception].

I like many of his efforts. What do you think of his work?

Doug

[John Kavanaugh]

Is the guy a dentist or what...This doctor thing is a little strong for a guy building golf courses.

[Ron Farris]

John please don't tell me you are not aware of Mr. Hurdzan and his pH D.

[John Kavanaugh]

Ron,

I don't know diddly about the guy except that his partner is the nicest guy in golf.  A link to Hurdzan's resume:  http://www.hurdzanfry.com/mjh_resume.htm

[GDStudio]

Nice guy, some really dramatic, visual work.  Very proud of his education, and promotes extensive education and training for those involved in design.

Good or bad...?  Sometimes too much of a good thing can be a bad thing.  Not sure in this case.

[Matt MacIver]

I've only played two, Devil's Pulpit & Paintbrush outside Toronto.  

Don't remember much about Pulpit, a nice parkland course with some interesting shots.  

But I loved Paintbrush, it's in my (limited) Top 10.  Quirky (the property is a perfect square!), undulating fairways and greens, a double green (with a fully grown tree in it!), some blind shots and the remnents of an old stone house serving as a fairway bunker.  It makes me want to find more of their work.  

[Dan Herrmann]

I really liked Wren Dale in Hershey, PA.  

Pretty decent green complexes, wonderful routing over some difficult terrain.  Some forced carries, but they added to the experience IMHO.

[Brad Klein]

John K, Ron, some Ph.Ds are more relevant to GCA than others. Political Science is not. A doctorate in Environmental Plant Physiology like Hurdzan's is.

Hurdzan's also a fine writer. See his:

-Selected Golf Courses: Photos and Essays Vol. 1 (Pressworks, 2003)

-Golf Greens: History, Design, and Construction (Wiley, 2004)

-Golf Course Architecture, 2nd edn. (Wiley, 2006)

[Glenn Spencer]

Where can you find a list of their courses. John Kavanaugh's link does not supply this. I know that I have played a lot of them, but I would like to see the list.

[Dale_McCallon]

I know that many on this site will say his work is dull or unimaginative, but my home course is a Hurdzan and is a pretty fun track.

A few too many straightaway parallel holes are the weakest link on course, but some very fun short doglegs on a very hilly site make the round enjoyable.

[Doug Ralston]

Glenn;

Go to the link again and click on 'featured courses' for a fair resume. Then you can click on individual courses for more info.

Doug

[Glenn Spencer]

Glenn;

Go to the link again and click on 'featured courses' for a fair resume. Then you can click on individual courses for more info.

Doug

Thanks Doug, but I can't click on anything on that page and I don't see Featured Courses, anywhere. The tabs on the upper-left and blocked out on mine.

[David Wigler]

I have a very limited sampling of his work.  

I think Calusa Pines is brilliant and very deserving of the high praise it receives.  

I really like Naples National and think that it probably takes a bad beat on GCA because of its opulence and one of the most over-the-top clubhouses in the country.  

Olde Stonewall is a fun course to play (Probably really fun in a scramble) with an absolutely brutal routing.  If there is no way to figure out where the next holes is without maps and signs and you criss cross the line of play several times, there probably was a better way.

Meadows Golf Club - Fairly nondescript.

That in no way makes me an expert on his work but on a whole, I guess I feel he has a great eye for dramatic sites and settings and a firm grasp of making golf fun and giving a golfer enjoyable shot opportunities.  As such, he sometimes sacrifices logical routing options to optimize the fun factor.

On a whole, I like him.

[Jfaspen]

Anyone have any thoughts on the Little Mountain Country Club, an H+F course just outside of Cleveland, OH?

It'll be my first H+F experience.

jf

[D_Malley]

he built the new course at phila. cricket (miltia Hill) anyone have any opinions on it?

[Doug Ralston]

Jeffery;

We have not yet played Little Mountain, but it is in our 'daytrip' list [from Cincy]. I have seen several reviews of it and all have been very favorable. One of 21 courses in USA that Golf Digest gave 5-stars this year. Enjoy it!

Doug

[Ron Farris]

Brad K and John K.

