... under Architecture Timeline and Courses by Country.
I grew up in Richmond, Virginia and played The Old White Course at the Greenbrier in nearby West Virginia a grand total of ... zero times. That's unusual for someone who otherwise acts as a shill
for Macdonald and Raynor's work. The reason? Though people raved about the resort, not a sole talked about The Old White, no historical buzz, no nothing. Now I understand why as only vestiges of Macdonald and Raynor's work remained. As George Bahto told me yesterday in regards to a 1992 visit that he paid there, "I was amazed at what had happened to the once notable high profile golf course. Nearly unrecognizable were many of the feature holes and their strategic bunkering as they had been modified over time in house or by visiting architects. It was as if some huge steam roller had flattened the entire golf course - fairways and greens. Very sad and a true loss."
As recently as 2002, instead of a 15,000+ square foot Biarritz green, there existed a straightforward par three to a conventionally bunkered 5,400 square foot green. What should have been an 8,300 square foot Redan green was half that size. Central hazards including the Principal's Nose and Hell Bunker were gone with trees defining tight corridors.
In short, The Old White had become the sort of parkland course that you find throughout the northeast. Why bother traveling to play a similar brand of golf to that near your home?
Thanks to the restoration work accomplished from 2002 to 2006 by Lester George and the Greenbrier management team lead by then Director of Golf Robert Harris, The Old White once again is something special. I was there in late May and alas, the fescue hadn't come in yet. Here is a photo of the Narrows from 2008 that shows anything but a typical course.
This profile is different than any we have done as there are four examples (specifically, the 3rd, 7th, 13th, and 18th holes) whereby the impact of the hole location is shown clearly via compare/contrast photos. As evidenced at other Macdonald greens such as the back hole locations on the 6th at Piping Rock and the 15th at Saint Louis CC, certain hole locations impact a hole's daily scoring average by over half a stroke. That's a lot (!) and it is fascinating to see how a hole's complexion changes to such a degree, from being a potential birdie opportunity to becoming one of the hardest on the course for that day.
No doubt the professionals will see a very interesting mix when they arrive to play the Greenbrier Classic when play commences on July 28th. Seeing classic design features beamed into television sets around the country is nothing but good for both the resort and for the game itself. Yes, with wet greens that held, the professionals had their way with the course last summer, capped off by Appleby's sparklingly 59. But even mighty Oakmont yields under such conditions, so I am especially keen to again watch it in two weeks time. The Old White was closed late last summer and the greens were regrassed with Tyee creeping bent which will give them the desired keenness and firmness to function properly. Barring torrential afternoon rains, firing at certain hole locations this year simply won't work as it did last year for the pros.
The nearby Homestead Resort in Virginia should take note of the work that was done here as their prized Cascades Course is sorely in need of similar help. For instance, while the creek was unburied at the 5th at Old White during the restoration, the 5th and 6th at the Cascades have been compromised by seeing their creek piped underground. Just because William Flynn is underground doesn't mean his features should be too!
Bottom line: A feature rich course from the Golden Age is almost guaranteed to be more fun to play than any other course from any other design period. This holds true for The Old White now and much less so for The Cascades Course (despite the blue print provided to them on Flynn's features by Tom Paul and Wayne Morrison).
The Greenbrier's new owner, native West Virginian Jim Justice, has seen to it that The Old White is no longer Macdonald's most forgotten design. Even better, it is actually one of Macdonald's most accessible. Combined with Old Macdonald on the west coast, golfers can gain a full appreciation of Macdonald and Raynor's unique brand of strategic golf. Here's to the start of a promising re-birth of an American classic!
Cheers,