Golf Digest: Best New Courses of 2014

[Howard Riefs]

Certainly a more robust list than year's past...

Ron Whiten gushes over Gamble Sands, which leads off the list of “Best New Courses of 2014.

http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-courses/2014-11/best-new-courses

And the accompanying list of new and renovated courses follows. Congrats to Tom (Dismal Red, Medinah #1), Tim Liddy (Ford Plantation) and Richard Mandell (Keller)…

http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-courses/2014-11/best-new-courses-photos?slide=3#slide=1


GAMBLE SANDS, BREWSTER, WASHINGTON
David McLay Kidd, designer

THE CLIFFS AT MOUNTAIN PARK, MARIETTA, SOUTH CAROLINA
Gary Player and Jeff Lawrence, designer

DISMAL RIVER CLUB (RED COURSE), MULLEN, NEBRASKA
Tom Doak, designer

SEWAILO GOLF CLUB, TUCSON, ARIZONA
Notah Begay III & Ty Butler, designers

TRUMP NATIONAL GOLF LINKS AT FERRY POINT, BRONX, NEW YORK
Jack Nicklaus, Jim Lipe and John Sanford, designers

ESPLANADE GOLF & COUNTRY CLUB, LAKEWOOD RANCH, FLORIDA
Chris Wilczynski, designer

POTOMAC SHORES GOLF CLUB, POTOMAC SHORES, VIRGINIA
Jack Nicklaus and Rick Jacobson, designers

THE FALLS GOLF CLUB, LARCHWOOD, IOWA
Rees Jones, designer with Bryce Swanson, associate

THE CANYONS GOLF COURSE, CANYONS RESORT, PARK CITY, UTAH
Gene Bates, designer with Casey Bates, associate

SNEAK PEEK: MINOT COUNTRY CLUB, MINOT, NORTH DAKOTA
Jim Engh, designer

SNEAK PEEK: THE TATANKA CLUB, OHIYA CASINO & RESORT, NIOBRARA, NEBRASKA
Paul Albanese, designer

SNEAK PEEK: CABOT CLIFFS, INVERNESS, NOVA SCOTIA
Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw, designers


NEWLY REMODELED COURSES

POPPY HILLS GOLF CLUB, PEBBLE BEACH, CALIFORNIA
Robert Trent Jones Jr. & Bruce Charlton, redesigners

SENTRYWORLD GOLF CLUB, STEVENS POINT, WISCONSIN
Robert Trent Jones Jr. and Bruce Charlton, redesigners, with Jay Blasi, former associate

FORD PLANTATION GOLF CLUB, RICHMOND HILL, GEORGIA
Pete Dye, redesigner with Tim Liddy, associate.

GEORGIA SOUTHERN UNIVERSITY GOLF COURSE, STATESBORO, GEORGIA
Bob Walker, redesigner

FULL CRY AT KESWICK GOLF CLUB, KESWICK, VIRGINIA
Pete Dye, redesigner with Chris Lutzke, associate.

TRUMP NATIONAL GOLF CLUB DORAL (BLUE MONSTER), DORAL, FLORIDA
Gil Hanse, redesigner with Jim Wagner, associate

THE PHILADELPHIA CRICKET CLUB (WISSAHICKON), FLOURTOWN, PENNSYLANIA
Keith Foster, redesigner

MEDINAH COUNTRY CLUB (COURSE ONE), MEDINAH, ILLINOIS
Tom Doak, redesigner

KELLER GOLF COURSE, MAPLEWOOD, MINNESOTA
Richard Mandell, redesigner

THE CAMPUS COURSE, TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY, COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS
Jeff Blume, redesigner

SNEAK PEEK: OLYMPIC HILLS COUNTRY CLUB, EDEN PRAIRIE, MINNESOTA
Ron Prichard, redesigner

[Tom_Doak]

Bonus question:

Guess which of the above courses has an 18th hole that features "a faux Indian burial mound replete with waterfalls and cascades" ?

[Jonathan Mallard]

I thought about answering, but I'm not going to touch that one.

[Ben Baldwin]

Bonus question:

Guess which of the above courses has an 18th hole that features "a faux Indian burial mound replete with waterfalls and cascades" ?

