[Germain Pepin]

Michael J. Strantz, 50, passed away on Friday, June 10, 2005.  Mike  lost his courageous battle with cancer. Too young for many of us.  He was a successful golf course designer. Nine golf courses show his talent for design and have his name: Caledonia Golf and Fish Club (SC), True Blue (SC), Bulls Bay (SC), Tobacco Road (NC), Tot Hill Farm (NC), Royal New Kent (VA), Stonehouse (VA), Silver Creek Valley (CA), and Monterey Peninsula Country Club - Shore Course (CA).

I am wondering if there is a book or some great articles concerning his works as a golf course designer. It would be also a great idea to remember him on this board, June 10, 2010, since five years has passed since this tragic departure. Remembering him would be a nice attention for his surviving family.

[Joel Zuckerman]

I am wondering if there is a book or some great articles concerning his works as a golf course designer.

Germain,

I wouldn't necessarily use the word "great" in terms of the finished product, but I was among the last, possibly the very last, journalist to interview Mike Strantz..a few months prior to his passing, and after he lost his ability to speak, which made our time together all the more surreal.

This was for a chapter in my book "Golf Charms of Charleston," which featured not only a profile of Strantz, but also a course review of his Charleston beauty, Bulls Bay.  I don't want to waste bandwith by cut/pasting the 1,800 word feature here, but if anyone would like to see it, please IM me and I'll be happy to send it along.

[Jay Flemma]

Some of my work on Mike and his courses...


http://jayflemma.thegolfspace.com/?p=229

http://jayflemma.thegolfspace.com/?p=230

http://jayflemma.thegolfspace.com/?p=541

http://jayflemma.thegolfspace.com/?p=571

I have a lot more up at Golf Observer and Cybergolf too.

There was a memorial tournament for Mike last week at Tot Hill farm.  They are sending me some video and a recap...

http://jayflemma.thegolfspace.com/?p=2222

[Germain Pepin]

Thanks for the reference Joel, it is very appreciated. I have sent you a personal message also.

I am wondering if there is a book or some great articles concerning his works as a golf course designer.

Germain,

I wouldn't necessarily use the word "great" in terms of the finished product, but I was among the last, possibly the very last, journalist to interview Mike Strantz..a few months prior to his passing, and after he lost his ability to speak, which made our time together all the more surreal.

This was for a chapter in my book "Golf Charms of Charleston," which featured not only a profile of Strantz, but also a course review of his Charleston beauty, Bulls Bay.  I don't want to waste bandwith by cut/pasting the 1,800 word feature here, but if anyone would like to see it, please IM me and I'll be happy to send it along.

[Germain Pepin]

Hi Jay,

Thanks for these precious reference on Mike. It is very appreciated. See my personal message also.

Germain

Some of my work on Mike and his courses...


http://jayflemma.thegolfspace.com/?p=229

http://jayflemma.thegolfspace.com/?p=230

http://jayflemma.thegolfspace.com/?p=541

http://jayflemma.thegolfspace.com/?p=571

I have a lot more up at Golf Observer and Cybergolf too.

There was a memorial tournament for Mike last week at Tot Hill farm.  They are sending me some video and a recap...

http://jayflemma.thegolfspace.com/?p=2222

[RJ_Daley]

Certainly, Mr. Strantz was one of the best interviews ever on GCA.com:

http://golfclubatlas.com/feature-interview/mike-strantz

I'd like to see your writing, Joel.  Please send it.

Jay has had a very reverant and deep appreciation of Mike Strantz that endures.  Mike's passing and stoic and courageous battle with one of the worst of all cancers was a life lesson to us about dignity and determination, and I hope a recognition by Mike himself at the end of the universal admiration for his life's work and talent. 

Our time at Bulls Bay and the whole tour d'Strantz was among the best of all GCA.com participant gatherings I've ever been on.   It seems to me that no matter what your golf design tastes, Mike STrantz left such a diverse number of designs that there is something that anyone could find enjoyable among his body of work.  I hope all his courses stay financially solvent because we can't afford to loose any of his work, as his lifetime of work was cruelly cut way too short.

[Germain Pepin]

I can not agree more with this opinion. The Maverick has done some of the most beautiful and enjoyable courses to play, in a very short period of time. If i could add, his wife Heidi was also very courageous during this battle.

The interview is a solid testimony to Mike Strantz. .

[Jaeger Kovich]

The clubhouse at Tobacco Road is somewhat of a memorial to him. You definitely get a feeling of how proud they were of Mike. You can still use his locker... I did 2 weeks ago.

[Jaeger Kovich]

I just realized I'm going to be down in VA Beach for thanksgiving and would love to see Royal New Kent or Stonehouse... any suggestions between the two if you could only play one?

[Jay Flemma]

RNK...it's where "Strantz design" played matches against "Royal County Down staff."

[Ronald Montesano]

Dammit, Jaeger...play 'em both!!  I'm still kicking myself for playing True Blue and leaving Caledonia for another trip.  When I was in the Sandhills this summer, having learned my lesson, I played Tobacco Road and Tot Hill Farm.  You always have to play them both (unless you're at Bulls Bay or MPCC-Shore.)

[A.G._Crockett]

Every July I spend a glorious day playing True Blue and Caledonia back to back.  I am always freshly amazed that the same man could create two wonderful courses that are so completely different on essentially the same terrain.  He was an incredible artist.

[Jay Flemma]

That's one of many reason's why I took him in round 1 with the third pick...

