Monterey Peninsula Country Club

[Michael Whitaker]

There are some great new photos of the progress at Monterey Peninsula Country Club on Mike Strantz's web site. Here's a link: MPCC Photos

[HamiltonBHearst]

Didn't Rees Jones do some well regarded work at this club?  Is there a reason they did not hire him for this job?

[Brian_Gracely]

Rees Jones did some work on the Dunes course.

[Dan Kelly]

Do many/most architects do such extensive (and so pretty) preliminary sketches?

The sketches look even more enticing than the photographs.

[Robert "Cliff" Stanfield]

Wow....I would love to have the sketching ability of Mike!!!!  It would be nice to have a book of his sketches to learn from and I admire the level of detail and ability to bring the visual ideas to the club.  What true level of marketing and ability to sell.

[Neal_Meagher]

Dan,

While many architects do sketches to get their point across, few can match the level of what Strantz does, in large part owing to his training in art.  Plus, he's just damn good at it.

The colored sketches you are referring to were done as a part of the package sent to all members of MPCC to generate a positive vote on the project which obviously worked!  This isn't unusual, but most architects reserve the sketching in order to get prescient information across to the contractor and owner before/during construction, therefore, they are usually simple pencil or ink line drawings.

I would say the ones who can sketch, do; the ones who can't, don't.

[Scott_Burroughs]

Michael,

You beat me to it only because I was busy today.  I discovered these pics the middle of last week, asked permission from our resident (despite them being on a public web site) to show them, and told him I'd wait until this morning to post them.  Oh, well.  

Just wait until the finished product and some grow-in to really judge.

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

Hamilton, I feel the Board of MPCC made the right choice. Rees in his current mode would not have gotten the support from people like us. I get sick at the thought of Rees Jones traps and the strategic void in so much of his current work being at a place I love so much. The course is coming along great and I cannot wait to se ethe finished product.

[Jeff_Mingay]

The MPCC work looks wonderful, on a very interesting looking site too. (I've never been to Monterey.)

Mike Strantz is definitely an artist, in more ways than one. I'd like some of his sketches to decorate my home. Beautiful stuff. I agree with Neal, he's a unique talent in that regard.

It's funny too, I'm pretty much a staunch traditionalist when it comes to golf course aesthetics. But I recall leaving Tobacco Road for the first time thinking, "My God, that is a very cool golf course." Even though, aesthetically, it's nothing like I've ever seen. Which is wonderful.

Hopefully MPCC is left with a ultra-unique golf course, in the Tobacco Road vein, that differentiates it positively from its more famous neighbours. That would be an accomplishment - an accomplishment that looks like is in the works, in fact.

There's an element of sensory overlaod at a place like Tobacco Road perhaps, but still, it's a fun, strategic golf course. And a very interesting one to look at as well. The photos of Bull's Bay, and other Strantz designs, at his website indicate the same. I haven't seen any of his other works in person yet.

My hat's off to a golf architect who's willing to "think out of the box." (And, on aside, I also appreciate Mike's personal appearance. He doesn't look like "a golfer"! Which is very refreshing to a guy like me.)

[SPDB]

Rees in his current mode would not have gotten the support from people like us.  

Tiger -
I am curious about that statement. What does it mean?

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

I should have said most of us, other than Pat and few others.

[HamiltonBHearst]

I do not think Pat gives anyone, Rees Jones included, a free pass on any work they do.  One think i do know is that Pat would judge the work by what is in the ground and not the personalities and names involved.  Just facts.

[SPDB]

But why should approval by most of us have anything to do with what arch the club chose?

[THuckaby2]

Rees Jones also did nice work at the Dunes, but the two courses are to be way different animals.  The Strantz course will be the hands down preferred course for this elite group based on looks alone.

Forget the looks, that goes without saying given the two architects...

I bet over time though that the Dunes ends up as the preferred course for most people outside this group though.  Shore is gonna be very tough, and the 14th at the Dunes speaks loudly.

 

[redanman]

correct H  

[Scott_Burroughs]

If Strantz' work is well-received by all, I wonder if they'd consider him working a little magic on the Dunes course?  Not necessarily re-routing, but given a Strantz touch-up in the mode of how the new Shore course will be.  I know it was worked on not long ago by HIM, but it could be better.

[SPDB]

Strantz, in my mind, was a very risky choice. His designs, while solid and endorsed heartily by fans of architecture, have been characterized as extreme (e.g. use of vast scrubby areas, blind shots galore, etc). If successful, this will vault Strantz into a whole other league of architecture. No longer will he be viewed as aberrant.

