If JN became a poster...what would you ask him?

[Matt_Cohn]

...knowing that if you asked a ridiculous question he certainly wouldn't respond.

[Jed Peters]

If only a pro golfer knows what a golf shot is, why did you let Desmond Muirhead design Muirfield Village?

[Kirk Gill]

You know, I've read lots of posts regarding JN on this site, and I still don't understand the level of snide invective that is poured on this guy. I mean, if he designs courses that you don't like, fine. It would be too bad if the people on this site had the opportunity to talk to the man about his GCA career and a bunch of flip, abrasively-phrased questions were the best this talented, knowledgeable group could come up with. His architecture might not always be my cup of tea, but even if I don't exactly like everything he's done, he has a perspective on design and on business that would be pretty damned interesting to listen to.

That said, on the topic of architecture, I'd ask him, with all due respect, whether or not he'd ever routed a course exclusively by himself, and the degree to which he believes the routing of a course is a major determinant in the quality of the eventual course. I'd ask him the degree to which he equates the difficulty of a course with the quality of a course. I'd ask him whether he considers himself a golf architect first, or a golf businessman first.

[Jim Nugent]

I'd ask him if he spent more time personally on his signature courses, would they turn out better?  

[Steve Lapper]

How to hit the high fade?

[Steve Lang]

  jAck,

In regards to the Ohio connection, does it bother you that Weiskoff and Art Hills' gca works are considered more favorably than yours?

[Phil McDade]

On a thread several months ago about the Confidential Guide, I noted that I was somewhat astounded that Doak ever was selected to co-design a course w/ Nicklaus, given the general antipathy that Doak expressed for many of Jack's courses in the CG. Tom replied that Jack's design philosophy had (paraphrasing here) evolved since the publication of the CG, with the implication that it had (from Tom's perspective) improved.

My question(s) for Nicklaus would be:

A) Do you agree with Doak -- has your design philosophy/approach over time evolved?

B) If so, was there any one course that you saw or worked on that prompted a reassessment of your design philosophy?

[Mike_Young]

why?

[JESII]

why?

I was about to type..."don't you have anything better to do with your time?"

[Jeff_Brauer]

I have had the chance to ask JN questions at ASGCA meetings.  When I was prez I asked him to assess how to play Pinehurst No. 2 for us, and he was very gracious. As moderator, I got to ask a lot of questions, including "Do you ever copy holes" which he graciously answered no, not exactly, favoring modifying concepts.  Later, his associates told me I was "lucky" - any such suggestion in the office would recieve the famous JN steely glare.

On another occaision, I sort of pestered him on some of the concepts I was trying to articulate the other day - does he try to set up certain shots with angles, slopes, etc.  He gave a thoughtful answer, but the summary was that he didn't get any pre-concieved notions and that it depends on the site.

I have also taken some of his offhand comments as good rules for design. Two I recall are that he would aim for a plateau on the green if it was 40' wide or more and that he liked front to back tier greens on long par 4's downwind, because he liked to roll the ball up that slope to the back pin.

If JN answered questions here, he would do so very graciously and thoughtfully.  

[Garland Bayley]

Jack,

You hold TOC in high esteem. Have any of the courses you have designed reached the level of TOC? If so, which ones and how? Of those that don't reach that level, what are their major shortcomings?

[Joe Hancock]

Jack,

You hold TOC in high esteem. Have any of the courses you have designed reached the level of TOC? If so, which ones and how? Of those that don't reach that level, what are their major shortcomings?

He paid homage to TOC at Grand Cypress. It's fun, decently done, and not many here seem to want to remember it, not that I'm saying the generalizations about Jack have any truth about them.......

Joe

[Phil Benedict]

I'd ask him what could other architects learn from his designs.

[Michael Dugger]

I would ask him to name his top ten modern designs.

Not the top ten he has designed but the top ten of all designs since 1990.

[Adrian_Stiff]

I would just ask him about his Golf. This is going to sound rude but I dont think I could learn much off his 'archictecture ideas' although maybe I could from his team. I feel Nicklaus, Palmer, RJT are almost factory produced courses that fit a certain market (which they do very well in fairness).
Pete Dye I could listen to all day.

[Doug Sobieski]

He paid homage to TOC at Grand Cypress. It's fun, decently done, and not many here seem to want to remember it, not that I'm saying the generalizations about Jack have any truth about them.......

Joe

Joe:

Believe it or not, The New Course was my favorite place to go play nearby when trying to get away from the "office" for an afternoon. I'm also on record as saying that overall I like the renovation at OSU Scarlet and believe it's an improvement, so take my opinion for what it's worth around here. It can't be worth a whole lot if I like Pilgrim's Run that much  

Sobe

[Garland Bayley]

Jack,

You hold TOC in high esteem. Have any of the courses you have designed reached the level of TOC? If so, which ones and how? Of those that don't reach that level, what are their major shortcomings?

He paid homage to TOC at Grand Cypress. It's fun, decently done, and not many here seem to want to remember it, not that I'm saying the generalizations about Jack have any truth about them.......

Joe

Wouldn't it be fun to hear what Jack had to say about how good the new course is compared to the old course? And, if it is not as good, why not?