Pete Dye conducted an online chat Tuesday on Golf.com to promote the latest edition of his bio, Bury Me in a Pot Bunker.
http://blogs.golf.com/presstent/2013/05/pete-dye-live-chat.html?sct=hp1I captured some excerpts:
Favorite course designed:Teeth of The Dog
Current projects:Building in Gulf Stream in Florida. Keswick ouside of Charlottesville and I plan to redo The Golf Club in Colombus,Ohio this summer.
Des Moines CC:Des Moines Country Club was a great job 36 holes and it has been very successful. Tim Liddy is going back to do more. When I first built the course there was nothing there. The Senior US OPen was there and it was one of the most successful they ever had and maybe they will have another one there some day.
How it feels when one of his courses is worked on/redesigned by a different architect:Golf continuously changes and you are bound to have someone go in and revamp or change what you have done in the past. This does not bother me at all as I have redone some of the older people that have gone away.
French Lick:French Lick is in my back yard about a two hour drive in the south western part of Indiana. It is one of my greatest projects and I was able to shape the land so that you can see from every fairway, tee and green about thirty miles. The ambience of this golf course almost excels anything that has been built along the edge of the ocean.
Pick one of your courses to play every day for the rest of your life:I would pick the one that is closest to my home. Right now it is Gulf Stream Golf Course. It was desinged by Donald Ross in 1923. I am completely rebuilding the golf course and have made modest changes.
The Fort:I built the Fort and my fee was a dollar. I don't think they paid me. The course has turned out pretty good. It is a miracle to find ground so diversified close to Indianapolis.
Crooked Stick:I optioned the land where Crooked Stick was built and I ran around Indianapolis to raise the money where Crooked Stick was built. I came back and rebuilt Crooked Stick in 1991 to be ready for the PGA Championship which was a very successful tournament. The board has decided they want to run Crooked Stick and left me on the side.
What type of holes intimidate you the most?Alice and I love golf and I try to make golf holes playable for the high handicap players and yet intimidates the good player. All holes intimidate me.
How much did playing William Langford designed courses in Indiana influence your design style?I knew some of the courses that Mr. Langford designed and for the period in which he designed these courses they are very good.
Finishing holes:I have always tried to have the finishing holes to be 5-3-4 or 4-3-5 because of the diversification. I think the short par 3 at the TPC in Jacksonville has done its job.
Rayor: Of the early architects I think Seth was one of the best. His course in Cincinnati was called Camargo was one of the best of his time. Seth Raynor was a good designer.
Turf grass influence on design:Turf grass has changed dramatically in the past 20 years. To stay abreast of the changes has been a full time job.
Kiawah Ocean:Kiawah is one of my favorite couses. They had the Ryder Cup and the PGA Championship and I know they would like to have the PGA Championship again in the near future. There were some marshes that we could not touch therefore the seperation between the front nine and the back nine. I still think the Ocean Course is one of my very best.
Gil Hanse:I never had the opportunity to see Mr. Hanse's work but I understand he does a good job.
Building and designing courses:Most courses that I associated with I am the builder. I made 140 trips to Kiawah. If you stay close and also have charge of the building you can make alterations that are not costly when you are moving the dirt but you have to be there.
What hole do you wish you could go back and design in a different way?There are hundreds of them.
Favorite course in UK:Turnberry
thoughts on Coore and Crenshaw's renovation of Pinehurst No. 2:Have not seen it.
Have you ever been approached to build something at Bandon Dunes? I have not been asked to do anything in Bandon Dunes
Favorite golfer Hogan
Favorite memory of working with Jack NicklausJack and I are great friends. I had a great time when I built Harbor Town. Since then he has developed a major design operation and I am still digging the dirt.