Please Chris, Please go point by point the changes at DR Jack that take it from being an average course in a great area to a very good to great corse in a great area. Mountain Lake is a fun course with great architecture. It is the most fun I ever have playing golf to the extent the course itself provides the pleasure. If you or others did things to make it mor efun that is worthy of note too. Please give us the case study.
Tiger, I already have, a million times on this site. Since I am sick today a feeling sorry for myself, I will do so again.
Here is I think occurred:
Dismal was built a number of years ago. 4-5 really good guys from Colorado hired another fellow to be the project manager. I think the cost matrix got out of control quickly, and the project manager reportedly alienated most who he came across. At the same time, Dismal has a very elitist or snooty attitude and that didn't come from the Colorado guys - they are fun and just love golf but weren't hands on. 2-3 superintendents, very good guys. Caddies from Scotland, and Jamaican kitchen staff were also part of the fun back then. Hole 6 was shortened early on, by Jack. It's now a hoot.
Next, 911 happened and the 2008 market crash occurred. Golf seized up. Don't underestimate the impact of this here, or anywhere.
The Colorado guys sold the club to 4 Founders, also great guys, who stepped in to complete the club improvements at great personal cost. They contracted a third party manager. 10 greens were softened and hole 13 was changed. The greens were redone to match to green speeds, not a routing flaw. 3-4 more superintendents in two years.
We bought it and took it in a different and simple direction. We simplified and focussed on what made Sand Hills great. The experience. I was very surprised that the routing, while edgy and controversial, was splendid reflecting "Jack unplugged", to quote a good friend. The challenges were obvious, and I buy and turn things around for a living. We didn't buy the airplane - not what we do. We also discoverd that we were intentionally irrigating the rough. The irrigation was ruining a wonderful routing and, to me, that is a sin. Once we stopped providing that which encouraged the rough to grow, the routing "opened up" and penal became playable and real fun. Ground game abounds and there are no bad holes. Edgy? Heck yes. Bad? Nope. The routing is epic and fair. If Tom Doak "perfected what is a routing" at Ballyneal, maybe Jack "reinvented what is a routing" at Dismal. That's why both courses are cool, and different. That's why we don't mind looking at changing things.
We also had to put "soul" into the club. It was institutional and, if you asked any member or staff, no one could tell you what we were. Ponder that a moment. Even McDonalds has a soul. Ours is simple and I wrote this early on
"We will know we are making progress when our members come out to play often, when their friends beg them to be included, and when a few may make the choice to join us".At the end of our first year, we worked with Jack to move the 18th green, forward approximately 80 yards into a natural greensite. Depending on the tees and wind, 18 can be a short but uphill and into the wind par 5, or a 420ish yard uphill Par 4. Jack preferred the par 5 but I encourage people to play it both ways for variety. Either way, it really is a cool hole...one of the most beautiful holes I have ever seen...anywhere.
As posted a few weeks ago, we have few rules. If we need alot, we have the wrong clientele. We are 100% about fun and that has served us well in this very difficult and capital starved environment. We don't take ourselves too seriously and really do like golf in all forms. We don't even have tee times, yet.
My biggest challenge is not to be an asshole. As found in the early years here, assholes kill good clubs. So does turnover. Remember, we are far away from family during the season, so when member friends come out, that is real fun for us. They are like part of the family.
At the 5th Major, we will have a look at 13 again to see if people like what I think I want to see finally done, and that includes moving the green again. John, Eric, and Mac will have a big say here as well, and I hope Brad Klein comes out to weigh in here too. I bet Kavanaugh is beet red right now!
Forgot Jim's other question. Jack laid out two course and a par three course, all of which have water piped to those sites. The stakes can still be found. Tom Watson and Tiger have stakes out there too. In the end, I couldn't think of a better person than Tom Doak to do the next routing. Tom always wanted to do a course in the Sandhills and his routing is unbelievable. Dare I say both Doakish and edgy? Bentgrass greens too! Buckle up!
I wish I could say there is a magic formula but there isn't. In any business, success isn't guaranteed. It's hard, tiring, and emotional work. It is by no means easy. Fun and friendly seems to work. Stodgy and pretentious doesn't. So far, so good.