Hey A.G....played one of my picks this week...and three in a matter of a couple weeks.  How ya comin' on yours?

[Jerry Kluger]

Jaeger:  While Stonehouse is good, RNK is outstanding.  RNK is so much fun with a quirkiness that gets you smiling over and over again.  Just don't beat up on it because of the 18th - the rest make you feel that you can just skip 18 and still had a great day. Both courses have had their financial woes and that is probably because many golfers just don't like anything different. The biggest problem with Stonehouse is the number of blind shots.

[Jaeger Kovich]

Jerry - If blind shots are a problem than what is Tobacco Road?!... Its a pretty good feeling when you walk up to the green and find your ball sitting in the leather for a kick in birdie. Happened to me 4 times at TR!


Looks like RNK will be getting a phone call from me tomorrow! Very exciting

[Scott Weersing]

I just realized I'm going to be down in VA Beach for thanksgiving and would love to see Royal New Kent or Stonehouse... any suggestions between the two if you could only play one?

I just played Royal New Kent on 11/15. It is a great course but difficult if you don't hit the ball straight. They overseeded the fairways so it looks good but is not fast and firm as it is in the summer.

I would play Royal New Kent because it is one of kind. The weather is iffy this weekend and the course has not dried out from the Nor-easter we had on 11/12.

[Scott Weersing]

I can not agree more with this opinion. The Maverick has done some of the most beautiful and enjoyable courses to play, in a very short period of time. If i could add, his wife Heidi was also very courageous during this battle.

The interview is a solid testimony to Mike Strantz. .

Dear Germain:

What is your favorite Strantz design? Do you think he is a revolutionary designer? What impact do you think he had on design?

[Ronald Montesano]

"When you start reducing width (and I mean air space as well as fairway width) you begin to reduce the number of options for players of various skill levels, thereby reducing the total number of players who can successfully navigate their way around the course. I guess that’s fine if we only want scratch to 10 handicaps playing golf."

This comes from the GCA interview with Strantz a few years back.  I cry out for more air space.

[Ronald Montesano]

One more line from his interview...is this not our mantra?

"I am discovering a much deeper appreciation for the game of golf than just ‘What did you shoot?’"

[R.S._Barker]

I've had the pleasure in playing RNK and Tobacco Road and wholeheartedly agree that Mike Strantz is an artist, whom used the natural canvas of nature to create some of the best golfing experiences I've ever had. I too hope the courses he designed stay financially sound and continue to be a living monument to his genius.

I miss you Mike!

[Germain Pepin]

Dear Germain:

What is your favorite Strantz design? Do you think he is a revolutionary designer? What impact do you think he had on design?
[/quote]

Being a "newbie" in golf architecture, i can not say if he was a revolutionary designer. What impact he has on golf course design and architecture? I is hard to say, considering that there are only nine places in America where it is possible to see his work. More, i have not played all of them. So it is difficult to answer to your questions. His final design (Monterey Peninsula Country Club) was acclaimed almost unanimously.

However, the tragic story of Mike Strantz has touched me. Citing Golf Digest's Ron Whitten in 2005: "While battling oral cancer during the last four years, enduring radiation treatments, chemotherapy and ultimately 16 hours of surgery to remove most of his tongue, Strantz continued to practice his craft with extraordinary dedication and artistry. His final design was the transformation of the mundane Shore Course at California's Monterey Peninsula Country Club into a masterpiece that rivals nearby Cypress Point for beauty and shot values."

Mike and his wife Heidi were very courageous persons. Their story would make a great film scenario.
 

[Morgan Stephenson]

First of all, I would like to thank everyone for remembering Mike. Even though he was a great designer, he was an even better person and friend. I feel very fortunate to have known Mike the "person" as well as Mike the "designer". I think of Mike almost every day. It's kind of hard not to when you are on one of his courses every day. I know it sounds corny but I truly believe his spirit lives on out here. I played in the Memorial tourney at Tot Hill and it was great to see his wife and family. Heidi,his daughters Dana and Andrea, and his father Jack were there along with Forrest Fezler and many others who Mike had worked with over the years. I think they were very successful in raising funds for the Hollings cancer center where Mike was treated. Thanks to you guys and your discussions of his work it feels in some ways that he has not left us. I love coming to this board and reading what everyone has to say! I miss you,too Mike.

[Dan_Callahan]

I just realized I'm going to be down in VA Beach for thanksgiving and would love to see Royal New Kent or Stonehouse... any suggestions between the two if you could only play one?

RNK 8 ... Stonehouse 2

I thought RNK was head and shoulders above Stonehouse. The back 9 of Stonehouse in particular was disappointing with the number of houses that suddenly appear along the course. For me, that tamed the wild and crazy personality that the front 9 exuded.

I also thought that Stonehouse had too many approaches to very shallow greens that featured water hazards short and bunkers long. If the sand had been at all forgiving, rather than a concrete substitute, it might have been ok.

Having said that, I thought the 17th at Stonehouse was one of the best holes on either course.

[Jay Flemma]

Morgan, CC told me it was a hoot, and that everyone cried when they saw the video.  I can;t think oif anyone I've known who to9uched everyone around him so powerfully and cheerfully.  Its wonderful that his expended family is so deep and broad.

See you next year at the Tournament!!

[Morgan Stephenson]

Jay, It was a lot of fun and the videos of Mike did stir the emotions. Also, I enjoy your writings as I think you are as big a fan of Mike as I am.

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