Where do you see the golf industry going in the future, in regard to design, maintenance, and play?
What would you like to see in the future?
TROY,
I suspect we have seen the future of great design in the past 15 years - since Sand Hills.The future of truly great design -outside of China perhaps - is going to be in remote places where there is great and affordable land. There have been some outstanding - and obvious - examples in Bandon,Tasmania,Nebraska,Colorado.
As remote golf proves itself to be sustainable there will be more people will to take chances on great projects.
In Australia the maintenance trend will not see a drop in demand for fine conditioning because, sadly, so many judge the quality of a course by its condition. I assume it is the same in America.
Play at the top level will continue to produce players whose skills are largely indistinguishable because the equipment has dragged so many into the same place. Everyone drives the ball like Norman used to because the clubs and balls make it such a simple exercise. The hybrid clubs give less talented players the high 220 yard shot that only really talented players like Nicklaus,Seve,Waston,Weiskopf,Norman could hit with the one and two irons.
The 60 plus degree club gives players at least half the shots Seve could hit with a 56 degree club.
And, of course , all this as well as the ball has rendered every old course obsolete if the architects vision and intent is the measure.
If I was a really good player now I would be screaming for a return to the days when equipmet went a long way to distinguishing the great from the very good - and the very good from the average. It would make it so much easier to break out from the pack - and make the game more interesting to play and observe.
Rant Over!
Mike, who was the biggest over-achiever in pro golf you knew or know? The biggest under-achiever?
Any other Barnbougle-type sites in Australia you'd like to build new courses on? If so, can you give me any details?
JIM
Wayne Grady - no question.The Queensland PGA refused his application to turn pro telling him he was not good enough.
He has that letter framed above his BBQ at home. He worked unbelievably hard and whilst he did not look that great he was fantastic with the six iron down and he used his driver very aggressively - i.e he NEVER laid up off the tee.For those who know #10 at The Lakes he always used driver when no one else ever did. And he never missed the fairway.
Under-acheiver??
In some sense it has to be Greg Norman. Given his physical talent ten majors would not have been outrageous. i understand they are really hard to win and 2 is a fine career but he was in position so many times.If Tiger had played the last four holes for him - or Peter Thomson - he would have had his 10.
The unanswerable question is was it mental or physical? My guess is that his swing let him down at crucial moments - and Faldo's never did.
Standard questions:
GEORGE
What brought you to golf?
My parents bought a house on the edge of a golf course and I started to caddy to earn some money.I loved it and the assistant pro told me to play so long as I kept out of the way.I loved to play - and came home in the dark every night.
Golf course architecture?
We - John Sloan and Bruce Grant - started the business in 1995.They felt there was a place for us in the market here.I was playing well in Europe but was 39 and the next year I played awfully and lost my card after 15 years.It seemed a perfect time to go home and work.I sometimes wonder if it was no coincidence that I played poorly at that time - but I am glad I did what I did instead of going back to the school and starting again. 15 years was enough and it was clear I was not going to win The Open!!
This website?
Harley Kruse told me about it - he was working for Peter Thomson at the time and is now with Greg Norman.
And I met George Blunt at Royal Sydney - he was a poster and became one of our best friends.He came to live in Melbourne for a while then went to Delhi and now he is in New York.I miss our games at Royal Melbourne.
George - COME HOME!!
CRISTIAN
I remember last year you were playing the senior tour, are you still playing tournaments on the European Senior tour.
I am starting in Brunei next month and then at Fancourt at the end of March.I will be in Europe in June.
The courses played on the senior tour seem more interesting than on the regular Etour. What are the best courses on the Senior rota?
Last year we played at Ballybunion,La Moye in Jersey and then Porthcawl. Three fantastic weeks in a row and that never happened on the main tour.
I think this year the European Senior tour is visiting Haagsche in the Netherlands, now that renovations have been completed, will you be attending? Did you play it in the late 70's early eighties? I think it was host to the dutch Open on a few occasions around that time...
I can't wait.I really enjoy that course and I won the Dutch International Amateur there in 1980.I played a couple of times since with Robbie Van Ervan Dorens - I really enjoyed him and assume you know him. How is he??
Is your design work confined to Australia or are you pitching for work in Europe as well? Around here some projects still seem to get of the ground here and there, other than in many other places around the globe.
We are almost exclusively working in Australia but there is a better than 'maybe' chance in Europec coming up hopefully.
You mentioned great golf swings are like great courses; they look different, but have a lot in common; Can you tell me the common denominators in your favourite golf courses?
In less than 1000 words!!
Confusing short par fours - the ultimate being 12 at St Andrews.MacKenzie build a number of fine holes with really interesting questions on the sandbelt.
I love short holes where you have no choice but to hit a real shot - and anything marginal is not good enough.
12 at Augusta may be the most famous but 17 at Woodlands in Melbourne is a ripper.8 at Troon is a beauty and 4 at RCD is another.
Royal Queensland was a chance to do course with really wide expanses of fairway, bunkers in the fairways and greens that rewarded play from close to the bunkers.I always enjoyed courses that were wide - Royal Melbourne is the best old course examlple here - but where you had to decide for yourself where to hit. St Andrews. We try to replicate that principle at our courses. The Lakes will be interesting viewing at The Australian Open in November.It will take some thought to play it well.
Like most here I don't have much affection for narrow fairways lined with thick green grass.
All the best courses manage trees well (if they have any) and have beautiful roughs.
TONY
Further to George's question on what got you into architecture, when you were on the tour how many pro's used to talk about making a carear of it? How did you take the step of making wishes become true?
Lots of guys spoke about it - it seemed to be TV or Design - until the money ramped up and now none of them HAVE to work after they finish.And the Senior Tour appeared so the need to to find a real job disappeared.
I think I answered the other part somewhere else here. Bruce and John asked me if I was interested and it seemed like a good idea.If they had not asked I wonder if I would have gotten involved - or just been an interested observer.
KEVIN
Do you think you will be able to build more courses like Healesville ?
4800 Metres par 68.
Maybe - it is unusual but it is the sort of course the majority should play.They have to hit really good shots and they could hit between 5 and 12 greens a round as 20 markers and make some pars and birdies without feeling they were playing a silly pitch and putt that could be taken with rubbish shots.
But - will the market accept courses like that?? For kids it would be perfect.
What projects are you working on at the moment ?
There are some small jobs on at the moment - nothing big- but a couple of maybes - including one in Europe.We shall see but it is an interesting time.
Any chances for expansion overseas ?
Do you think Geoff Ogilvy will get into the golf architecture business ?
I think he will at some point. He is really interested, he has all the books and more importantly he has read them.And anyone who grows up living on the boundary fence at Royal Melbourne and caddying there is bound to be interested in why it all works.
DAVE
What are the three most ridiculous things you have ever heard a pro say about a great course?
1/'They have ruined Kingston Heath.They took out all the trees and now it is too wide'
2/ Not a pro but Andy - nice guy who caddied for Ben Curtis when he won The Open.He was working for Andrew Coltart I think and we teed off the old Composite 1st at RM. He walked off 6 west - after we played 3,4,5 and 6 which may be the best stretch of 4 holes in the world - and said 'I haven't seen anything to impress me yet'
3/ The pro who made the 1st quote was playing a practice round at Royal St Georges for the 1993 Open with a very famous player.
He asked the very famous player what he thought of the course and he said 'nothing a small nucleur explosion couldn't fix'
Has your recent good results on the course been the result of practice, or just more frequent playing?
Certainly not beating balls but I have played more and I spend a few weeks with Mac O'Grady last year.He is an amazing teacher and that has helped.I only wish I knew then what I knew now - but who doesn't.