[THuckaby2]

Scott:

I find the Dunes to be just fine as is and in no need of any tinkering.  I gather the drainage didn't turn out as well as they hoped, though - so perhaps some work there by some expert might be welcomed.  But as for all of this, well... even if you are correct, wouldn't you think the members just want to have two courses that they can play, finally?

I had the impression most members were very pleased with how the Dunes turned out, also....

TH

[Lou_Duran]

It might be just me, but I liked the original Shores course a lot.  The greens in particular were subtle but very challenging.

I know that for the better players having two "championship" level courses at a club is a plus, but how about for the regular membership?  MPCC is a special case because some of the site has outstanding views.  It will be interesting to see how the membership takes to the new course.

For those who've played Tobacco Road and Tom Watson's Cassique (The Kiawah Island Club), any comparisons?  

[THuckaby2]

It might be just me, but I liked the original Shores course a lot.  The greens in particular were subtle but very challenging.

Lou - you are far from alone there.  I loved the old Shore.. the greens were fantastic, better than the Dunes.  It is sad to see it go.  BUT... from all accounts and every look of things, the new Shore will be even better.  One will now look AT Cypress Point instead of away from it, on most of those holes out near 17 Mi. Drive...

As for how it is received, I'm sure it will be beloved by one and all.  Over time we will see which is seen as "better" and by whom... My point is it's just not this lead-pipe cinch that the new Shore will be better than the Dunes, or viewed as such by the members, who really are all that matter anyway.

It will be interesting to read what the true expert on these matters will say also... I'm sure he'll see this soon enough.

TH

[Scott_Burroughs]

Sean,

Yes, Strantz is known as a "rebel" in terms of going beyond norms, but the new Shore course is different for Strantz, as it is very low profile (in terms of dirt moved - a directive/mandate).  Other than Caledonia, most of Strantz' stuff moved a good amount of earth (but not as much as they appear).  So yes, this will vault Strantz up, so he'll be known more for good work without moving much dirt.

Tom,

Dunes is "just fine", just as Yale is "just fine" (how others interpreted your and my opinions some time back).  I think it's the same as Yale, a very good (actually, I like Yale a lot as it is) course as is, but could be so much better with the right person doing the work.  Even out resident at the MPCC isn't totally enamored with the work done at the Dunes.

[THuckaby2]

Scott:

Last I heard, and every one of the many times I've been fortunate to play the Dunes with our resident expert, he sure has always been pretty damn pleased with the work on the Dunes... outside of the drainage, maybe.  But for what was done architecturally?  I have yet to hear a complaint.  He may have to step in here sooner rather than later and clarify this!

And the Dunes is just plain a better course now than it was 6 years ago, that's the point.  It would be very tough for anyone who played it before and after to disagree with that... I know I sure as hell was impressed with the re-do - and what was there before was pretty damn good also.  But it was just plain BETTER after Rees' work.

This is absolutely NOT a Yale situation.

I don't see how it could have been done better by any other person, also... What's there now is one hell of a fine golf course.

It would appear that our host here agrees also, not that THAT matters.    Read the profile.

TH

[Tiger_Bernhardt]

I too loved the greens on the Shore course alot. I would have loved to make the case for the Dunes to be torn up and redone and just address the drainage and a some mild strengthening on the Shore. What is done is done and I feel the members at MPCC will be very well served by the new Shore and the Dunes. I would not think many clubs would really want two real strong courses. A mature membership would want high quality on both but a different degree of difficulty.

[THuckaby2]

Tiger:

'Tis so true that what's done is done... And I guess I'll just have to punt and disagree with you also here!  I did really like the Shore, but man, having one the world's most incredible views BEHIND you for half the course just wasn't a good thing!  So a re-do there was necessary, just to turn things around, so to speak.  As for the Dunes, I don't have the imagination to even begin to think what could have been done better, or by whom.  Bottom line there remains that the course improved a LOT... and drainage there has always been so problematic, that perhaps such is just a nature of the beast.  It's such a damn great course post-Rees, well... the word that comes to mind here re all of this is "enough".

TH

[Craig Van Egmond]

Having been fortunate to play both the Dunes and Shores courses with Sir Robert, my take is that the Shore course was an ok course but nothing special. It had some cool holes, some great views, but was the weak little sister compared to the Dunes. The Dunes course is a very good course, but the new Shores course has the potential to be something very special. It will be interesting to see how the members react.