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Jeff_Brauer

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What gca has the most varied greens - and why?
« on: December 29, 2008, 07:41:04 AM »
On the Shadow Creek thread, Tom N said the Fazio Greens were "repetitive."

Fair enough (?) but what gca has the most varied greens over his portfolio?

And, what gca has the most varied greens over a single course?

And why?  Varied size, shape, contour , approach shot concept, approach area, surrounds, uphill/downhill, etc? 

Be specific.  I would be dissapointed if the same old favorites pop up in the first 20 answers, at least without true justification, because frankly, we all have our tendencies.

My own vote for the second question would be CBM/Raynor, because of the strong concepts.  Of course, they fail miserably on the first question.
Jeff Brauer, ASGCA Director of Outreach

Mark Bourgeois

Re: What gca has the most varied greens - and why?
« Reply #1 on: December 29, 2008, 08:11:31 AM »
Jeff

Happy Holidays. Looks like those Cowboys are going to have a lot of time for Cowboys!

Trying to avoid the usual suspects here:
1) The greater the number of courses, the harder this gets, so you might want to bifurcate into big and small portfolios. At any rate, I will say Fowler.  Not sure why, exactly; he seemed to be really good at siting his greens so maybe that was it, a talent at finding the location first then designing backwards from there, so that each site dictated different types of greens.

2) Not sure if this counts on two counts, but Paton and Low at Woking. It's even got a water green! If that doesn't count, I will say Colt. Green variety was a stated goal, or at least principle, and by and large he succeeded.

Mark

Adam Clayman

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Re: What gca has the most varied greens - and why?
« Reply #2 on: December 29, 2008, 08:29:02 AM »
Is there anything more varied than nature? If so, the answer would be the designer who closely follows her lead.
« Last Edit: December 29, 2008, 09:59:14 AM by Adam Clayman »
"It's unbelievable how much you don't know about the game you've been playing your whole life." - Mickey Mantle

Donnie Beck

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Re: What gca has the most varied greens - and why?
« Reply #3 on: December 29, 2008, 08:39:37 AM »
C&C by far design the most varied and interesting greens. I love the way they design greens within greens.

Jimmy Muratt

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Re: What gca has the most varied greens - and why?
« Reply #4 on: December 29, 2008, 09:00:59 AM »
The greens and green surrounds at Boston Golf Club are some of the most interesting and varied that I've seen.  Gil Hanse did a wonderful job incorporating some very extreme greens with a lot of internal undulations, some more subtle, greens that run away, some slope front-to-back or are tilted side-to-side.  And, the short par 4 5th hole has the smallest green that I've ever seen.  The green surrounds are just as interesting as the greens themselves with collection area, collection bunkers, waste areas, native rough, etc. 

Steve Lapper

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Re: What gca has the most varied greens - and why?
« Reply #5 on: December 29, 2008, 10:13:22 AM »
I'm not sure I could argue with the nominations of C & C and Gil Hanse, however, I'd include Kelly Moran in that league. His greens are never "usual or uninteresting," always varied, and often brilliant. All of his courses seem to have greens that set up very different challenges throughout the layout and never underestimate the value of the prevailing approach angles. Lederach and Morgan Hill are perfect examples of a wide variety of greens (small, large, undulating, canted, all with often unusual and unique features.
The conventional view serves to protect us from the painful job of thinking."--John Kenneth Galbraith

Tom Dunne

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Re: What gca has the most varied greens - and why?
« Reply #6 on: December 29, 2008, 10:18:02 AM »
Bobby Weed is another guy who is creating excellent greens these days. For diversity, Glen Mills and his re-do of the Deltona Club outside of Orlando are pretty impressive.

