“Who was the first golf architect to embrace LArch design ideas?”
Very good question! I have no idea who the first was to dedicatedly apply “Landscape Architecture” principles to golf architecture or even who the first was who thought to apply even “Art” principles to golf course architecture. Probably the more pertinent question is not just who the first was but who it was who was most responsible for essentially basing golf course design principles on “Art” or “Landscape Architecture” principles.
Bob Crosby said;
“Look at Cornish's book on gca. The one he uses in his Harvard Design School course.
I don't have it with me, but there is a lot about landarch there. In fact you can read the book as one long argument for the inclusion of gca under the landarch umbrellla. So he moves landarch front and center and talks about it a lot.
(I think Cornish's argument is deeply misguided, but misguided for interesting reasons.)”
I could not agree with Bob more. There’s no question Cornish verily based a good deal of his concept and philosophy of golf course design on “Art” principles or “Landscape Architecture” principles. One only need read any of his books to see that loud and clear: I too think this concept of applying “Art” or “Landscape Architecture” principles to golf course design taken to too great an extreme can be and is misguided but for interesting reasons.
“Art Principles" including Harmony, Proportion, Balance, Rhythm and Emphasis are applicable to golf course design.”
The Architects of Golf, C&W
“Basic considerations in golf design can be depicted by an equilateral triangle with three aspects, namely the game itself, eye appeal and maintainability. Each aspect is represented by one side of this triangle. Environmental aspects are represented by the space inside the triangle.”
Architects of Golf, C&W
But was Cornish the first to basically base golf course design on “Art” or more pertinently “Landscape Architecture” principles? Probably not. Perhaps RTJ with some of the curriculum (art curriculum) he virtually created while a student at Cornell may’ve been close to the first to dedicatedly apply “Art” or "Landscape Architecture” principles to golf course design.
Where even did the term “Landscape Architecture” come from or begin? It appears it initially came from Frederick Law Olmsted and his partner Calvert Vaux when they chose the term in the 19th century to describe what they were doing. And what was Olmsted trying to do exactly? He was attempting basically to use scenery or ‘the psychological effects of Landscape’ not just as some artistic aesthetic in and of itself but for the actual health of the human organism.
Olmsted, generally, as well as in his capacity as a landscape architect, believed strongly in “Taste” (in the old fashioned sense). He believed that the key to moving society from some state of barbarism to one of civilization lay in the application of "taste", civility" “family”, “domesticity”, “gentility”, that the family and the home must become civilized before society as a whole could be transformed. Olmsted referred to his style and theory of “Landscape Architecture” as “sanative” and “restoring” (to Man's psychological state). Frankly, Olmsted felt that a “sanative” or “restoring” setting or scene should be only contemplative and at its best should not move the viewer of it to words (obviously FLO didn't believe in the "WOW" factor
).
He believed in the “landscape architectural” principle of “the whole” or “Unity” of setting and therefore was no fan or advocate of what was then referred to as “gardening” or “decorative gardening” simply because that application drew attention to the parts (ultra pretty little arrangements of flowers and such that often were not indigenous to the scene) and detracted from the “Whole”.
William Flynn, for instance, may’ve been applying a form of “landscape architecture” principles to his golf course designs beginning in the early 1920s perhaps without even being conscious of it. His daughter spontaneously mentioned that he sometimes referred to himself as “The Nature Faker”. When we asked her what she thought he meant by that she said she knew precisely what he meant because he talked about it. He meant he wanted to create and present every hole as a separate and memorable “scene” if possible---a "visual", in fact. Is that a form of “landscape architecture”? Of course it is. It is without question an attempt to create a memorable "visual" or scene perhaps almost completely apart from the particulars of actually playing golf. After-all, what is "Landscape Architecture" or even "Art" but some attempt to create a memorable and perhaps impressive "visual" often a scene?
The reason I think these kinds of “Art” or “Landscape Architecture” principles (Harmony, Proportion, Balance, Rhythm, and particularly Emphasis) taken to an extreme in golf course architecture is misguided (perhaps as Bob Crosby does) is because it tends to become “idealized”----eg not particularly natural in the sense that it becomes sanitized of the rough and tumble and sometimes seemingly not visually attractive aspects of Nature herself and her inherent randomness. Some aspects of raw Nature are not particularly soothing or peaceful or harmonious, balanced, proportional or even rhythmic.
And I feel golf itself and the landforms it’s played on (its basic "architecture") should be more of an unidealized mimic of raw Nature herself and not an idealized form of Nature as many “Art” and “Landscape Architecture” principles have always striven to make it. After all, some of the best natural features there are that serve as obstacles (hazards) in golf are raw and often unsettling looking obstacles (and "visuals"). These types of things can make the best hazards in look and in play in golf. Without obstacles and hazards golf architecture is really nothing, and without raw and unsettling natural or natural appearing hazards or even landforms golf architecture is really nothing much either, in my opinion but some 'idealized" representation of what Nature is supposed to be in the "game mind of Man" , as Max Behr sometimes said.
But, as to who was the first to use landscape architecture in golf design I have no real idea. I’m more interested in who it was who was mostly responsible for steering golf architecture down the road of landscape architecture or “Art” principles as much as it was, because perhaps like Bob Crosby, I feel that was when golf course architecture and golf design took a wrong turn.
I have a sneaking suspicion it was RTJ who was most responsible for taking golf architecture and its principles down this road based on "landscape architecture" principles or even "Art" principles.