[Mark Saltzman]

As some may know, inspired by Ed Oden's trip and thread last year, I took a trip through Oklahoma and Kansas to see as much of Perry Maxwell's work as I could.  Like Ed, I now know just enough to be dangerous.

I played 10 of Maxwell's courses and toured 2 more and noticed that there were many repeating patterns.  

Maxwell is most well-known for the 'Maxwell Rolls,' but this is just one small part of what makes Maxwell's golf courses so damned good.

In this thread I will identify some of the features I saw repeated throughout his golf courses.

First Template: The green lay in clear view and at similar elevation to the tee.  The tee shot is played into a valley, with the landing zone blind from the tee and in many cases guarded by a hazard crossing the fairway.  The approach is played back uphill to the green.

Examples

Old Town's 1st






Bristow's 7th






Southern Hills' 5th






Crystal Downs' 15th







Crystal Downs' 7th







Muskogee's 2nd






Jimmie Austin GC's 12th -- one of only a handful of Maxwell's holes that remains...






Twin Hills' 18th -- imagine how great this would be without the trees...







The above are the best examples of this template I have seen, but the following are also clear examples but with slight variations and/or dramatically affected by the addition of trees:

Southern Hills' 15th






Oakwood CC's 9th






Muskogee's 10th






Oklahoma City's 18th -- borderline template as the elevation change in the fairway is very small.






Blackwell Municipal's 7th -- the only par-5 variant






Bristow's 5th -- I believe the retention pond is not original (looks like it may have been a stream at one point)

[Tom_Doak]

Mark:

That seems like an odd template to have, but I believe you are right that it was a tendency in his routings.  I seem to remember a similar hole at Melrose in Philadelphia, which was Maxwell's routing.

Curious what were your favorites of the lesser-known Maxwell designs.  [I'm sure you'll get around to that eventually.]  One of our interns at Dismal this summer is from Oklahoma and has a short list for me.

[Jason Thurman]

Mark,

Like Tom, I see this as an odd "template" but certainly a tendency. A few questions.

1. What is the function of the crossing hazard seen in many of these holes? Is it at a constant location? Is it in play off the tee? Does it have risk/reward elements?

2. Do you believe this "down and up" template was something pursued cognizantly? In other words, do you believe Maxwell considered it a template he used, or do you think he just frequently found himself drawn to routing holes across a valley? I ask because, as an unknowledgeable observer (I've not played a Maxwell course), the photos you show look like the type of thing you could show to Maxwell and illuminate a tendency he might not have even recognized, particularly with this "template" occurring multiple times on the same course in many instances.

Perhaps another architect will better understand this (poorly worded) question and might be able to answer it more knowledgeably. Basically, I just wonder how much of architecture is "formulas" (holes across valleys are effective) and how much is feel (these hills and valley look like a good place to put a hole).

2b. Going a step further, you mentioned in another thread that Maxwell usually had the clubhouse at the highest point on the property and routed courses in loops. Do you frequently see these "down and up" holes in transitions to-and-from the clubhouse? And if so, is their frequency in his routings actively sought or is it simply a function of the terrain that tends to surround the highest point on a property?

[Mark Saltzman]

Tom, on almost every Maxwell course I played this 'template' was present.  Curiously, there is no hole at Prairie Dunes that fits this template, though the old 8th (current 17th) from the original teeing location [which is near the new back tee on 11] would have been a reasonable fit for the template.

I was impressed with most every Maxwell course I had the privilege to visit.  Dornick Hills is more of a pilgrimage than a visit to a great golf course.  The bones of the course are just barely visible (though I know you've seen DH) before.

I believe you also rated Twin Hills and Oklahoma City in The Confidential Guide, so I suppose they're not included in the 'lesser-knowns'.

So, the two I would most recommend are Oakwood CC in Enid, OK and Muskogee CC in Muskogee, OK.  Each course, perhaps more than any course I have ever seen, has holes that so perfectly fit with the natural terrain that one could easily mistake the setting as a walk through a park, rather than a hole on a golf course.  Maxwell's green sites on the par-3s on the front-9 at Oakwood are two of the best I've seen -- sure, they're not on the ocean, they're not overly dramatic, but they just feel like they are located where they belong [if that makes any sense].

Oakwood's greens have obviously shrunk, but it still has a handful of standouts.  The greens on the two-par-5s on the back-nine are small but so undulating that they would put many of the 'famous Maxwell rolls' to shame.

Muskogee has planted an unbelievable number of trees, and in most cases, they are of the straight-line variety.  As a result, it is difficult (at least for me) to appreciate many of the par-4s and par-5s as the width and angles with which they were designed are all but gone.  Still, Muskogee's greens may be Maxwell's best set (that's saying something) with many standouts -- in particular, the 7th, 13th and 18th.