 THE TATANKA CLUB, OHIYA CASINO & RESORT, NIOBRARA, NEBRASKA

[Ken Fry]

Wow, nothing screams Iowa golf like a fake Indian burial ground and cascading waterfalls.....It looks so natural.....

Ken

[Tom_Doak]

Bonus question:

Guess which of the above courses has an 18th hole that features "a faux Indian burial mound replete with waterfalls and cascades" ?

 THE TATANKA CLUB, OHIYA CASINO & RESORT, NIOBRARA, NEBRASKA

Nope.  See below, it's the Rees Jones course in Iowa, for a different casino.

[Tom Yost]

Sewailo's 18th has mounds and waterfalls/cascades.  I don't think the Yaquis used burial mounds however.

[Jason Topp]

Brad Klein really gushed about the Gary Player course at the Cliffs in a Rater's Notebook I found online.  Has anyone played it? 

[Ben Baldwin]

Bonus question:

Guess which of the above courses has an 18th hole that features "a faux Indian burial mound replete with waterfalls and cascades" ?

 THE TATANKA CLUB, OHIYA CASINO & RESORT, NIOBRARA, NEBRASKA

Nope.  See below, it's the Rees Jones course in Iowa, for a different casino.

Ahhhh....I guess that makes more sense than Paul Albanese.

[PCCraig]

Bonus question:

Guess which of the above courses has an 18th hole that features "a faux Indian burial mound replete with waterfalls and cascades" ?

DISMAL RIVER CLUB (RED COURSE), MULLEN, NEBRASKA?

 

[Jud_T]

Tom,

You missed a trick.  If you had put in a waterfall and mounding at Dismal, nobody would have gotten a wedgie over the hike back to the clubhouse.  Not to mention the fact that it would have rocked everyone here's world view!

[Tim Passalacqua]

Good for David Kidd.   He makes fun golf courses.  I loved Tetherow and the original at Bandon.  Playable with a ton of diversity.  I am sure Gamble Sands is a blast.  It sure sounds like it!

[Gary Sato]

Sewailo's 18th has mounds and waterfalls/cascades.  I don't think the Yaquis used burial mounds however.

Had a $28 million budget and unlimited water rights.  They placed water on nearly every hole.  Sick but that's what you get from a former PGA tour player who wants to be an architect. 

[Steve_ Shaffer]

Sewailo is a torture chamber. 

[Peter Pallotta]

I didn't know anyone even used the word "replete" anymore. "Ah, excuse me, it's the 1980s calling -- we want our word back".

[Bruce Wellmon]

Brad Klein really gushed about the Gary Player course at the Cliffs in a Rater's Notebook I found online.  Has anyone played it? 

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,57015.msg1327313.html#msg1327313

[Tom_Doak]

Brad Klein really gushed about the Gary Player course at the Cliffs in a Rater's Notebook I found online.  Has anyone played it? 

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,57015.msg1327313.html#msg1327313

So the Cliffs course opened in 2013, as did Dismal.  Some of the others, too?  They've made it seem like there are more new courses being built in the U.S., but their web feature includes courses that opened in 2013 and 2014 plus several more that have yet to open.

[Adam Clayman]

image too big, sorry.

[Chris DeToro]

Brad Klein really gushed about the Gary Player course at the Cliffs in a Rater's Notebook I found online.  Has anyone played it? 

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,57015.msg1327313.html#msg1327313

So the Cliffs course opened in 2013, as did Dismal.  Some of the others, too?  They've made it seem like there are more new courses being built in the U.S., but their web feature includes courses that opened in 2013 and 2014 plus several more that have yet to open.

I just read the 2013 article and it's surprisingly similar to the 2014 article just with the addition of Gamble Sands...

[Gary_K]

Bonus question:

Guess which of the above courses has an 18th hole that features "a faux Indian burial mound replete with waterfalls and cascades" ?

Sorry to bring up an old thread but this one slipped by.

Mr. Doak - Have you ever had a client say build me a golf course around an artificial feature/water fall that is being built by someone else and you the architect have no say in how that artificial feature will be constructed nor how it will look?  If not, well, good for you.  Sometimes the architect doesn't have a choice and tries to work the best they can with what they are given. 

Gary K.

