Redfeather Golf and Social Club --Lubbock TX

[Buck Wolter]

Ground has been broken on this course in Lubbock, TX being built by King Collins. Should be an interesting development to watch.

West Texas Driving Range Pro (JJ Killeen) looks to be very involved -- it won't be everyone's cup of tea (see the website main pic) but it looks like it will be fun #pissmissiles. Definitely worth checking out the routing map.

A Doak and now a KC course in Lubbock, TX (Population ~250K).


https://redfeathergc.com/


https://twitter.com/redfeatherg

[SB]

I will be watching this with great interest. 


I'm very curious to know how deep the market is for 20-somethings looking to drop $50K on a golf/pickleball club in West Texas.

[Ryan Farrow]

I believe one the taglines being pushed on the social media was "putting Lubbock Texas on the map in the golfing world". Sorry Tom Doak 


Is the website serious or is it a troll of some kind?

[mike_beene]

 Wonder how the routing will deal with the tree?

[Ben Hollerbach]

I believe one the taglines being pushed on the social media was "putting Lubbock Texas on the map in the golfing world". Sorry Tom Doak 


Is the website serious or is it a troll of some kind?

Not sure Redfeather will change the golfing worlds knowledge of Lubbock golf, but how many people actually know the Rawls course exists and that it's a Doak design?


Outside of those on this website and those that live in west Texas, I'd imagine very very few.

[Buck Wolter]

Better look at the planned routing. That triple green looks cool but scary to me -- the one in the middle is a par 5, hate to be putting out on one of the other 2 with a 3 wood incoming.


https://kingcollinsgolf.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Red-Feather-Plan_11.27.20.jpg
[/size]

[Jeff_Brauer]

I recall an old That's Jake or Bizarro cartoon with cattle skulls and tumbleweed laying around the golf course and a caption that read, "Why West Texas will never be a golf resort."  The courses can be great (as great as possible on dead flat property where you have to create contours).  That said, LaJitas resort isn't too far different in climate, and much better on natural features, and it seems to do well.  (I haven't been)


I will be called an old fogey again (or pedantic) but I hope they have their errors and omissions insurance up to date, LOL.  I get closely connected tees and greens, as long as the tees are behind the green.  There are 7 examples where the golfers are teeing off adjacent to a front corner of a green, which will at best slow play, and at worst, be dangerous.  I know a new generation of gca's wants to rethink everything, but most of us old guys wouldn't take safety for granted, based on hard experience.  A few of those are even on the downwind side of those greens, making problems even a bit more probable.

[Steve Lang]

   Jeff,


The school of "hard knocks" so to speak?

[Jeff_Brauer]

Hard knocks to the noggin!


Seriously, I have been lucky in my career, with the only two lawsuits against me from a sod supplier who thought it was unfair that I rejected their dead sod or sprigs for a project on my owner's behalf (it's my job, as described in the contract, also he was obligated to produce said sod on time, for the price agreed to, and both live and in good condition, which he failed to do)  Of course, I tend to separate my greens and tees further than many.  (I will say that after participating on this board since 1999, I have tightened up those distances a bit, but mostly for tees right behind a green, since statistically, almost zero shots go over greens on the fly - not tees adjacent.)


I have occasionally testified for clients on personal injury lawsuits, and been asked to testify for others (but turned it down because I just couldn't lie) and when someone gets injured, it's pretty hard to defend, "I wanted the course to be like the Golden Age or the original St. Andrews where you teed off from the previous green" to a sympathetic jury.  If history shows that tees too close to greens result in higher than normal injuries, then that will be the legal "standard" architects will have to face, at least, IMHO.

[Matt_Cohn]

Nobody has commented on Redfeather in a while, but I have to say, it looks pretty darn interesting.


Par 5's at 630 and 655. A par 4 at 515. A par 3 at 245...but still under 7,000 yards par 72. Why? Four potentially drivable par 4's and a 99 yard par 3 at #17. If you like out of the box, this looks pretty out of the box.

[mike_beene]

Adding to the danger: golf in that part of the world gives you four knuckle grips. When the four knuckle golfer ages a little you get wicked head high snap hooks. This course is not designed for that.

[Tim Gavrich]

I feel a little sorry for any right-handed golfer who struggles with a slice or block off the tee and will have to stare at OB all day on the holes around the perimeter of the property. As a lefty, I'm ecstatic!


Of course, that all changes when they reverse the routing, which from the plan looks very doable.

[Shane Wright]

Mike -


You should know that a routing on an artistic map from a LONG time ago and what actually gets built in the field are often times VERY different.


Have you played in Lubbock before?


One of my favorite lines I learned living in Lubbock for several years:


"When it's breezy, swing easy.  When it's not, same effing thing."

[mike_beene]

I am sad to say I have never played in Lubbock. Tried several cases there and bet I have made 50 trips there in my life. I have never been good at combining a work trip with a golf trip.