Has Jeff Brauer been hangin' at GCA too long?

[Mike_Cirba]

The newest issue of "Golf" magazine has a picture of Jeff's second course at Giant's Ridge in Minnesota, scheduled to open in April.

It shows an uphill hole, cut on a wide swath through the woods, with deep, wild-looking, ruggedly gorgeous bunkers almost scattered randomly along the edges and looking "scooped" out of the face of the hill.  The green looks to be shelved out of the upslope, open in front, while still dicey from the wrong "side" of the fairway, depending on hole location.  

While Jeff often defends the modern architectural style on this site, this course looks to be clear evidence that he's been hanging out with us dinosaurs too long.  

It looks to be some very good work, and I'll be interested to hear from the Minnesota contingent come spring.  

[THuckaby2]

Did you notice it also lists him as:

Keffrey Bauer??

Or at least the copy I got used that unique spelling...

That is very sad.  First Tony Naccarato in SI and now this.  Is fact-checking extinct?

TH

[texsport]

I played The Quarry late this summer. You'd better think before you pull the trigger and then you'd better hit it solid. I love it!

See earlier Minnesota Gems post.

Texsport

[Dan Kelly]

While Jeff often defends the modern architectural style on this site, this course looks to be clear evidence that he's been hanging out with us dinosaurs too long.  

It looks to be some very good work, and I'll be interested to hear from the Minnesota contingent come spring.  

Mike --

I, for one, will be happy to be heard from next spring, when I intend to get up there (222 miles from my house) and play the new one.

I was lucky enough to get a "Victory Lap" tour of the place from the architect himself, this fall -- and this little bit I can confidently say (since I'm no better at evaluating courses by riding around on their margins than I am at evaluating courses from photographs): The Quarry would appear to be a helluva lot of fun (exciting tee shots, great-looking bunkers, greens with dramatic internal movement), if one has his game in order.

While he showed me the course, Mr. Brauer did, in fact, make several references to the "dinosaurs" (your word, not his) at GCA -- not all of them derogatory!

[Jeff_McDowell]

Dan,

I agree with you on having a hard time analyzing architecture with Jeff. I rode around the site with Jeff in a truck, and I couldn't tell a thing about the architecture. I was hanging on for dear life. Maybe if he was driving his truck and not the contractors it would be different.

I did get the same impression you did. Exciting shots, dramatic holes, etc.

The thing that struck me most was Jeff's imagination. Every hole looks and (appears) to play different. I haven't been excited about a course opening in MN in a long time, but I can't wait to play this one.

BTW, I think many on this site would be happy to hear how many times Jeff credited one of his ideas to a classic design principle or a links course. Jeff likes modern design, but he knows his history and classic design.

This is not a paid advertisement for Jeff, just my humble opinion.

[Jeff_McDowell]

BTW, word on the street is that Jeff's new course in Fortune Bay is even better than the Quarry. I haven't seen it, so I cannot confirm, but this is from a very reliable source.

[Dan Kelly]

Jeff B., Jeff McD --

When does Fortune Bay open?

Perhaps it's time, next year, for a GCA Brauerpalooza™!

I'm game.

Jeff B. --

Would you please report, here, on the Classical influences at The Quarry?

I'd particularly like to hear (I've forgotten what you said) about the genesis, in your mind, of that one green with the big square front.

[redanman]

Bad news, guys. "Keffrey"   understood long before he got to this DG.

I always look forward to playing his.  

Canterburry in Denver was my first exposure to his and I had to ask in the clubhouse afterwards who the designer was as I played the course "blind" and really liked what I found.

[Mike_Cirba]

redanman is correct, of course.  

Jeff Brauer didn't need GCA to come up with classic design ideas, but I suspect that he uses us as a "litmus test" to determine how far in that direction he's willing to go.  

I played my first Brauer course about 10 years ago, also "blind", as the design had been attributed solely to Larry Nelson.  

Not only were there holes that were clearly of a classic bent (i.e. a reverse redan, holes punctuated with center bunkering, a "valley of sin", dual fairways, etc.), but I remember thinking, "this is an architect who has some balls".  

[texsport]

My information is that the Fortune Bay course is being built for a lot less money and won't come close to The Quarry. It is for folks whose main reason for being there is to hit the casino. It is planned for opening in 2004 I believe.

Texsport

[Bye]

That was one of the coolest pictures I've seen in a while!

I am however, pretty ignorant, I did a search for Keffrey Bauer this morning, as I had never heard of him. Now it all makes sense.

