Rio Olympics 2016 course decision…

[Ed Oden]

Would love to see an overlay of the routing on a google maps image, if anyone has the skills.

Here is a Google Earth image of the site...



...and here it is with the Hanse plan overlayed...

[Greg Thomsen]

Wow, big result, well done to all involved

[Howard Riefs]

Couple good articles from Golfweek with some select quotes of note:

Hanse should be a natural fit for Rio
by Brad Klein:
"Beyond what this means for Hanse’s own career, it is a powerful step in the emergence of a more naturalistic, more traditionalist and ecologically sensitive approach to golf and golf-course design."
http://golfweek.com/news/2012/mar/07/choosing-hanse-ioc-makes-wise-decision/

In choosing Hanse, IOC makes 'wise' decision
"Hanse confirmed that plans call for ground to be broken in October for a course that will be on treeless property that is mostly sand in Reserva de Marapendi in Barra da Tijuca, where wind will be a huge factor. So long as they meet plans to break ground in October 'the timeline that’s been articulated is comfortable,' Hanse said. 'It’s not great, but I think given the climate and warm-season grasses, we should be able to get the golf course up and running by the middle or end of 2014.' "
http://golfweek.com/news/2012/mar/07/choosing-hanse-ioc-makes-wise-decision/

[Jim Colton]

From Gil's website:



(Ed, there's a pretty cool plan for the Old School course at Prairie Club. Not sure if that made it to your plans thread or not)

[Pete Balzer]

Good pub for the Prairie Club.. if the course is well recieved.. if/when Old School is...

[Ron Farris]

Congrats to Gil and his team.  My only exposure to his work is the Horse Course at the Prairie Club.  Some fabulous and creative work there!  I look forward to the Old School course at the Prairie Club and his Olympic endeavor!  Good Luck hanseforth!

[David_Elvins]

Not sure why so many are surprised.  He is the world's best architect and had backroom support from geoffshackelford.com.

[Brad Klein]

A great day for golf design. It's very hard to overstate what this means for golf architecture. Beyond the significance to Gil's career, it means a lot for the worldwide perception and discussion of golf design, golf's ecological sustainability, the value of local land form identity, the importance of teamwork, and the enduring values of classic ground-game design.

http://golfweek.com/news/2012/mar/07/hanse-should-be-natural-fit-rio/

[Jeff_Mingay]

As usual, you've nailed it, Brad.

[Eric Smith]

In case you missed the interview... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Xdisz9269g

[Lynn_Shackelford]

I agree with everyone's thoughts.  When heard the news yesterday I felt that the game has taken a major shift for the better.

In its own way it even enhances Golf Club Atlas.

[jeffwarne]

Congrats again Gil and team.

all right. I'll say it.


Were there any candidates that didn't bring a woman on board?

[Brad Klein]

I'm pretty sure that Hawtree, RTJII, Gary Player and Tom Doak did not include a woman specifically as such on the design team for her LPGA/playing/design credentials.

There might have been some women involved on their respective environmental teams, but not in the room as part of the presentation by the above-named four teams for the sake of symbolism or substance.

[Anthony Gray]

  Will the course be open to the public prior to the olympics?

  Anthony

[Greg Tallman]

  Will the course be open to the public prior to the olympics?

  Anthony


[/quote/]

NO!!!!! Not another wife finding trip!

[Tom Kelly]

From Gil's website:



(Ed, there's a pretty cool plan for the Old School course at Prairie Club. Not sure if that made it to your plans thread or not)

The courses look really interesting and I am sure it will be great fun to play, my only experience of Gil Hanse's work was at Castle Stuart which definitely was, but from the pics above with all the shared fairways and ponds, it doesn't look like the most spectator friendly course I have ever seen.

I only mention this as with golf such a minority sport in Brasil, the vast majority of the locals being so poor and having witnessed myself how local football clubs struggle to fill their stadiums with fans even though the whole country is fanatical about the sport and tickets are relatively cheap, I can't really see many turning out to watch golf.

Even if the golf and course are great, if the course is empty and there is no atmosphere I can't help but think the whole thing will be a massive flop.

