[Cristian]

Thanks to those who picked me; I'm flattered.

No one has mentioned it so far, but the interesting part of choosing modern architects is that there are "futures" involved ... you won't get any additional MacKenzie courses to play, but you don't know what contemporary architects still have left in their quivers.  

Can't tell you where yet, but I hope that my future includes the property I've been walking around the last two days!

Just one question: Is it mainland Europe? I remember on another thread a while ago you mentioning a mainland europe project was in the pipeline.....

.......never mind, just noted the date;.......unless you have any continental european plans?.....

[Patrick Glynn]

MacKenzie if that gets me Lahinch, Augusta, Royal Melbourne & Crystal Downs.

Crenshaw & Coore for Friars Head, Sand Hills & Bandon Trails.

Doak for Pacific Dunes, Ballyneal & Sebonac.

Colt for Muirfield, Portrush, the heathland courses in England.

Tillinghast for SFGC, WFW, BPB (I know how much GCA'ers love acronyms!)


This way I have a varierty of geographic locations, styles of courses, and different design philosophies to keep me content.

[Cristian]

Classic:

Colt (Allison, Morisson) Hands down winner for me
Simpson
Fowler (I don't think there is anyone who can play the Berkshire and Walton Heath and NOT include him)
MacKenzie
Old Tom


Modern:

Doak (still to play one, but the pics look great)
Coore/Crenshaw
Dye
Kidd
Phillips

[Gary Slatter]

Classic
Tom Morris and Friends
Mackenzie
William Flynn
Simpson
Stanley Thompson

Modern
Dick Wilson and Joe Lee
Dye(s)
Parinien and Phillips
Fazio(at least two of them)
Doak - from what I've heard but not experienced)

[Tom Yost]

I always find it interesting (rule follower that I am), that when the topic says pick 5, someone will always pick 6.  Or in this case, 10 

Just for grins, let me add a reality check.  The question, hypothetical as it may be, gives no indication that in addition to only being able to play the courses of only 5 architects, that one would somehow as well, have an unlimited travel budget and private club access to play these courses on a regular basis.

Now it might be that some do have the funds and access that it would be no problem.  Or perhaps, some so passionate that they would forgo playing on any lesser courses for the very occasional round on a course of the selected few.

But what if nothing else changes, you live where you live, your income and golf budget has not changed. You would still like to play golf on a regular basis.   Would the list look different?

[Sean_A]

I always find it interesting (rule follower that I am), that when the topic says pick 5, someone will always pick 6.  Or in this case, 10 

Just for grins, let me add a reality check.  The question, hypothetical as it may be, gives no indication that in addition to only being able to play the courses of only 5 architects, that one would somehow as well, have an unlimited travel budget and private club access to play these courses on a regular basis.

Now it might be that some do have the funds and access that it would be no problem.  Or perhaps, some so passionate that they would forgo playing on any lesser courses for the very occasional round on a course of the selected few.

But what if nothing else changes, you live where you live, your income and golf budget has not changed. You would still like to play golf on a regular basis.   Would the list look different?

Tom

I usually try to take reality into equation when answering these deals.  I don't think my answer would change.

Ciao

[tlavin]

I think it's "cheating" to have a classic then a modern list, so I'll bite the bullet.  Here are my faves, in no particular order:

MacKenzie
Raynor
Thomas
Doak
Coore & Crenshaw

[Shane Wright]

no order -

P. Maxwell
Ross
Tilly
Doak
CC

[Melvyn Morrow]

I would be most honoured to play golf with the following five architects/designers and on the following courses.

George Morris     Hoylake (Royal Liverpool)
Old Tom Morris   Askernish Outer Hebrides (& close second is Prestwick)
Willie Campbell   Machrie on Islay
Charlie Hunter     Prestwick St. Nicholas Course

If it were possible to play the above designers, it would be possible to play them on the courses listed within a few years of the original opening of each course using the correct equipment of their day.

I have not selected any later or modern designer as I feel we have enough of their designs still left to us today to experience.