I certainly wouldn't go out of your way to see it, but if you have a few minutes when driving between OKC and Tulsa consider stopping at the 9-hole Bristow GC.  The routing is completely intact and there are a couple of really good holes (3 and 7) and a rare chance to see Maxwell using reverse-cambre (at the 4th).

[Sean_A]

Mark

If I had to pick one specific thing about Old Town I didn't like it was the blind water on #1.  The bunkering on #2 (and in general the look of the bunkers) was the second.  Crossing the parking lot on #3 was the third.  So you can imagine that I was less than impressed with Old Town's opening trio.

In any case, I have only seen two Max courses, but UofM doesn't have the blind water issue.  It does have water on a steeply downhill drive on #18 which is reachable, but you can clearly see it. 

As an aside, UofM's 7th is a wee reverse dogleg - same for #16.  #7 is probably nearly straight, but trees down the left make one want to play a bit right and that is the way the land moves.  Its a cuss of hole because the drive is blind and you drift too far right a greenside bunker cuts off the approach. 

The more I think about it, UofM has a lot of holes which make me uncomfortable on the tee.

Ciao

[JC Jones]

I think trademarks or tendencies is probably more accurate than template.

[Chris Clouser]

Mark,

Lot's of great photos.  I think the Southern Hills hole you have photos of is not the fifth, but the fourth.  I think you could break this down a little bit more.  Maxwell did use this as a routing mechanism on many of his courses.  He was a big fan of Donald Ross' work and I've seen this technique used on several Ross courses.  My theory (and that is all it is) is that Maxwell picked up a lot of ideas early in his career about how to build courses (templates from Macdonald, routing concepts from Ross, etc.) and used them in his courses as a sort of amalgam of all of these methods.  The overall concept you are showing here is the way he used the technique in his routings.  He did this on a variety of holes on several of his courses.  I would say the best hole that had this particular trait is the 11th at Hillcrest in Bartlesville.  It is just simply a stunning hole.  This routing tool could be used on a variety of holes that had various elements.  Maxwell seemed to like holes that had high elevation points for tees and greens.  In most cases this provided scenic views.

I think this technique led to some of his traditional first and finishing holes you see on his courses.  Holes like the first at Southern Hills, Dornick Hills, and Crystal Downs have the elevated tee that has a great vista.  Then finishing holes on several courses that traverse up the hill to below the clubhouse.  Again Southern Hills is a great example of this, but Twin Hills, Dornick Hills and Old Town also have this factor.  So I think the routing mechanism is a great lead in to facilitate a variety of holes that Maxwell liked to build.

Now if you wanted to dive into this a little further I do think that Maxwell did have a specific template that was very much in line with this technique.  It was on several mid-lenghth par fours.  Maxwell seemed to have several holes where the player could elect to lay back a little off of the tee and have a flat lie into a green located on the other side of a depressed area, or they could chance having a shorter approach into the green by trying to bomb it to the lower section of the hole.  The fifth at Dornick Hills is a perfect example of this.  The 7th at Crystal would be another example.  

[Pete Balzer]

Like father, like son. Press Maxwell used this same tendency in the Colorado courses I've played. Hiwan and Pinehurst CC come to mind.

[Mark Saltzman]

Chris,

Interesting comments.

Of course you are right, that is the 4th at Southern Hills.

The template you mentioned is not one I picked up on, but agree it exists.  There are a few more I have in mind and though JC suggests that 'template' is not the right word, I think it is.

As far as the drop from the clubhouse, Blackwell, Muskogee and Bristow all have the same feature but to a lesser extent than the three you listed.  The clubhouse is at the high point of the property on all courses except Prairie Dunes.

And the rise to the clubhouse is again present at Bristow, Muskogee to some extent, Blackwell, Duncan, and Oakwood.

Chris, if you have any other templates or tendencies you want to add, please feel free to do so.

Upcoming: Template #2 -- The Blind Tee Shot over a Rise

[JC Jones]

Chris,

I see the 15th at Crystal having a characteristic much like the 7th where if you lay back you have a more level approach.

I guess I should explain why I didn't like the word 'template.'  Template tends to be something the architect places on the land irrespective of the topography (hence why you see shorts that play down hill, level, etc. or capes that play with water, without water, uphill, etc.) where as a routing tendency is finding particular topographical features and using them similarly on various courses.

That being said, I can roll with template.

I'm hoping that Ed Oden sees this thread because the three of you (Chris, Mark and Ed) probably have the most exposure to Maxwell architecture of any 3 people on the planet.