Has anyone got any inside info on what the IOC is expecting/planning for spectator numbers wise?

Will they be targeting locals or tourists over for the games?

Even any ideas on pricing - though I guess that will be decide far nearer the time?

It's a long shot anyone will be able to answer any of these I know but still worth trying!

Personally I would have loved to have seen it played as matchplay, with free tickets for the locals and shuttle buses put on etc etc. It would be great to get as many people in there as possible and exposed to golf. If done properly it could expose the whole of South America to the sport and be a huge boost for the industry and sport as a whole.

I would hate to see a chance like this missed.


But anyway congratulations to Gil Hanse and co, I am sure they will build a great course!

[Tom_Doak]

I'm pretty sure that Hawtree, RTJII, Gary Player and Tom Doak did not include a woman specifically as such on the design team for her LPGA/playing/design credentials.

There might have been some women involved on their respective environmental teams, but not in the room as part of the presentation by the above-named four teams for the sake of symbolism or substance.

Brad:

Two of my interns, Sara Mess and Angela Moser, worked extensively on our design presentation, though they did not come to Rio with me.  I mentioned them [and our environmental consultant, Dorothea Pereira] as part of our presentation, but I didn't play them up as design equals.

I am curious about your statement above.  Do you think that having an LPGA player as part of the design team is crucial in order to get the design right -- that we designers don't understand how to challenge the LPGA players?  Or are you saying that it's important only for symbolism?  From the standpoint of design alone, I don't see why having a woman professional on the team is any more important than having a male Tour pro -- which obviously wasn't important.

[Brad Klein]

Tom,

Good question.

I think that if it's for symbolism and seen that way then it works against you. If it's shown to be substantive then it helps you. That committee was pretty sharp, as were the technical teams behind them that did their investigations into various site plans.

I won't speculate on the relationship that Ochoa, Sorenstam and Webb had with their respective teams. But I think that the committee did their homework and would have seen through it if any women showing up were not well versed with the plan and didn't contribute to an understanding of strategy, junior golf development, the layout.  Again, I have no idea what the three women named above contributed. I do know that Amy Alcott has been familiar with Gil's work. She came out and spent time with him at LACC-North. And that because she's been off the Tour so long and exploring a post-LPGA career move she's been engaged in serious discussions about design, course range and golf academy set up, etc.  I think the fact that she answers her own phone calls and texts and doesn't have to rely upon an intermediate agent makes her more real, more accessible. And her marquee value as a player being well behind her, she can't fall back on being a celebrity or a big name and has to rely upon her acumen and wisdom watching the evolution of women's golf and junior golf (and men's golf).

[Noel Freeman]

Congrats to Gil-  Considering I was fortunate enough to have dinner with him last week and briefly discuss the Olympic bid this obviously is a great ending for him and his crew.  I have been lucky enough to know Gil from when my old club Alpine CC was looking at hiring him to do restoration work, I'm glad now that he will continue to add to his fantastic original design portfolio.  Gil has always been a quintessential gentleman and I cannot thank him enough for the pleasure of his company recently and just being a damn great designer.

But one little addendum, besides Gil's other partners (Jim, Amy etc) who did their part to get the Olympic job, I believe one man in La Habra California also helped on Gil's presentation and detail work and I know to him this has brought great, wanton joy.  Congrats Tommy..

[Forrest Richardson]

Hats off to Gil! Terrific choice, surprising — stunning even — and a great day for those of us who reasoned that one of the mega names would have the edge. (I was prepared for any choice, but the left-brain part of me would have bet differently than the decision.)

The routing is very interesting and it will be fun to watch it unfold. Hopefully someone can muster enough convincing to engage one of the satellite services to capture daily snapshots of the work from space. That would be a great and everlasting memory for golf — and Gil.

Amy is a very passionate person about kids, golf and especially girls coming into the game. I found her a great choice...obviously so did the selection committee and IOC.

[Howard Riefs]

I'm pretty sure that Hawtree, RTJII, Gary Player and Tom Doak did not include a woman specifically as such on the design team for her LPGA/playing/design credentials.