[Mac Plumart]

Brad Klein really gushed about the Gary Player course at the Cliffs in a Rater's Notebook I found online.  Has anyone played it? 

Yes, I've played it. It is excellent, Jason.

[Tommy Williamsen]

Brad Klein really gushed about the Gary Player course at the Cliffs in a Rater's Notebook I found online.  Has anyone played it? 

Yes, I've played it. It is excellent, Jason.

I played it as well.  Went around twice.  Liked it much better the second time around.  It has more room off the tee than many Gary Player courses and the shots into the green are fun. Many of the shots can be played along the ground or through the air.  The terrain is interesting but not severe and he made goo use of a little river that runs through the course.

[Tom_Doak]

Mr. Doak - Have you ever had a client say build me a golf course around an artificial feature/water fall that is being built by someone else and you the architect have no say in how that artificial feature will be constructed nor how it will look?  If not, well, good for you.  Sometimes the architect doesn't have a choice and tries to work the best they can with what they are given. 

Gary K.

Gary:  This was the quote from Ron's piece that got my attention:  "Jones added a touch of Las Vegas to Grand Falls Casino Resort's course by locating the par-3 18th atop a faux mountain butte replete with waterfalls and cascades."  That sounded pretty out of character to me.

To answer your question, no, I've never had a client tell me to build a golf course around an artificial feature like the one described.  I would not want to put myself in that position, and I am happy to leave those jobs to other designers.  I'm sure there are many who would be thrilled to have the opportunity to build a course of their own, even if they have to incorporate a feature they don't like, but I wouldn't have expected Rees Jones to be one of them.

[Gary_K]

Gary:  This was the quote from Ron's piece that got my attention:  "Jones added a touch of Las Vegas to Grand Falls Casino Resort's course by locating the par-3 18th atop a faux mountain butte replete with waterfalls and cascades."  That sounded pretty out of character to me.

To answer your question, no, I've never had a client tell me to build a golf course around an artificial feature like the one described.  I would not want to put myself in that position, and I am happy to leave those jobs to other designers.  I'm sure there are many who would be thrilled to have the opportunity to build a course of their own, even if they have to incorporate a feature they don't like, but I wouldn't have expected Rees Jones to be one of them.
[/quote]

I can assure you that the waterfall was not part of the development plan when Rees Jones was brought on board for the project.  The project planning for the resort development started in early 2009.  Right during the height of development/golf course planning start-ups…..err, not, and the developer was a repeat client (I’m guessing that is another rarity in golf course architecture).  The casino resort construction started in the spring of 2010 and the casino resort was open in June of 2011.  The golf course construction started in 2012.  Rees Jones Golf Course Design (RJGCD) had a routing developed in 2010. 

In the spring of 2011 (during the construction of the casino resort) the developer wanted a waterfall added to the 10-acre man-made lake (18’ deep for geothermal heating & cooling – created a tremendous amount of waste dirt).  Proposals/presentations were made by local landscapers, the developer selected one and boom, there’s now a waterfall near the 18th green complex.  The architect was asked if a waterfall could work and RJGCD provided a concept sketch of a waterfall and a green that was closer to the lake's water surface elevation, i.e. a much small waterfall feature.  Go to the Grand Falls Casino Resort website and click on the Golf to tab to see a picture of the waterfall RJGCD had to work around.  It’s pretty big, much larger than the sketch provided by the architect.

I guess RJGCD could’ve pulled the eject chord at that point.  That would be difficult to do with a repeat client that could be a client again in the future.  RJGCD stayed with the project knowing the waterfall was going to change the original routing.  The original par 5 18th hole is now a par 3 due to the waterfall.  I’m pretty sure RJGCD knew that the course would come under some scrutiny (look at this thread) because of the waterfall.  There were a few zingers/comments made about ‘what would Phil say’ (2011 was the year Phil was going off on RJ).

You may consider this to be a ‘difficult’ client that you reference in the ‘There is no excuse for building an average golf course’ thread.  The developer is in the casino business and the golf course is an amenity.  99% of the people that will visit the resort are there to gamble, not to golf.  The developer makes his decisions on what’s needed to keep bring people back.  If a waterfall is part of that ambience or wow factor, then it is a success.  That’s not to say the developer doesn’t care about the golf course.  The developer cares very much about the golf course and is providing a golf experience that doesn’t really exist in the area.  If he didn’t care, he could’ve hired a far lesser qualified designer for a cheaper price.  The developer and RJGCD had a prior working relationship on similar project and new that the architect was capable providing a course even with the site limitations.  The expectations and being familiar with the players involved is of value to the developer and architect. 

