...and the subject is Wayne Stiles.
Sometimes you come across a course that impresses you so much that you want to play more of that architect’s work (i.e. the quality of the holes is so good that there is no way it was beginner’s luck). Such was the case for me after playing Black Mesa three years ago and High Pointe fourteen years prior. Before those, another pleasant surprise was playing Taconic. At the time, and this was in the late 1980s, I had never heard of Wayne Stiles or John Van Kleek. The design appeared simple with nothing contrived yet it was full of challenge, all the while embodying the virtues of its New England setting.
To this day, Taconic’s design stands out against the clutter of most modern architecture, and thus it is always refreshing to return here. On one such trip, a friend pushed his tee ball into the creek bed down the right of the third fairway. From a rocky lie with trees between him and the green, he proceeded to drain
his blind four iron approach shot. Informed of his heroics as he climbed up the bank, he responded smartly by saying “Well, that’s all I could do with that shot.”
Stupidly, I haven’t made it to other Stiles and Van Kleek courses. However, a clear road map of their talent is now available and that is found by reading Bob Labbance’s and Kevin Mendik’s recently released book entitled The Life and Work of Wayne Stiles. In an effort to shine the light on their other works, Taconic isn’t addressed in this Feature Interview but it does get its own chapter in their book. Gems like Rutland Country Club, Country Club of Barre, and North Haven where golf is all about having fun get center stage. As Kevin points out in the answer to one question, ‘I would like to dispel one misconception about all courses: that golf has to be difficult to be good. Golf can be easy and be great at the same time.‘ That sentiment really resonates with me as does Bob’s concluding thoughts on Stiles & Van Kleek when he writes, ‘They pleased their clients. They brought golf to locales that otherwise wouldn’t have it. They built courses everyone could have fun playing. They planned features that could be maintained with modest budgets. They gave other people credit when credit was due. They mentored. And they were good people.’
Previously, not much was available on Stiles so Bob’s and Kevin’s new book fills a void. Background information and design philosophies are covered in detail. Also, some of their ‘missing links’ like Crawford Notch in New Hampshire and Holly Hill in Florida are brought to life. After learning more about Stiles in this month’s Feature Interview, see if you agree when Geoffrey Cornish told Bob that Stiles might be ‘the most underrated golf course architect in the Northeast and maybe the entire country’.
Cheers,