The cure for....mediocre?....design?

[JSPayne]

I hate to use the word mediocre, as I would hope that anyone sinking millions of dollars into building a course would at least find their chosen design to be at the least "great" or "beautiful".

Regardless, there have undoubtably been many courses built (and continue to be built) since the era of the ODGs where the architecture and overall design, while not always bad, just seem somewhat bland and/or cookie cutter (the ol' "haven't I played this course somewhere else?" syndrome).

So my question is this, stemming from a superintendent/course maintenance perspective...for all of us greenkeepers in charge of maintaining one of the many newer (i.e. not begging for rennovation or restoration) yet somewhat unspectacular designs, is there anything we can do beyond providing the most pristine playing conditions possible (i.e. firm and fast, densely grassed, well-manicured and healthy) that could elevate the draw and therefore return visit success of many of the greater courses?

For all those golfers here who I know play many of these kinds of courses, what beyond design and factors beyond a superintendent/manager's control (good views, location, etc.) make you want to come back and play again?

[Philippe Binette]

It almost feel like it would be easier to help a modest course built by Joe Nobody than a course built 10 years ago for 10 millions $ by an architect who was trying to built the next best thing...

Grassing over half the bunkers might be an idea

[John Moore II]

A lot of times, mediocre golf courses can be redeemed by great service at the club. Other than that, the condition of the course makes a big difference to me. Also, I like a course even if its not a great design but offers a fair challenge. And as long as the holes are varied from each other, that makes a big difference as well.

[Tom_Doak]

JS -- I think the best thing you could do for a small additional cost is to take some of the greenside bunkers and jam them right up to the edge of the green, or even into the green itself.  That would enforce whatever strategy was designed into the course.  

Too many average courses have their bunkers 10-20 feet away from the green, so even the good player's mediocre approaches go unpunished.

However, it's more common nowadays for clubs to give their bunkers a makeover in style -- which does nothing for playability, but sometimes does do something for reputation and aesthetic value.

[Lloyd_Cole]

JS

Your references to the draw and return visits suggest we address public access courses - right? I think the question is quite different for private clubs.

If we're looking at public access then the course needs to explain itself in  a manner which can be digested by the observant golfer on each tee. Not necessarily fully, but it shouldn't be the mystery which is often attractive at private clubs.

A single obvious strategy for every drive doesn't seem like something which would excite too many players, so widening fairways so that they might actually include bunkers which previously flanked them could be considered. This done, the player will consider the bunker as something to carry, lay up behind or skirt, rather than just avoid. This way he will be drawn into considering which side of the fairway offers the better next shot.

Add variety to existing bunkers - make some really deep, including the odd fairway bunker. Make getting up and down something to get excited about. Make the bunkers memorable.

Get the most out of your greens and green complexes. Are you unable to place a pin in a particular section of a green? Could this be remedied by extending the putting surface just a few feet?
Are all the greens surrounded by long grass?  Could some be more interesting if the grass were short? Variety in this department makes for a challenging round and not another Vijay flop lob wedge every time a green is missed.
Could certain spots become pinable (is that a word?) if the stimpmeter went down from 11 to 10? or from 10 to 8? So long as the greens are fun and true to put I doubt that you would lose business by slowing them if they allowed more exciting pin positions.
Whatever it takes to make more exciting pin positions, I'd be open to the idea.

Moving tees seems to me to be much cheaper than moving bunkers. A tee moved only 15 yards (or less) left or right, back OR FORWARD, could vastly improve a hole.

Looking for golf balls is no fun for anyone, the customer is unhappy and pace of play is damaged. Anything which can help should be considered. Long grass, if you must have it should not be thick. It can take years to thin it out but it is not impossible. Dense scrub, if it is not automatically considered a lost ball is also a no-no. Get rid of it. If you have trees, do whatever you can to make balls in the trees easily found. The golfer is already punished. The pine straw at Pinehurst and the absence of scrub makes lost balls almost unheard of there. They should be the model. Deep rough or rushes around water hazards are particularly onerous time wasters, if the hazard is blind, it's even worse.

Have a system of establishing distances in place and make it one simple consistent system. If you have sprinkler heads - the players should know where to look for them. Is there any sight worse than the player new to a course wandering aimlessly in the middle of a fairway trying to get a yardage? Distances should be to the middle of the green only. More information simply slows play for 95% of players.

Certainly some of this is within the realm of what the architect should be supervising, but if you don't have one and you're not particularly happy with the last one, should the status quo prevail?

There are many, many public access courses and less wealthy private and semi private clubs operating on margins which simply to not allow for the hiring of a GCA and a construction company. Should they grin an bear it? Certainly, it might be for the best. The wrong person in charge of the type of stuff I mention above could leave a train wreck. But I think for the most part that these types of tweaks are not rocket science and there is a lot that can be done with imagination and common sense.

[JSPayne]

Great input so far....thanks for the posts.

Tom, your advice pertains SOO well to the private course I am working at now. Several of the bunker complexes out there just confuse me. I haven't put that much effort into trying to find an old aerial, but I'm just not sure if it is a greens shrinking problem or part of the original design, but you are right, the bunkers are just too far away and not really serving a purpose, other than to penalize the already horrible shot that might find them.

Lloyd, thanks for all the little detail ideas.

Johnny, I think you hit the nail on the head. Even if the course isn't that memorable, if the golfer has a really positive beginning where they are treated like royalty, even at a daily fee, and a really solid end, even after a bad round, where someone genuienly cares how their round went and what could be done to make it better next time, the battle might be won.

I just know, working in this industry, that many daily fees, and even privates, are experiencing extreme competition, and anything I can do as a professional to help would be my goal. It just so happens that there are alot of courses out there where they just can't boast a spectacular design, but still provide a good golfing experience and need to find a leg up on their neighbors.

I move on now from private to public as a new superintendent and I just hope that I can elevate my course to the next level so that it may succeed and, in turn, that I may succeed and be proud of my course and work as well.

[John Moore II]

JSP--I did not realize you were potentially asking how to better your club...therefore, I will tell you some of the things we do at my club (I'm a Pro as well) and some of the things I have tried to do.
1) always have someone in the lot to greet the players, to take the bags and generally help the players to start the day. Then make sure someone is there at the end of the day to help them unload, clean the clubs, and that sort.
2) Make sure every part of the clubhouse is as nice and clean as possible.
3) Make sure the range is well maintained and not trashy looking. Make sure the range balls you use are not cracked and dingy.
4) Always keep the first tee pristine. It doesn't take a lot of labor to have the first tee looking nice, but it makes a great first impression.
If you can do these things well, your customers will be off to a far better start. I have found that when I execute these things well at my club, our customers tend to have better experiences, if the parking lot is staffed and clean, shop and clubhouse areas staffed and clean, range neat and the first tee sharp looking, they have a great impression of the club before they get to the first tee. That will make them think positive about the rest of the round. If those customers are thinking negative before they hit the first tee shot, you would have to look like Augusta in order for them to be satisfied, otherwise, they will fee like they've been shorted and played an inferior club. If you can work with your GM/Head Pro to do these things, it will make your job as superintendent easier.