[Sam Morrow]

Mark:

That seems like an odd template to have, but I believe you are right that it was a tendency in his routings.  I seem to remember a similar hole at Melrose in Philadelphia, which was Maxwell's routing.

Curious what were your favorites of the lesser-known Maxwell designs.  [I'm sure you'll get around to that eventually.]  One of our interns at Dismal this summer is from Oklahoma and has a short list for me.

Tom,

 I played in college in Oklahoma and haven't played all the lesser know Maxwell's but there are good places to see.

The Elks CC in Shawnee is a blast, very cool lay-out and some very difficult small greens.
Mowhawk in Tulsa is fun and depending on your source it was done by Maxwell or Floyd Farley.
Lincoln Park is a blast to play and across the highway from Twin Hills. I think with the right plan Lincoln Park would be one of the better regarded municipal facilities in America.

[Jason Topp]

You can add Veenker 5th to the list of this template.  402 from the back tees, significantly downhill to the water and then back up to the green:



The hole is irritating because it is long enough you want to get the tee shot near the water but balls easily run down the hill into the pond or the woods to the left.  

Here is a link to a good description on their website

http://www.veenkergolf.com/map/hole.asp?hole=5

[Buck Wolter]

Jason-
I thought immediately of #2 at Veenker (Tom take a look because if I win the lottery this restoration is coming your way).

http://www.veenkergolf.com/map/hole.asp?hole=2

[Mark Saltzman]

Second Template (though this one is probably more of a routing preference than a template): The blind tee shot over a rise.

If you play one of Maxwell's golf courses there is a very good chance you're going to face this template.  The first time you see it (my first was at Crystal Downs) it looks so simple and confusing -- a sort of "so what the heck do I do" feeling is inevitable.  There is very little in the way of visual cues to give any idea of the ideal line.  There is clearly a reward for repeat plays as there is no tendency as to direction of the hole once over the crest of the hill.  Some holes are straightaway and downhill, and others dogleg sharply left or right.  I know that blind shots are often avoided in routings (especially on modern golf courses) so it is interesting that Maxwell sought out this tee shot feature.

Thoughts?


Examples


Crystal Downs' 12th




Old Town's 13th





Old Town's 10th




Old Town's 4th -- here the second shot (for most) is played over the crest of the hill




Twin Hills' 15th




This Hills' 13th




Twin Hills 2nd -- Have to imagine it without the trees!




Southern Hills' 7th




Oklahoma City's 14th




Oklahoma City's 10th




Oklahoma City's 5th




Oakwood CC's 6th




Oakwood CC's 4th




Muskogee's 14th





Dornick Hills' 13th





Dornick Hill's 12th




Bristow's 3rd

[Phil McDade]

Mark:

Your 2nd template is one of my favorites used by architects. I may post a few photos tomorrow of another architect who seems to utilize this technique quite frequently.

Ran's review of Herbert Strong's Canterbury in the Cleveland suburbs depicts another fine example of this technique:

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/courses-by-country/usa/canterbury/

[Tom_Doak]

Interesting, I have never thought of the up and over hole as a tendency of Maxwell's.

It is clearly a tendency for Bill Coore, who admires Maxwell's courses so much, but I'd never made the connection.

[Jud_T]

Mark,

Is this another "template", or routing concept, that he may have gotten from Ross?  The 17th at Ravisloe came immediately to mind when I read this...

[Sam Morrow]

Is the second really a template or is it necessitated by the property? I only ask because I've played so many holes with that kind of drive.

[Matthew Petersen]

Is the second really a template or is it necessitated by the property? I only ask because I've played so many holes with that kind of drive.

As Mark said, a "routing tendency" may be a better term. To some extent, sure, it's dictated by the property, but it could certainly be avoided if your goal was to avoid such shots, so that fact that such a tendency is so prevalent indicates at the very least that Maxwell had no issue with this. I suppose it could be somewhat interesting to look at preceding or subsequent holes to see if he was often trying to build another kind of hole and then left himself with this, but I'd be surprised.

Intersting point about Coore/Crenshaw, Tom. As I looked at these photos, several of their holes definitely jumped to mind.

[Bruce Wellmon]

Interesting, I have never thought of the up and over hole as a tendency of Maxwell's.

It is clearly a tendency for Bill Coore, who admires Maxwell's courses so much, but I'd never made the connection.

This is an assumption, but, Bill Coore went to Wake Forest ('68) and played on the WFU golf team which plays at Old Town Club.
Could we assume OTC had some degree on influence on his work?
http://magazine.wfu.edu/2012/01/27/messing-with-the-mona-lisa/

[Ed Oden]

Mark, sorry for not chiming in sooner, but I've been on the road this week.  Very nice thread as usual.  A few random thoughts...