There might have been some women involved on their respective environmental teams, but not in the room as part of the presentation by the above-named four teams for the sake of symbolism or substance.

Be it symbolism or substance, Alcott is part of the dialogue -- even sometimes even in the place of Gil. Witness this NY Times piece:

"In what amounts to the first golfing upset of the 2016 Summer Olympics, Jack Nicklaus, Annika Sorenstam, Greg Norman, Lorena Ochoa and Gary Player lost out to Amy Alcott in the competition to design the course for the Rio de Janeiro Games."


http://onpar.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/07/rio-committee-chooses-design-for-olympic-golf-course/?ref=sports

[Carl Johnson]

I'm pretty sure that Hawtree, RTJII, Gary Player and Tom Doak did not include a woman specifically as such on the design team for her LPGA/playing/design credentials.

There might have been some women involved on their respective environmental teams, but not in the room as part of the presentation by the above-named four teams for the sake of symbolism or substance.

Be it symbolism or substance, Alcott is part of the dialogue -- even sometimes even in the place of Gil. Witness this NY Times piece:

"In what amounts to the first golfing upset of the 2016 Summer Olympics, Jack Nicklaus, Annika Sorenstam, Greg Norman, Lorena Ochoa and Gary Player lost out to Amy Alcott in the competition to design the course for the Rio de Janeiro Games."
http://onpar.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/07/rio-committee-chooses-design-for-olympic-golf-course/?ref=sports

Headline on this story in the print edition of the NY Times delivered to my house today: Olympic Design to Alcott.

[Peter Pallotta]

Brad - thanks much for your post #70 and the details/insights.  It strikes me though that, the committee (and technical teams) being as sharp and serious-minded as you say, they might have been impressed most of all by Gil having come down to Rio a year before the process had even begun.  To use plain language: that showed them that he was the 'hungry', and hungry in just the right way.  And that kind of hunger is great -- but I think it will also make the road ahead even harder for Gil and his team than it would normally be.  Because once decision-makers know you're hungry -- that you care, and want to do things right -- they have a tendency to try to 'leverage' that caring to get their opinions/wishes heard, i.e. to try to take advantage of the fact that someone is willing to listen. (On the other end of the spectrum, I'm reminded of the story of Francis Coppola in his hey-day: he was asked why he spent money on his films so lavishly, why he always went over budget. And he said -- and this is fascinating to me -- that he was already beholding to the producers for providing the money, and that if he showed them for even one second that he cared at all about their money he'd be lost/a slave to them; in Coppola's mind, he had to take away their leverage by constantly showing them that he didn't give a sh-t about them or their money).  Anyway - everything I've read here and elsewhere suggests that Gil will be able to handle it; but it will be a challenge it seems to me.

Peter

[Brad Klein]

Appearance, guise, psychology -- all of that is fine to speculate. The Rio 2016 group did their homework, meticulously reviewed the plans, and was far more sophisticated in its approach and knowledge of course design and course architecture internationally than they have been given credit fo.

Gil's plan, as far as i have been able to tell, took seriously all of the challenges posed by the site in ways that just blew the committee away. I'll be writing this up in great detail for Golfweek, but what won the day was that their enthusiasm and commitment of spirit were matched by expertise that ran deep and wide, was well-presented in 45 minutes and withstood technical scrutiny before and after.

[BCrosby]

Peter says:

"It strikes me though that, the committee (and technical teams) being as sharp and serious-minded as you say, they might have been impressed most of all by Gil having come down to Rio a year before the process had even begun.  To use plain language: that showed them that he was the 'hungry', and hungry in just the right way.  And that kind of hunger is great -- but I think it will also make the road ahead even harder for Gil and his team than it would normally be.  Because once decision-makers know you're hungry -- that you care, and want to do things right -- they have a tendency to try to 'leverage' that caring to get their opinions/wishes heard, i.e. to try to take advantage of the fact that someone is willing to listen."

Interesting take. I hope someone - Gil?, Brad? - writes an after action report after the Olympics have concluded. It will make for a fascinating read.

Even better is that we get to repeat this exercise every four years - forever.


Bob