The reasons why courses change,…

[Mark_Fine]

This list is endless but here are a few reasons I have come across. They are in no particular order.  They might make you ponder or grimace.  Add to it as you see fit:

- The course owner changes and wanted something different

- Play is down and someone feels something needs to be done to increase rounds

- A new Grounds Chairman and/or club committee wanted to leave their mark

- The club champion felt the course was getting too easy

- Some vocal members felt the course was too hard

- Certain greens have become boarderline unplayable or have limited hole locations due to increased green speeds

- Years ago the club got a great deal on trees and planted them in all the open spaces they could find

- The course added irrigation (single line back then) and didn’t like the sight of brown grass where the water didn’t reach so they narrowed their fairways and planted trees instead

- A prominent member donated money to add water features to the course because he loved the ones at his other course in Florida

- A new practice area was required and available land was limited

- Water access/demands changed and a larger or new irrigation pond was necessary

- Holes were taken away by eminent domain for road construction and had to be replaced elsewhere on the property

- The course stated as nine holes and years later another nine was added. The membership wanted the new nine holes to better reflect/blend with the original nine

- New development around the golf course and the addition of hardscape turned the course into a large catch basin requiring major drainage work to mange the runoff and keep it playable after heavy rains

- The superintendent liked to tinker

- The club brought in an architect/expert/USGA consultant/….. who recommended improvements

- The club was selected (or wanted to be selected) to host a big tournament

- A competitive course down the street just made changes so certain members felt they should too

- The bunkers no longer drained, the greens had shrinkage from years of mowing, trees had grown, tees had settled, …

- A major storm washed away a hole/green located in a floodplain and it required reconstruction as well as altering to minimize it happening again.

- Mother Nature just does her thing

Again, I could go on and on but change does happen and many times (but not always) for reasons out of one’s control.

[Tim_Weiman]

Mark,


Not sure where you are going with this, but I will add one:


In the 1930s, after much debate, authorities in New York decided that the Boston Post Road was no longer sufficient to handle traffic, so building the Hutchinson River Parkway was approved.


About 20 years later, authorities in New York decided that the Hutchinson River Parkway was no long sufficient to handle traffic, so Interstate 95 was built through Westchester County resulting in significant changes to a course that not long before held a major championship (the PGA).

[Charlie Goerges]

- Certain greens have become borderline unplayable or have limited hole locations due to increased green speeds

I'm always fascinated by this one. It's so funny to hear some people talk about the increase of green speeds as if it is unavoidable, inevitable, and irreversible like the march of time. It's not.

[Tom_Doak]

- Certain greens have become borderline unplayable or have limited hole locations due to increased green speeds

I'm always fascinated by this one. It's so funny to hear some people talk about the increase of green speeds as if it is unavoidable, inevitable, and irreversible like the march of time. It's not.

Yeah, but it's not funny, it's sad.

[Charlie Goerges]

- Certain greens have become borderline unplayable or have limited hole locations due to increased green speeds

I'm always fascinated by this one. It's so funny to hear some people talk about the increase of green speeds as if it is unavoidable, inevitable, and irreversible like the march of time. It's not.

Yeah, but it's not funny, it's sad.

True, and it is absurd. The discussion for me resembles the scene the the first Austin Powers movie where they run over the henchman with the steamroller, with one side saying "but the speeds" and the other saying "but you can slow them down" and eventually the tragedy happens and they flatten the eden green.

[Thomas Dai]

Cracking OP. Many a nail hit squarely on the head.
Atb

[Jeff_Brauer]

Mark,


That list jives with my experience.  Tim W missed your 12th point.


I am not 100% on board with the "woe is us, the greens got faster" sentiment. As a kid, I remember putting on 1/4" high greens that poa had invaded. They were bumpy and untrue.  I liked it when they got smoother.  You could argue that getting green speeds over "X" is going slightly too far, but as far as I know, the courses with greens over 12 on the stimp are still few and far between, when assessing all 14,000 courses in the US.  Most are still under 10, and there is probably room for the top 5-10% to be faster than normal.  Who am I to stop giving golfers what they want?


I found the first answer, "I don't know where you are going with this" to be one that probably would chart the course of this thread into this little micro mindset.  I doubt that was Mark's intent.

[Charlie Goerges]

I am not 100% on board with the "woe is us, the greens got faster" sentiment. As a kid, I remember putting on 1/4" high greens that poa had invaded. They were bumpy and untrue.  I liked it when they got smoother.  You could argue that getting green speeds over "X" is going slightly too far, but as far as I know, the courses with greens over 12 on the stimp are still few and far between, when assessing all 14,000 courses in the US.  Most are still under 10, and there is probably room for the top 5-10% to be faster than normal.  Who am I to stop giving golfers what they want?

It's not the faster greens that are the problem per se. It's that various interested parties use the faster speeds as a reason to flatten interesting greens. Now, because of the relentless push for fast greens, I will never play the best version of the Eden. That kind of sucks.