Here's Jeff Silverman's piece on Bobby's greens in the current T+L Golf:

http://www.travelandleisure.com/tlgolf/articles/golf-complex-affairs/

David Stamm

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Re: What gca has the most varied greens - and why?
« Reply #7 on: December 29, 2008, 10:28:37 AM »
The greens and green surrounds at Boston Golf Club are some of the most interesting and varied that I've seen.  Gil Hanse did a wonderful job incorporating some very extreme greens with a lot of internal undulations, some more subtle, greens that run away, some slope front-to-back or are tilted side-to-side.  And, the short par 4 5th hole has the smallest green that I've ever seen.  The green surrounds are just as interesting as the greens themselves with collection area, collection bunkers, waste areas, native rough, etc. 


I'll second Jimmy here. Gil's greens are so varied and entertaining.
"The object of golf architecture is to give an intelligent purpose to the striking of a golf ball."- Max Behr

Jed Peters

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Re: What gca has the most varied greens - and why?
« Reply #8 on: December 29, 2008, 11:28:55 AM »
C&C by far design the most varied and interesting greens. I love the way they design greens within greens.

In my somewhat limited experience, this is my vote as well.

Kirk Gill

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Re: What gca has the most varied greens - and why?
« Reply #9 on: December 29, 2008, 11:38:39 AM »
I haven't played enough C&C courses to be able to agree or disagree with their nomination for variety, but it seems as if I've read many posts that opine that they tend to repeat certain types of holes on their courses - and I've seen shots of several lions mouth green complexes, and a hole on their Tahoe course that appears remarkably like one at Bandon Trails. So my question is, are these holes similar just from a distance and in a "macro" sense, while the actual greens themselves putt and play very differently?
"After all, we're not communists."
                             -Don Barzini

Jay Kirkpatrick

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Re: What gca has the most varied greens - and why?
« Reply #10 on: December 29, 2008, 11:41:48 AM »
agree with raynor... especially doak's renovation at yeamans

Bill_McBride

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Re: What gca has the most varied greens - and why?
« Reply #11 on: December 29, 2008, 11:52:20 AM »
The greens and green surrounds at Boston Golf Club are some of the most interesting and varied that I've seen.  Gil Hanse did a wonderful job incorporating some very extreme greens with a lot of internal undulations, some more subtle, greens that run away, some slope front-to-back or are tilted side-to-side.  And, the short par 4 5th hole has the smallest green that I've ever seen.  The green surrounds are just as interesting as the greens themselves with collection area, collection bunkers, waste areas, native rough, etc. 


I'll second Jimmy here. Gil's greens are so varied and entertaining.

For a quick look at the variety of Hanse's greens, just think about #6, #8, #10, #12 and #13 at Rustic Canyon.  Each of these greens is completely different from the others in size, shaping, contours, and bunkering, yet each is fascinating on its own.   There is so much to see at Rustic Canyon.

Another course with a lot of variety that I've seen lately is Mike Young's Long Shadow.  Just think about #17 alone, with the blind front area behind the huge bunker and the 6' of fall from back down to that front pinnable area!


Tom Naccarato

Re: What gca has the most varied greens - and why?
« Reply #12 on: December 29, 2008, 01:14:19 PM »
Jeff, Fazio's holes and the complexes themselves--to me--are in repetitive situations throughout the round at Shadow Creek. For the record, I have been on some very interesting Fazio greens. #3 at Shadow Creek is one of them.

Mike Hendren

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Re: What gca has the most varied greens - and why?
« Reply #13 on: December 29, 2008, 01:27:57 PM »
I believe Donald J. Ross is a surprisingly legitimate answer, though much of his work (and that of his "farmers" - Mike Young) has been dumbed down, rounded off or plowed under. 
Two Corinthians walk into a bar ....

Tommy Williamsen

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Re: What gca has the most varied greens - and why?
« Reply #14 on: December 29, 2008, 09:05:17 PM »
I gotta go with Jim Engh.  He has some of the most severe, interesting, and varied greens I havae ever played.
Where there is no love, put love; there you will find love.
St. John of the Cross

"Deep within your soul-space is a magnificent cathedral where you are sweet beyond telling." Rumi

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