While I'm in line with Jason's thinking of this stuff as routing tendancies rather than as templates, at the end of the day it seems a largely semantic exercise.  So "template" works for me if it works for you.

I agree with Chris that your first template is seen in many Ross courses of slightly earlier vintage.  So I suspect that Maxwell was influenced by Ross (and I'm sure others) in this area.

I believe the hole at Jimmie Austin mentioned in your initial post is actually the 13th hole.  Like Blackwell, it is also a par 5.

Your second "template" is one that I mentioned in my thread last year.  Maxwell used the drive over a rise to a blind landing zone so often, it seems almost habitual.  Every Maxwell course that I have seen has at least one hole with this feature and often more.  My personal favorites of this type of hole are those where the rise is crowned (e.g., Old Town #10).  It leaves the impression that the landing zone is similarly crowned (it usually isn't), making the tee shot appear more intimidating than it really is.

Tom Doak, I second Mark's recommendation of Oakwood and Muskogee as lesser known Maxwell designs worthy of a visit.  Oakwood's routing is really good.  And both have a lot of interesting features - particularly the greens.  I believe the greens at Oakwood are essentially original.  Not sure about Muskogee.  Perhaps Chris knows.

[Ronald Montesano]

Bruce, I concur. There is no doubt that years of play at OTC would have influenced BC in his work.

I suspect that lesser architects would have looked at the OTC and other properties and not routed the way Maxwell did. As a result, I suspect that "template" is not erroneous, if...

we consider template to mean "aspect" of a hole, not the entire hole itself. If it is the latter, then the second example would be a template shot, not a template hole.

[Kyle Harris]

Mark:

That seems like an odd template to have, but I believe you are right that it was a tendency in his routings.  I seem to remember a similar hole at Melrose in Philadelphia, which was Maxwell's routing.

Tom,

That would be the all-world 2nd hole. I think Joe Bausch may have a photo.

[Chris Clouser]

Ed,

You are correct, those greens have been touched a lot over the years.  Tripp Davis also redid the third, fourth, and fifth holes on the course. 

[Mark Saltzman]

Trait 1: Favoring the outside of the dogleg.

It is very rare, at least in my experience, that an approach from the outside of the dogleg is the ideal line into the hole.  Though it is not the case on every dog-leg hole that Maxwell designed, in many cases Maxwell would ask the golfer to choose between the inside of the dogleg and a shorter approach, or the outside of the dogleg leaving a longer approach, but a clearer/easier line into the green.


Examples

Prairie Dunes' 1st

Perhaps the best example of this is the 1st at Prairie Dunes, where the shorter line into the green leaves a semi-blind approach over the corner of a dune, while an approach from the outside of the dogleg will leave a clear approach that can be run onto the green.








Oklahoma City's 2nd

There is a very clever/useful feeder slope short/left of the 2nd green.  This slope is much more easily accessed from the outside of the dogleg.  Further, the approach from the inside of the dogleg is all carry over a deep hollow.






Dornick Hills' 3rd - green opens up from outside of dogleg.









Blackwell's 8th - green opens up from outside of dogleg







Oakwood CC's 18th [must be imagined without trees] - approach from outside of dogleg is played into, rather than across, the slope of the green.






Muskogee's 18th - green opens up from outside of dogleg. 






Muskogee's 11th - green opens up from outside of dogleg






Oklahoma City's 9th - A perfect example.






Southern Hills' 2nd - Clear line into green and avoids the visual deception created by the short bunker on the left.






Twin Hills' 9th - Another great example.  Green opens up from outside of dogleg and approaches from this angle are more easily stopped because of slope of green.  Added trees have increased the penalty for being on the inside of the dogleg.






Southern Hills' 12th - Not only is this one of the Nation's great par-4s, but it is also a great example of this Maxwell trait.  While approaches from the left are shorter, approaches from the right have a clearer view of the green and are played into its slope.






Twin Hills' 17th - Approaches from the inside of the dogleg leave a semi-blind approach over bunkers, while approaches from the outside leave a clearer view.








Twin Hills' 18th - Approaches from the inside of the dogleg must be played over the deep fronting green side bunker.









Twin Hills' 10th - Approaches from the inside must be played over a deceptive fairway bunker while approaches from the outside have a clear look at the green.








Prairie Dunes' 3rd [I know this is a Press hole and ditto 11, 13 and 16, but I know at least some think this was Perry's routing...]






Prairie Dunes' 7th






Prairie Dunes' 11th - Blind/shorter vs. clear view








Prairie Dunes' 13th - Blind/shorter vs. clear view and into slope of green








Prairie Dunes' 16th








Prairie Dunes' 18th - Not a perfect fit, but approaches from the outside of the dogleg are played into the slope of the green

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