AACII - Entry 005 | Granite Ridge Golf Club (Nick Campanelli)

[Nick Campanelli]

Welcome to Granite Links Golf Club, a parkland style homage to the courses I grew up playing in New England.  Below you will find the main routing page, explaining the overall design intent, hole yardages, and site character images.  

I have also selected a few hole detail sheets from the routing that I feel were the strongest.  I'm sure everyone will have varying opinions.  I look forward to the additional critique.  Have at it.  Enjoy!

As mentioned earlier, much thanks to Charlie, the judges, and others for participating.  This has been an extremely enlightening exercise, and I look forward to studying and critiquing everyone's routings, including my own.  

Charlie, when does the next one start?  

Main Routing:

[Nick Campanelli]

Hole 06:

[Nick Campanelli]

Hole 11:

[Nick Campanelli]

Hole 13:

[Nick Campanelli]

Hole 18:

[Alex Miller]

I'll just ask it: Is there a reason you chose not to have the fairway cut leading up to the bunkers? There's another thread about this right now regarding the road hole at NGLA and I'd love to hear your opinion.

[Nick Campanelli]

Alex, I've been following that thread as well.  There are many techniques I wish were incorporated into the design after the fact (I'm sure i'm not the only one).  When I first read the NGLA thread, I went back to my design to see if that style bunker would fit anywhere, realizing I hadn't currently incorporated that style into the routing.  

In looking at the design above, there are bunkers greenside near holes 1,6, and 14 that seem similar, but don't function the same way as the road hole.  In my case, all three greens are perched slightly above the bunkers.  I really like the look and function of the "flush" bunker set below the fairway at NGLA, and honestly wish I had seen that thread prior to this competition.        

[Garland Bayley]

Nick,

You did well, especially considering you bucked most of the things loved by this site. Bogey summed it up with his post

Standard golf course architecture criticisms on this side include:

1. Long green to tee walks.  I see a few death marches, notably on the front.
2. The "Augusta Effect."  The course looks extremely green.
3. Fairway width.  Several fairways appear pinched in the landing zone and fairways appear to be relatively  narrow.
4. Greenside playing options.  Very little green surrounds maintained as fairway.
5. Centerline hazards.  Missing.
6. Carry bunkers.  Missing.

I submit many here have fallen victim to the greatest common criticism of the uninformed masses - falling for eye-candy.

Mike  

Another one he missed is forced relatively long carries across water hazards. A personal peeve of mine. Check out my tag line, which quotes Melvyn Morrow.

I am a dedicated walking high handicapper. Do you think your course is for me?

EDIT: Another thing Bogey forgot is the obsession with minimalism on this site. But, yet you won by moving dirt!

[Nick Campanelli]

Garland, I was honestly more concerned about the carries over the naturalized areas between tee and fairway than the forced carries over water.  The holes that incorporate carries over water (6,7,10,15,16,17,18) all provided options.  Hole 6 is risk / reward with plenty of bailout right for those not willing or able to challenge the green.  The same can be said for 15.  17 asks for a decision to be made on the layup, short or long of the creek.  7 is the shortest hole on the course, and would prob play around 130 downhill from the middle tee.  Water should not be in play on 10 or 16.  The 18th would be the only true challenge for the high handicapper, but the finishing hole was designed to be difficult from the beginning.   

I will be happy to respond to your other comments, some of which i agree with, after my round today. 

[Tim Nugent]

Nick, a good, solid effort. Reminded me of a Muirfield Village type course.  The two things that I would have liked tp see different were, as discussed in the other thread, the width of the hole corridors seeemed too uniform (just thhink of the poor slob who slices one off #1 - his days already ruined).  The other was the bunkering.  Where one would have surficed, you seemed compelled to add another.  The overuse of double bunkers. Also, the positionof many of your 'Far' bunkers would beright in the forward tee's wheelhouse.  From a strategy standpoint, the course seems rather one-dimensional - rewarding long and straight.
And what's with all the perimeter bunkers on #6? Only a fool or a bad mis-hit would get in those as it's a layup off the tee (See all the threads about the new bunkers on #3 at PB).
Some oof the walks (2-3 and 5-6) are a bit long and there are more than a few walk-backs (although in some cases that only affects the back tee and helps the up tees). 
The holes I liked the best was the  13/14 combo.