Melvyn
 

[Ron Csigo]

My 5 architects:

Mackenzie
Tillinghast
Old Tom Morris
MacDonald/Raynor
HS Colt

[Doug Wright]

Colt
McKenzie
Ross
Doak
Coore & Crenshaw

[Tom_Doak]

Oh, come on, Melvyn -- we all know you would love to play The Castle Course with David Kidd.

[Anthony Gray]

Thanks to those who picked me; I'm flattered.

No one has mentioned it so far, but the interesting part of choosing modern architects is that there are "futures" involved ... you won't get any additional MacKenzie courses to play, but you don't know what contemporary architects still have left in their quivers.  

Can't tell you where yet, but I hope that my future includes the property I've been walking around the last two days!

  Tom Doak,

  Can you pick 5?

  Anthony

[Charlie Goerges]

Well Bayley, I won't give my right arm for anything.  Namely, I need it to perform certain duties,

Oh, this could get naughty. You Cad Sims!

as in controlling the damn jet.

Doh, I guess not!

[Tony_Chapman]

I'll bit on this one and you guys can find out how cheap I am:

Bunker Hill -- because I couldn't imagine not being able to play Wild Horse again.
Strantz -- because I couldn't imagine not being able to play Tobacco Road again.
Coore and Crenshaw -- because I couldn't imagine not being able to play Sand Hills again.
Doak -- because I couldn't imagine not being able to play Ballyneal again.
Perry Maxwell -- because I couldn't imagine not being able to play Prairie Dunes again.

So, I can't play Augusta or Pinehurst or Winged Foot or St. Andrews, but I contest that my life would be full if I could golf at only those five places the rest of my life.

[Rich Goodale]

I'm sure I've played this game before, but I can't remember my answers, so here's the 2009 version:

1.  Old Tom Morris.  I live in Scotland, and being denied all of the courses he touched would be too hard to bear.  Plus, can you spell DORNOCH (yes, I know that a lot of you can't, but don't let that stop you from playing there....)!

2.  Donald Ross.  Not the greatest courses in the world, but if you multiply weight by volume and time, probably the greatest force in golf course architecture.  Also, designer of the course where my parents fell in love.  Without him I'd be only a gleam in my father's eye.

3.  Chandler Egan.  If I were denied Pebble Beach, I would be denied any reason to live, even though the chances of me playing it again are probably less than 50/50.

4.  David Brown.  Designer of Painswick, a course I am very likely to play again, but which if denied to me for life would pierce my heart as much as would Pebble Beach or even Dornoch.  David Brown was also the winner of the 1886 Open at Musselburgh.  In the 42 player field that year were, in addition to Mr. Brown:

Willie Campbell
Willie Park, Jr.
Willie Park Sr.
Mungo Park
Willie Fernie
Archie Simpson
Bob Simpson
Ben Sayers
Horace Hutchinson
Tom Dunn
Willie Dunn
George Strath
JOF Morris
Old Tom Morris
HW Laidlay
etc.

My modest guess is that the field of that Open had at least partial responsibility for at least 25 of what are now considered the top 100 courses in the world.  Deacon Brown won his Open in some great company, and what a great course is Painswick.....

5.  Joe Anderson.  From Perth, Joe extended Aberdour Golf Club to 18 holes in 1914.  The golf course is not earth shattering--even though the views are world class, and his routing (since altered), was a magical exercise in economic design--but it is my home course, and I cannot imagine Satan tempting me by saying I could play Pine Valley, or Oakmont, or Sand Hills (amongst the great courses I have not yet played) or Royal Melbourne, Shinnecock Hills, or Cypress Point (amongst the great courses I have played) but not ever again play Aberdour.  I have far too many firends, memories and future hopes invested in my home and its course to ever forsake it.

Rich

[Tony_Chapman]

Rich -- Wonderful post. For me, golf is about memories with others and places near to my heart. Although I love Pebble Beach and Pinehurst, my midwest roots showed up when I did this exercise.

[Melvyn Morrow]

Tom

You must be so pleased that you did not design the Castle Course. But then I expect you have see it if not already played over the helter skelter landscape.