[THuckaby2]

"K"effrey:

If and when you see this, perhaps this is as good a time as any to settle an old argument I've had with a friend of mine.  See, we played Canterburry a few years ago and I for one LOVED the course... great fun, some genius holes there... But the question is regarding hole #13.  We were playing gold tees the day we were there, but the markers were WAY up, about where the whites normally are... So we were at about 475.

My friend half-topped a drive on this very downhill hole that rolled and rolled all the way down the hill, in the right rough, to about 210 from the hole, from which point he holed a very nice 5iron or something.

He calls that a double eagle.

If that's a par five, from those tees, at that altitude, than I am Mamie Eisenhower.

Care to settle the argument regarding my friend's two?  I always tell him "nice eagle" when it comes up....

Keep up the great work!

TH

[Jeff_McDowell]

Dan K.
I am definitely up for a Brauerpalooza.

Redanman
I didn't mean to imply Jeff's understanding of classic design resulted from GCA. Jeff is clearly a student of the game, and has been for a long time.

Mike,
Your comment about an architect with "balls" is exactley what I felt after playing Giant's Ridge. For me, it was refreshing to play a course with big, bold ideas.

[Dan Kelly]

"K"effrey:

If and when you see this, perhaps this is as good a time as any to settle an old argument I've had with a friend of mine.  See, we played Canterburry ...

Kom Tuckaby (and redanman) --

Since spelling is an issue here today:

That's Canterbury.

You remember 'The Canterbury Tails,' of course. I particularly enjoyed the tail on the Wife of Bathtub.

[redanman]

PROPERLY CHASTIZED!

I plead typo

[THuckaby2]

That's the way most people spell it, Dan.  The folks in Colorado do it "Canterberry."  That's ok - I got it wrong also in my first post...I knew it was some weird spelling, I just picked the wrong one!

http://www.canterberrygolfcourse.com/

TH

[Ken_Cotner]

"K"effrey:

If and when you see this, perhaps this is as good a time as any to settle an old argument I've had with a friend of mine.  See, we played Canterburry a few years ago and I for one LOVED the course... great fun, some genius holes there... But the question is regarding hole #13.  We were playing gold tees the day we were there, but the markers were WAY up, about where the whites normally are... So we were at about 475.

My friend half-topped a drive on this very downhill hole that rolled and rolled all the way down the hill, in the right rough, to about 210 from the hole, from which point he holed a very nice 5iron or something.

He calls that a double eagle.

If that's a par five, from those tees, at that altitude, than I am Mamie Eisenhower.

Care to settle the argument regarding my friend's two?  I always tell him "nice eagle" when it comes up....

Keep up the great work!

TH

Huck, it's a 2.  

KC, trying to get into the "no-par" headset...

[Dan Kelly]

PROPERLY CHASTIZED!

I plead typo

That's ... chastised!   (I hope that's the look on your face, Redanman. It's the look on mine!)

Maybe you should plead tyop!

[Dan Kelly]

That's the way most people spell it, Dan.  The folks in Colorado do it "Canterberry."  That's ok - I got it wrong also in my first post...I knew it was some weird spelling, I just picked the wrong one!

Canterberry? Yuck!

Oh, I see. The course must have a lot of those Canter bushes I've heard so much about.

[THuckaby2]

KC - heck yeah it's a 2.  That's what I've always told my friend - very nice deuce.  It's HE who claims the albatross!

TH

[RJ_Daley]

Whomever is Jeff's public relations man, he should double his salary.  Jeff gets more pub in trade magazines like GCM than any other archie that I can think of.  I'm up for the Brauerpalooza, when can we get started up there in Minnesota?  Perhaps when the ice melts in July next year!

[Dan Kelly]

I'm up for the Brauerpalooza, when can we get started up there in Minnesota?  Perhaps when the ice melts in July next year!

Dick -- I'm thinking June -- during the 96 hours between Snowmeltapalooza™  and Jumbomosquitopalooza™ !

[texsport]

The Quarry won't open until July.

Texsport

[Jim_Kennedy]

Mike,
I've been looking for a particular article on one of Jeff's new courses but cannot find it. This one has a 6-6-6 layout, six 3s, six 4s and six 5s!  

[redanman]

That's ... chastised!   (I hope that's the look on your face, Redanman. It's the look on mine!)

Maybe you should plead tyop!

tyop it is!

Funny thing is I thought it had 2 r's and was RIGHT (Somehow) but, didn't remember the berry, thought it was burry

Let's b_u_r_y   this issue

teh redamnam