Lou, Danny,
Thanks a bunch!
SL,
Fair criticism. It started out as a short story and perhaps it would have been better that way for some. But there isn't an outlet for short stories in golf, so I went the short novel route and Sleeping Bear was kind enough to give it a shot. Looking back, I'd love to change a few things, but at the same time, I've gotten many more emails about that book than all the others combined, and some letters that really blew me away about people's insights or personal experiences or new perspectives on design. So in that light, I don't know if I would change it too much, since the goal was to do what Chris pointed out, to get past the notion that architecture is technical and provide a fun way to read about design principles and the state of the game.
Dan,
I actually wrote a brief article for the Riviera club magazine several years back with Thomas coming back to see Riviera. He hated the cart paths, the kikuyu, the flood holes, etc... well, the management made me change it so that he came back, he was thrilled with everything, and at the end of his tour, warmly embraced owner Watanabe for his wonderful efforts. Brutal stuff! I get dizzy just thinking about it. Thankfully, few people saw it.
Paul,
Yes, my first and probably only reference to Tolstoy. Thanks for the kind words,
Geoff