Article from the Globe & Mail written by Lorne Rubenstein
Most of what Doug says jives pretty closely with recent discussions on this site.
Just in case anyone is interested:
Carrick has designs on fun, faster play
Doug Carrick doesn't play professional golf, but he won a major last week. The Toronto-born architect was made president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects during its annual meeting in Seattle. Carrick, 52, became the fourth Canadian to achieve this high honour.
Carrick was sitting in a café near his home in north Toronto the other day when he spoke about his important position. He was only five minutes from the municipal Don Valley Golf Course that provides enjoyable golf to so many people, and 20 minutes from the Stanley Thompson-designed Uplands Golf Club, where, he said, "I had just about every job you could have at a club."
Carrick worked in the pro shop. He cleaned washrooms in the clubhouse and bar. He night-watered the course. And he gained an appreciation for architecture, which continues with his membership at the Summit Golf and Country Club in Richmond Hill, Ont. George Cumming designed the first nine holes nearly 100 years ago, while Thompson came in later and is usually credited with being the course architect.
Golf has become rather more expensive since Thompson's day. (Thompson was a founding member of the ASGCA in 1948, and its first Canadian president.) Carrick is concerned about the cost, which is partly driven by the large landscapes needed for today's courses to combat how far many better players who can generate a lot of clubhead speed are hitting the ball.
"The boom of the last 15 to 20 years led us into building upscale courses with high construction costs and high green fees," Carrick said. "The challenge for the architect today is the disparity in the distance that skilled and unskilled players hit the ball. Equipment has widened that gap.
"Now we have these courses with four, five, six and even seven sets of tees," Carrick said. "It's ridiculous. Meanwhile, nearly all the benefits from technology from equipment go to skilled players."
As the ASGCA's leader, Carrick plans to communicate a message within the organization and to other golfing bodies that courses should be fun and not necessarily insanely long, with the slow play that accompanies the bloated yardage. He'd also like to disseminate a message about golf's values.
"We can put out a one-page synopsis of the economic, social and even mental and physical benefits of the game," Carrick said. "We could work with municipalities. Golf is a good sport for the younger generation, too, and it can teach certain life skills. But time is so important. We have to get people around the course faster."
Carrick acknowledged that he's built courses that are part of the problem. There's Eagles Nest in Maple, Ont., for one. The course is strong enough to hold a Canadian Open, but it's also difficult whatever tees one plays. The green fee in prime time will go to $185 starting May 20.
But Carrick has also designed the three first-class public courses at Osprey Valley in Caledon, Ont. — each of which can be played for $84 on weekdays and $99 on weekends and holidays. There's also his new Turnberry Golf Club in Brampton, Ont., for the Eagles Nest owners. The as-yet-to-open course has 16 par-threes and two par-fours. Green fees will certainly be less than at Eagles Nest. All this makes sense in today's economic and time-constrained climate.
Carrick knows that it won't be easy to change golf's direction during his one-year term. He also knows that he'll need a sense of humour to deal with all the stakeholders in the game, especially the equipment manufacturers. Fortunately, he showed a sense of humour during his presidential acceptance speech on May 4.
"I know some of you might be concerned about having a Canadian acting as president of an American society," Carrick said. "But don't be too concerned because I'm not really your president. I'm your prime minister. As you know, Canada still maintains close ties to the British monarchy, so I won't be offended if you refer to me as Your Royal Highness."
So begins Carrick's term at the helm of an organization he holds in high esteem. His colleagues obviously hold President/Prime Minister Carrick in a similar esteem.