The mounding behind greens with the strict lines dividing the course from native scrub is very off-putting. Its the same story, a failure to create soft lines between desert and course. That said, the course looks okay - if cheap enough I would give it a go.
Thanks for pix P
Ciao
Sean,
That hard line is not an easy thing to get rid of. The problem with the native grasses is that there is over spray from the fairway or rough irrigation. and the "native" close to the rough gets really heavy and really think, thus you get that sharp line when the rough is mowed. Were not in the Isles anymore!!!! None of this is natural!
With that said, its not something I noticed when I was out there a few weeks ago playing. Plus it is all brown now, as someone mentioned earlier, only the tees were over seeded.
I'll be out there Sunday, perhaps I will take a few shots, to give you freaks some of that brown eye-candy that you all love so much.
And Bill, why are you paying $107. Golf Now's highest rate is 70 on the weekend.
Ryan
My comments aren't really critical of the archie. I suspect in that sort of environment that hard seam lines are difficult to avoid. IMO its a problem with desert golf though I have seen it pulled off very well once or twice.
In a different but similar sort of way I have the same problem with parkland courses and trees being the constant visual boundary, but again, some placed pull it off much better than others and it usually means having far less trees or a site where the vistas are tree-filled.
I don't know why I ever became so obsessed with the boundaries and seams on courses. Perhaps it is because I think so little attention is paid to this element of design that it sticks out like a whore in Buckingham Palace.
Ciao
You might not have a problem with the Archie but I DO!!!!!!
Sean, I don't think its lack of attention, I think it is a mix of difficulty, style, and peoples need for something perfectly manicured.
Sometimes an architect might want the crisp clean maintained lines. Sometimes they may want a nice un-noticeable transition to native. This is sometimes hard to get, depending on the site. And sometimes you just get a great site with sand and good turf grasses and this transition just happens and the archie runs with it. I don't think its something people ignore, they might just feel differently about it than you do. I'm sure the majority of golfers aren't with you! And they want to see these outer edges string trimmed like they are at Vista Verde and some other desert courses.
At southern dunes I would say its a maintenance thing. Its a mower thing, and its an irrigation thing. And they don't have the maint. budget to worry that much about it or address the issue right now. I believe it is something we talked to the club about, but they have a lot on their plate now. Especially since the transition to a public facility.
If anything its a nice case study in design. The contrast with another flat site, Talking Stick North, where little dirt was moved Vs. a large dirt move and A LOT of shaping. It would be interesting to see how the public would choose if these courses were right next to each other.