I was trying to be funny with the pH meant to refer to soil pH.  Around here it runs about 8.  

I hope to see Bully Pulpit later this summer.  Pete Dye introduced me to Dr. Hurdzan years ago, just prior to Dana going to work with him.  They are both gentlemen and it would be hard to surpass their knowlege for for golf, turf, and what ever else it takes to make it in the gca world.  

I look forward to seeing first hand there creation in ND.

[Brad Klein]

Your subtle Rapid City humor whisked by me, Ron.

[Tim Pitner]

I have good things to say about three of his courses in Colorado, Heritage at Westmoor, Raven at Three Peaks and Keystone River.  Nothing ground-breaking at any of the three, but very enjoyable to play.  

[Will E]

My experience with his work is somewhat limited. I've met him and really enjoyed my time with him, he's a charming man. I would love to visit his office in Columbus that I hear is incredible.

I will say that Calusa Pines is soooo much better than Naples National and will speculate that Dana Fry had a lot to do with that. I wouldn't agree with Wigler that Calusa is brilliant; it is way ahead of the southwest Florida competition and gets some bonus points for conditioning and over the top green complexes. I like it and it's really difficult, though I wouldn't put it in the top 50.

I've got to think that the only reason Wigler likes Naples National is because of its opulence. It's a better study in landscape architecture than golf course architecture. Take me to the Hideout instead.

[Jeff Goldman]

They are "now batting" with the soon-to-be-opened-and-much-publicized Erin Hills (along with Ron Whitten).

[Dan_Callahan]

Widow's Walk in Scituate gets a split vote from me. The course is exceptionally narrow and difficult. If you can't hit a long, straight 2-iron off the tee, you will have problems there. On the other hand, the land was formerly an eyesore comprised of an abandoned gravel quarry. The town had no idea what to do with this barren property that abuts the Atlantic Ocean. So from that perspective, the imposition of an attractive golf course on the place was a huge environmental success.

I have toured Shelter Harbor but have not played it. It looks spectacular. There are crazy greens of all different sizes (including the smallest green I have ever seen, some huge fairways and a number of center-line, Jeff Bradley bunkers. It is one of the more interesting new courses I have seen in the last three or four years.

[Doug Ralston]

I must note that Hurdzan is not generally an 'upscale' designer. His company tends to us the natural aspects of the land provided, and move minimum amounts of dirt. Lassing Pointe is a great example of 'seeing' what can be made of the land, and adding only such 'touches' as makes for a more varied and interesting sequence of holes. Good basic golf, with only the 100yd 18th green seeming to be a concession to the 'entertainment' factor.

A bit of a story: When Ashland Oil was still in Ashland KY, one of the executives decided to commision a private course for the 'bigwigs' in the company. The hired Hurdzan/Fry, and put it on a very sweet piece of property in Flatwoods KY. But then the company moved to Covington KY before the course was actually finished and made private. The course was kept, but with little maintenance, as a tax write-off. It is still there, a public access course called 'The Oaks'. We have played it. It is not kept in great condition......but is one of, if not THE, best layouts you could ever want. Just beautiful. People of all golf skills who have gone have lamented the loss of this potential 'Best in' course. But you CAN still play it....and if you get an opportunity, do so! It is cheap, and you will be pleased in many ways.

Doug

[Will E]

I must note that Hurdzan is not generally an 'upscale' designer. His company tends to us the natural aspects of the land provided, and move minimum amounts of dirt.

At Calusa Pines they dug out a massive limestone pit using the fill to create a huge limestone "volcano". It sounds goofy but it really works, the course is not your typical flat FL. course. They also did a ton of shaping around the greens and created some bunkering that would make many on this site cringe. From what I've seen I wouldn't put Dr. Mike and minimum together.

[Doug Ralston]

Yes Shooter;

I know he has had exceptions, especially recently. His rep seems to be ascending, and people are paying larger prices to get 'more' from him.

He and his mentor [Jack Kidwell], apparently started in my area, so I know his earlier courses when he was 'just a local boy, makin good'.

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