Right Brained, Left Brained or HARE BRAINED?

[W.H. Cosgrove]

I was interested to see that Ron Whitten chose Right vs. Left Brained design concepts as the topic for one of his biggest showcases of the year.  Is this the basis for our disagreements over architecture or is this just one more powder puff article?  Has Whitten been haunting the self-help section at his local Borders Books?

Several years ago I was in attendance when David Kidd was discussing his new design at Bandon Dunes, the room was full of type A personalities wanting to know the degree of the dogleg on #10 and disussing whether bunkers should be placed 266 or 276 1/2 yards from the tee.  Kidd followed by describing the process of how a child would explore the property and then laying the golf course along that route.  Kidd's explanation left many of the analytical attendees with blank stares.  

Certainly Seth Raynor would have been a left brain type.  Each bunker and greens complex in its place and following a specific set of requirements of Cape, Redan and Biarritz.  

I am a feel player and react more positively to more natural courses.  The regimentation and over built nature of the Jones leaves me unimpressed.  

How do you feel about Whitten's article and is it appropriate to the furthering of architecture in the coming millenium?  Are these really the ideas we should be exploring for the majority of golfers? Or are  length and limiting the ball more pertinent to the discussion?  

Or has Whitten been reading to many self help books?

[Jim_Kennedy]

Cos,
If RW wrote that the left hemisphere is the side of the brain that's home to language and processes info in a logical, sequential order while the right hemisphere  processes intuitively, holistically, randomly and more visually he is following conventional (I say this only because of what I've read, no first hand knowledge )wisdom. I also thought the use of one side or the other pertained to our preferred way of learning, not how we apply what we've learned.
But, going with the flow, don't architect's need both sides to be working equally to translate onto the ground the ideas in their heads? If someone like Seth Raynor did use a more ordered approach he certainly didn't forget the holistic or the aesthetic as a visit to Fishers Island will show. He  must have relied tremendously on intuition and visualization to "see" the course at Yale.
I really don't know if you can make the distinction in courses with a R/L side argument. Maybe RW succeeded.

[David Wigler]

Cos,

I thought it was one of Ron's better articles.  I found it fascinating and had never categorized golf as such.  I am very curious to know where some of our contributors scored on his scale.  I scored a 4.  It is down the middle but maybe the only thing in my life where I lean towards the left.

[George Pazin]

What I found most interesting in the article was the statement that CBM/Raynor designed left brain but the results were right brained (or maybe vice versa, I have trouble remembering the difference). The point was that they seemingly designed very engineered courses (left brain), but that the courses played very much like feel (right brain) courses.

[Andy Levett]

It's a good read but I suspect one  basic premise, that there are left-brained and right-brained architects, is flawed.
I'd suggest all architects, golf or otherwise, are right-brainers because visualisation is such a crucial part of design.

The article's on line here:
http://www.golfdigest.com/courses/americasgreatest/index.ssf?/courses/americasgreatest/gd200305leftrightcourses.html

[Jeff_Brauer]

My question is how many golfers playing for score are right brainers?

[ForkaB]

Hmmmm?

Are there any golfers out there who are not (in one form or another) "playing for score?"  If so, maybe we can call them "no brainers?"

[redanman]

Whitten should stick to Law.

[THuckaby2]

Well, there's playing for score and then there's playing for score... that is, a round playing for the Carnegie Shield is different than a bounce game with yokels like me, isn't it, Rich?

I scored a 2, and one of those was only by necessity... that being said, I can make myself a 10 when necessary in competition.

I'd guess a lot of us have this duel nature.

TH

[ForkaB]

Tom all of have some sort of a dual nature.  It is only golfers, however who have a "duel" nature.  Case closed!

[THuckaby2]

That was a great typo.  Mea culpa and well said in return.

But my typo aside, you yourself have admitted to different types of play in and out of competition... do you deny that now?

TH

[Jeff_Brauer]

Some golfers say they play to, say entertain clients....but if they entertain them by breaking their putter over the knee, then I suspect they are also playing for score.....

[ForkaB]

Tom

I compete differently, with differing objectives, in various types of games, and on different shots, but I rarely take a swing without some sort of objective in mind, even if that objective is just to get the bloody ball in the air for once!  That's all I'm trying to say, and I don't think any golfer, even Dan King, is different in this regard.

[THuckaby2]

Rich:  fair enough, well said - gotcha.

TH