Most clubs don't understand that when they hire a big name design firm, rarely do they get the guy whose name is on the shingle out in the field for any extended period of time. In fact, when you hire a household name, frankly, you are doing so not knowing who will be actually doing the dirt work on your course. That is an interesting risk that many clubs unwittingly take, especially in busy times (which these are not) when the best shapers are likely to be tied up on projects elsewhere.
Not enough credit is given to shapers who actually build courses/features. Be it greens and/or tees and/or bunkers, etc., it is their talent that is what your eye will eventually see and making sure all the features tie in is a true art form. I hope GolfClubAtlas will do a better job of interviewing a variety of such folks going forward, starting here with Kye Goalby.
While Kye has designed some of his own courses, he has spent much of the past twelve years working with Renaissance Design on some of my all time favorite courses including Pacific Dunes, Old Macdonald and Ballyneal. His lengthy answers provide great insight into what it is like being out on his own as well as for working with Tom Doak. His description on the fun factor of the construction at Ballyneal I found to be telling. Getting the right chemistry and right work environment for the people doing the dirt work is crucial to the final product and I don't think it is a subject that many of us have ever given much thought. In fact, has Tom Paul even mentioned the subject in any of his first million
posts ? I don't think so. Kye gives Bruce Hepner tons of credit for making Ballyneal go so well and that fun factor clearly shines through in the finished product.
Kye spends much of Part I praising the work of others at Renaissance including Brian Schneider, Brian Slawnik and Eric Iverson. Right away, that tells me that Kye himself is seriously good for generally people with talent are also the ones where graciousness comes the easiest. Of course, he is too modest to dwell on his dirt work at Saint Louis Country Club, for instance, which is excellent through and through.
Posting a Q&A with Kye now is timely as it comes on the heels of the opening of Old Macdonald. His insider's view of Doak and how Tom gets the best from his crew is a must read. In the process, he shares some specifics on Old Macdonald like, for instance, crediting Brian Schneider for his role in getting the subtleties of the Road Hole green complex just right.
In addition, given who his Dad is, Kye is also one of the few guys who can smoothly insert a Sam Snead/Jack Nicklaus story as well! Plus, I can virtually guarantee that this will be the one and only time that The Big Lebowski factors into an answer in a Golf ClubAtlas.com interview
.
Ben and I will post Part II with Kye Goalby next week but in the meanwhile, there is much to absorb here - hope you enjoy it.
Cheers,