During an attempted intellectual
conversation on writing style at my local pub, the mention of Gustave Flaubert was met with a deafening thud. This French writer famously searched - and searched - for
‘le mot juste’ so much so that his output lagged well behind that of his contemporaries. However, his work and attention to detail is of such uniformly high (!) quality that his written word truly stands for something. It endures. Flaubert always put his profession of writing first and never came close to cranking out inferior work for pecuniary gain.
The timing of this conversation was serendipitous and the perfect segue … you guessed it … to this month’s Feature Interview. Keith Foster is a guy who takes on only 2 or 3 restoration projects at a time and that’s it. Like Flaubert, Keith’s precision and authenticity hallmark his undertakings. What and where he ‘builds’ often turns into a long lasting relationship. For example, he has been affiliated with Colonial in Fort Worth for 16 years, Southern Hills for 15 years, and Eastward Ho! for 10 years. The two courses of his that I toured last year (Southern Hills with its intricate Maxwell putting surfaces and clean bunkers and Orchard Lake with Alison’s rugged bunkers and broad green slopes) couldn’t be more different stylistically. It’s wonderful to witness his adaptability as far too many other architects hammer home a certain style (i.e. THEIRS
) on virtually each and every project.
Given some of the inane opinions of which green committee members are capable, some architects try to cocoon/insulate themselves within their work. Not Keith, he refreshingly speaks of the enjoyment he gets from working with Green Keepers and committee members. Such an approach has helped Keith do what few designers can: work on great courses. Most golf architects suffer nobly without ever sniffing a world top ~300 course. Foster’s quiet manner and his old school, hands-on approach are well suited to traditional clubs who favor moving at a measured pace. The right architect + the right green committee + right green keeper = Keith’s winning team formula. One such example of all the right people being in place is Philly Cricket, where updates within this Discussion Group have shown a startling transformation. It represents another Golden Age restoration to Keith’s glittering resume.
Keith’s interest in mountaineering nicely ties in with the current GolfClubAtlas.com front cover photograph. If you like the outdoors, you like the outdoors, be it on a golf course or in the mountains or on a plain or wherever. Continuing with an analogy (a writing tactic that Flaubert likely detested!), mountain climber Ueli Steck was recently awarded the Piolet d’Or, the sport’s greatest honor, for scaling the south face of Annapurna. The rub? He didn’t have any proof of the feat: he lost his camera, his altimeter didn’t function and there were no witnesses because his climbing partner had turned back. Modern architects can’t suffer a similar fate: their work is laid bare for all to see (and critique). There is no questioning what Keith has accomplished.
While Flaubert agonized over his craft, Foster seems to revel in his but both have produced works of inspiration and beauty that enrich lives. Keith always talks about work that ‘endures’ and that’s exactly what he has accomplished. We would have done a Feature Interview with him LONG AGO but he isn’t a fan of our Q & A format that necessitates talking about oneself. So be it but as you can see, GolfClubAtlas.com finally won out!
Best,