[Mark_Fine]

Everyone,
I was thinking of listing another 20 or so reasons that I have come across as to why courses change, but I’ll hold off for now. The purpose of this thread was really to just get people thinking and also to quell the rumor I hear often that most courses change because some architect needed work to stay busy. Yes sometimes that is the reason but it is just one of many that impact why courses change. Hopefully this thread generates some further thought about the topic of restoration and renovation work. 


Can’t resist adding one more:


- On one of my renovation projects at an old Emmett course; the owner wanted a water view from his new restaurant.  I refused to add the pond but he built it anyway.  People I sent to the course always ask me, “Mark did you add that pond?”  I have to drop my head and say NO. It even has a fountain    But the owner is happy.  What can you do. 

[Tom_Doak]

Check out the Holston Hills thread for a counterpoint.

[Mark_Fine]

Tom,
Holston Hills is interesting.  No doubt it does happen which is why I included it as one reason why courses change.  Sometimes (I believe most times) architects are genuine in their belief of and recommendation for changes.  Maybe I am naive and/or used to working with limited budgets so I can only do so much anyway, but personally I am a minimalist when it comes to recommending alterations unless I absolutely believe they are necessary. 


Anyway, there are countless reasons why almost all courses change and why they will continue to change now and into the future. 

[Stewart Abramson]

I didn't see "We want to reduce maintenance costs" on the list.  My old course eliminated a number of bunkers that were not very strategic but were very high maintenance.

[Mark_Fine]

Stewart,
Reducing maintenance costs is a big one. We all know what Tillinghast did late in his career with removing bunkers.  That trend has continued today. 


Another area besides bunkers are greens.  At many courses greens have been purposely allowed to shrink in size from what they were in an effort to reduce costs.  This has a major impact on play and strategy. 

[Ronald Montesano]

I've seen that pond. Scott Witter has seen that pond. I love that course. Now I understand the pond.

Fortunately, it doesn't do much beyond visual intimidation. It's there, but it's not in play as the holes were intended to be traced.

[Mark_Fine]

Ronald,
Yes Scott and I know that pond well.  Except for topped shots off the 1st and 10th tees it is fortunately not in play.  But it does establish an early impression for the golf course which otherwise is an absolute gem.  We are very proud of our work there for good reason.  That course was almost fallow and was to become a housing community    The before and after photos are stunning.  But it won’t make any Top 100 lists except for ones that list great old architecture at great value which might be more important 
 
To stay on topic this is another why courses change, someone wants to turn them into housing or Walmarts!

[Mark_Fine]

I will add yet another reason why courses change that recently came up for me on one of my new projects:


- A large contingent of members want to build Pickleball courts and the only spot available is near the 1st tee.  Golfers are fighting it but some of the golfers are also Pickleball players who want the courts.  They asked me to think about what we could do with the golf course to accommodate all! 


And some of you thought courses only change for architectural reasons 

[Joe Hancock]

I will add yet another reason why courses change that recently came up for me on one of my new projects:


- A large contingent of members want to build Pickleball courts and the only spot available is near the 1st tee.  Golfers are fighting it but some of the golfers are also Pickleball players who want the courts.  They asked me to think about what we could do with the golf course to accommodate all! 


And some of you thought courses only change for architectural reasons 

Mark,


Decades ago, Tillinghast changed the original Raynor routing at Sunningdale CC in Westchester County to accommodate a new swimming pool facility. There’s nothing new under the sun, as they say.

[Mark_Fine]

Joe,
That is a good one about Tillinghast.  As you know there are all kinds of reasons why courses change.  We could both list dozens more if we wanted. 

[Carl Johnson]

Green Committee believes course is too easy, which means that handicaps are too low and don't travel well.  Therefore, toughen course and bring handicaps up.

[Mark_Fine]

I will add one more since it appears to have come up on the Hilton Hills thread.

- Early drawings discovered

Restoring a course based on early drawings (which are almost always just conceptual) is a mistake.  Much more evidence as to what was actually built is required if you really want to get it right.

[Nigel Islam]

Ronald,
Yes Scott and I know that pond well.  Except for topped shots off the 1st and 10th tees it is fortunately not in play.  But it does establish an early impression for the golf course which otherwise is an absolute gem.  We are very proud of our work there for good reason.  That course was almost fallow and was to become a housing community    The before and after photos are stunning.  But it won’t make any Top 100 lists except for ones that list great old architecture at great value which might be more important 
 
To stay on topic this is another why courses change, someone wants to turn them into housing or Walmarts!

Mark,


The older I get the more accepting I am of courses changing when the alternative of having no course at all seems a possibility. At the end of the day it is still golf.


At least that is what I keep telling myself!

[mike_malone]

Club no longer values its origins. Then some fad comes along and they follow it.