As for playing with our Kidd, thank you but I will happily pass otherwise in years to come someone might unearth more than just unexploded WWII German bombs. The odd human bone may appear with perhaps the shadow imprint in the sand of a Hickory shafted iron – this time it will not be put down to an earlier out-brake of Cholera, well who knows.

Have you played Askernish yet? If no let me know when and I’ll have a word with Ralph the Chairman of the Club to expect you. If you think the golf is wild, wait till the 19th 

Melvyn  

[Tom_Doak]

Anthony:

That's an interesting 2004 post you picked up ... I am trying to think where I would have been in November of 2004.  Sebonack was no longer a secret by then, so I'm not sure where I was talking about.  [EDIT:  I just realized it was in Hawaii, on a project that is not happening, sadly.]

I have not named five architects because I really don't like to play favorites in that way; especially if you do it for modern architects, it's like you've already decided whether you'll like a course before you even see it.  I prefer to judge courses one at a time.  However, if I'm just going to base my answer on the courses I've seen, I can offer the following list:

1) MacKenzie
2) whoever gets credit for The Old Course at St. Andrews
3) Macdonald, because I'd want to go back to National
4) Stanley Thompson, because I still have to see Banff and Jasper before I die; and
5) my own courses, because there are several of them I haven't got to play nearly enough.

There are other architects I might consider more strongly if their work had been better preserved.

[Dan Herrmann]

Tom, speaking of Stanley Thompson, I've only played Highlands Links and Whirlpool (Niagara Falls, ON)... I'm excited about the restoration work at Highlands Links, one of my GCA favorites.

Melvyn,
Have you played in North America?  If so (or even if not), who would you like to play over here?

000000000
All - What about Australia/NZ's classics?

[Peter Ferlicca]

My list would consist of

1. Doak (I am little bias because I work at a Doak course and play it more than anyone else)
2. MacKenzie (Because without him, a lot of the courses designed today would not exist)
3. CB MacDonald (He trained Raynor, so obviously you have to pick him and NGLA looks like the most fun course in the world)
4. George Thomas (I am a west coast guy so I'm obviously going to choose him, if he had more properties to work with he might have been the best designer, he only worked in the LA area mainly, "I know that is a bold statement so don't attack me")
5. Coore and Crenshaw ( I have only played Bandon Trails, but this was my favorite course at Bandon which says A LOT, and obviously they have a ton of other courses that would yield must plays, I am playing Colorado Golf Club later this month and am looking forward to it big time)

[Mike Wagner]

any takers for Eddie Hackett?

[Melvyn Morrow]

Dan

In answer to your question No, not in North America. Yes, it would be interesting to try out a few beginner courses like Augusta & Merion to enable me to get the feel of the place. 

Although to be honest, the idea of No Walking courses puts me off.    Just to think such thoughts is enough to keep me turning in my grave for centuries to come – so am contemplating a cremation instead, but with all that Malt it might be rather wild - then whats new just like my posts .

Melvyn

[Kevin Pallier]

All - What about Australia/NZ's classics?

Dan

I listed Mackenzie in my post - he's had some influence over here despite what others might say 

I was really toying with Alex Russell (I've only seen his Australian work) and possibly to a lesser extent Eric Apperley. Both would certainly be on my Australian list together with probably Dan Soutar.

I've included Clayton in my "Modern" list - as he is very good at keeping the "classics" true to form. Doak's great work at SAB and Barnbougle Dunes leads nothing to say. I would probably include Bob Harrison in my Top3 as he's able to produce consistent quality layouts.

As for the remainder in a "Modern" category I don't think there's any real standout.  Trent Jones has done some interesting designs with the land that's been available and would probably squeeze in. James Wilcher has done some good work and you've also got Ross Watson / Tony Cashmore / TWP / Marsh / Crafter etc.

Have not played in NZ to comment there.

[Mike Hendren]

I'd go with Donald Ross and four others randomly selected from the following five:  Mackenzie, Raynor, Tillinghast, Flynn, Colt (thanks to Paul Turner).   That might be dog bites man stuff, but I would be perfectly willing to forego the existing and future body of work of today's architects, several of whom are indeed outstanding.    Call it bias, but like J. P. Richardson "I know what I like."

Mike

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