He is, or was at one time, a consulting architect for Augusta, Pine Valley, Riviera, Oakmont, and Winged Foot.  The only major championship contested at a Fazio designed course was the 1987 PGA Championship at PGA National (I wonder why they played there )--a course which has since been "redesigned" by Jack Nicklaus.

The tree removal at Oakmont was driven by a handful of influential Board members.  At Winged Foot, I do not know what, if any, role he had in the tree removal process there.  

That's a great question Ted, I was going to start a similar thread.

His uncle George  Fazio was the Touring Pro that represented Pine Valley, hence the association. He designed the par 3 course at Pine Valley. According to his book he resisted doing  that, feeling he couldn't top what existed at the 18 hole course. When the Chairman suggested they copy the  existing holes, to give members a place to practice the shots they would need on the big course, he relented and built 8 copies and 2 original holes to link together the copies.

But he has obvious disdain for Golden Age architects. He claims stategy is not the interplay of risk and reward, but the balance of difficulty verses playability. Why then would Golden Age courses turn to him? Possibly because he isn't afraid to change them radically; to make them better with his modern construction techniques. Could it be that his construction techniques, although costly, get the job done quickly, allowing the course to be back in play much sooner than with someone who would want to be on site tweeking things by hand until they are perfect?

What's very interesting to me is, Fazio escaped the harsh criticism he and Uncle George received following their late 1970s renovations at Inverness (Toledo) and Oak Hill in preparation for major championships.  

Those two jobs are widely disdained; and, the changes they made haven't been easy to fix (attempts have been made). Yet Pine Valley, Augusta, Merion, Riviera, et al. still call.  

I think it is about where on the powerful friends totem pole that Fazio was sitting at the time the members started deliberating more seriously about Tiger proofing their course.  So in about 1998, they looked around, in their social circles and didn't find Tom Doak, Ron Forse, or others of restoration faithfulness ilk, or even Bill and Ben (although I wouldn't be surprised if they were asked and declined), and found Tom Fazio sitting among the strata of folk that run in their circles.  Obviously, looking in those circles would have also found Jack and Arnie.  But, in 1998 or so when the real Tiger proofing entered the equation, Fazio was already the top prefered archie of the elete set, including the Merion board.  

Wasn't that around the time that Riviera hired Crenshaw and he mucked it up... From what I recall as a golfer that was the worst job ever done for a major.  After watching all those IBM commercials this weekend I would think hiring Fazio is a natural choice.  

The tree removal at Oakmont was driven by a handful of influential Board members.  At Winged Foot, I do not know what, if any, role he had in the tree removal process there.  

None! It was an internally driven idea, coupled with the installation of the new irrigation system.

Geoff, no need to let facts get in the way when JK has an agenda to push....

 

Quote from: George Pazin on April 09, 2007, 12:14:27 PM

Geoff, no need to let facts get in the way when JK has an agenda to push....

 

What did I possibly say that wasn't true.  I would guess that was the worst conditioned course for a major in my lifetime where the fault could directly be placed on the architect.

IF what I wrote is true then how is the architect to blame for the course conditions?

Geoff

If Coore and Crenshaw didn't like the sodding decision, they should have quit.  That would be the professional thing to do.  By staying on, overseing the process and (I assume) taking Riviera's money, they also took responsibility for the result.

I believe he also did Oak Hill.  So to recap, he has worked on,

ANGC
Pine Valley
Winged Foot
Merion
Oakmont
Oak Hill
Riveria

Reworked original designs,

Butler National
Edgewood Tahoe
Pelican Hill
Wade Hampton

Its a pretty impressive list considering he once told an audience that he and his uncle decided a long time ago not to do restoration work.   I was told by a fairly good source that a few years ago he was so upset by the media calling Rees Jones "the Open Doctor" that he started soliciting the work, often at no charge.

I wish Geoff could check in on this one.  I recall him writing extensively on this issue at the time.  My recollection of the substance is imprecise so I do not want to post any misleading info but Geoff was present at the time and is probably the best source.  I'll try to dig up his statements.