This post is getting a bit long and I’m not here to defend RJGCD, but the waterfall wasn’t of their doing.  I wanted to present more detail for those that may read this post because I’m a bit frustrated by some of the uninformed comments made in this thread that were kicked-off by your guess the golf course post.  Sort of a baiting question that leads to chipping away at one of the often targeted golf course architects.  I may have a slightly jaded view of alot of the comments made about golf course design because I seen and experienced the challenges/limitations/expectations that a designer (of anything) needs to deal with.
 
Side note - I’m not sure where the ‘Indian burial’ ground reference is or was.  I guess that was subsequently edited on the Golf Digest web site?  Four miles west of the site is an Indian burial ground (Gitchie Manitou State Preserve/Blood Run).   For those commenting about the lack of waterfalls in Iowa, this resort is located on the state line with South Dakota.  About 3 miles down the road and the quartzite outcroppings start to appear.  Sioux Falls, SD is located about 10 miles away (target audience).  Maybe there is a waterfall in Sioux Falls?  Falls Park?  A little homework helps  .

[Tom_Doak]

Gary:

I don't know your background.  Did you work on this project?  Do you work for Rees or for somebody else involved?

Anyway, the money quote for me was the second sentence in your response.  Consider carefully what you are saying there.

I guess RJGCD could’ve pulled the eject chord at that point.  That would be difficult to do with a repeat client that could be a client again in the future.  RJGCD stayed with the project knowing the waterfall was going to change the original routing.  The original par 5 18th hole is now a par 3 due to the waterfall.  I’m pretty sure RJGCD knew that the course would come under some scrutiny (look at this thread) because of the waterfall.  There were a few zingers/comments made about ‘what would Phil say’ (2011 was the year Phil was going off on RJ).

You may consider this to be a ‘difficult’ client that you reference in the ‘There is no excuse for building an average golf course’ thread.  The developer is in the casino business and the golf course is an amenity.  99% of the people that will visit the resort are there to gamble, not to golf.  The developer makes his decisions on what’s needed to keep bring people back.  If a waterfall is part of that ambience or wow factor, then it is a success.  That’s not to say the developer doesn’t care about the golf course.  The developer cares very much about the golf course and is providing a golf experience that doesn’t really exist in the area.  If he didn’t care, he could’ve hired a far lesser qualified designer for a cheaper price.  The developer and RJGCD had a prior working relationship on similar project and new that the architect was capable providing a course even with the site limitations.  The expectations and being familiar with the players involved is of value to the developer and architect.  

This post is getting a bit long and I’m not here to defend RJGCD, but the waterfall wasn’t of their doing.

Now, you aren't Rees Jones, so I am not saying any of the following about Rees ... I'm just talking about your rationalization of the situation, which may or may not have anything to do with how it went down.  

Anyway, it's one thing to reason that "they hated the waterfall idea but they felt they were stuck with it and didn't want to dump a project they were under contract for."  I would sympathize with that point of view.  Once my name is on a contract, I feel bound to complete it, even if the situation changes drastically.  [For the same reason, Bill Coore waits until the last minute to sign his contracts ... he'd rather do a bunch of work up front with no guarantees, than get stuck building something he doesn't like.]

But then you go on to imply that they might want to work for the same client again down the line!  What would that say about their motivations for working?  

And then you kind of dismissed it all with the observation that 99% of people don't care about that stuff anyway, it's just a casino.

The people who object most strenuously to the implication that they are motivated by money, are often the people who are motivated by money, but are embarrassed by it.


P.S.  Yes, I quoted the "faux Indian burial mound" directly from the GOLF DIGEST web site, so I guess someone must not have liked Ron Whitten's characterization of it, and asked them to take it out.  Faux burial mounds do sound kind of offensive, and that's one of the reasons I made a comment about the course to begin with.  It did make it sound like it was designed to fit in somehow!