[Mike Nuzzo]

Nick
The background and layout looked outstanding.
The trees looked generated, not photoshoped.
The effect made the golf and terrain blend very well together.
One of the nicest examples I've ever seen.
I'm inspired - thank you.

I the bunkers that mess with the forward tees - I think they should enjoy challenge too.
I'm guessing Tim would wind up in the bunkers in 6.... 

Your layout looked better than many real courses out there by successful archies.
The walk to 6, likely 3 par 3s in a row and #15 were the low points for me.

I like the finish along the front of the clubhouse like NGLA - bonus point.

Cheers
Send me your address please

[RJ_Daley]

I can appreciate the starting concept challenge of a routing through the Vermont or N.H. sort of terrain.  The flavor of the course reminds me of Greywalls by DeVries.  The graphics are obviously outstanding and as an work of creativity, this is a winner. 

However, as a routing, I think it is too busy and too much of everythink like walkbacks, crossovers, and too much play along the watercourse for the same reasons I mentioned to Jim (oxbows, water flashflood events, etc.)  I do appreciate that the multidirection of the route is one that takes advantage of a complete examination of the forces of wind, no matter what way it may be blowing on any given day, and the compounding effect of swirl among the woods. 

This isn't a course that I'd want to play everyday or often due to no options to just play 9.  It also seems to be presented that it might be a lost ball heaven, which would be constant slow play, and tedious searches with cartballers going to and fro.   In my mind, it is a destination course you might play once a year with a road trip with buddies to enjoy the environment. 

You might have to hire eagle scouts to send out on overnight safari's to maintain this course.

This wouldn't be my cup of tea, sorry...

[Nick Campanelli]

Philip was also willing to comment on my proposal above, his comments are posted below.  As mentioned to Tim, Mike, and Charlie, thank you for taking the time to participate in this contest Philip.  You opinions and critique have been more than valuable...

1. Incredible presentation skills.
Your presentation of the plan was at a high level. This is better than what you see from most golf course architects.
 
2. Works well with closed and open ‘spaces’.
I liked the way your routing incorporates both open and closed spaces. Moving around the golf course will give the golfer different spacial experiences which I find interesting.
 
3. Identifies and uses most interesting areas of the site very well.
Your routing was one of the few (18 hole) routings which took (full) advantage of most of the interesting natural features on the site. This is probably the criteria I have weighed the most and one of the big reasons I had you finishing 1st.

4. Bunkering on par 3s does not work that well with the teepositions.
The bunkers become more penal as you move to the forward tees. E.g. 5,7,12. This should ideally be the other way around.

5. Good use of doglegs and diagonal fairways.
This creates many unique and naturally interesting shots.

6. Clubhouse could be better situated.
I am in particular thinking about the distance and view towards 18. It is not a bad position but I feel it might have been placed better in a slightly different position.

7. Good change of direction on holes.
Creates variety and interest.

8.Some relatively long walks (especially to the regular tees).

[Garland Bayley]

...
3. Identifies and uses most interesting areas of the site very well.
Your routing was one of the few (18 hole) routings which took (full) advantage of most of the interesting natural features on the site. This is probably the criteria I have weighed the most and one of the big reasons I had you finishing 1st.
...

I find this comment interesting. I rated Nick's design fairly low. I found that although Nick's design visited the interesting natural features of the site, for the most part it was to skirt by them, as opposed to integrating them in the playing area. So it is "one of the big reasons I had you" finishing much lower on the totem pole.