Bill,
I will speak to this Jerry Pate issue... My experience having played both Tiger Point East and West and Kiva Dunes was that Jerry Pate designs are very playable for all levels of golfers. My opinion of Jerry Pate's design work is that he has a good sense of routing and what it takes to design/build a good product for the intended market. I know the East course at Tiger Point recently re-opened after a complete renovation at the astronomical Pensacola price of $90/round (where a public round can be had for $30-$40 w/cart). Unless they spent 4.5 million in the re-do they are price gouging! Sorry to get off the subject...
During my most recent round at a Pate course (Tiger Point West in December), playing with my brother-in-law and my father-in-law, we all played from different tees to even the match. It was an enjoyable round. The West course had good variety in its greens complexes offering some run-up approaches and others perched up requiring carry to the putting surface. One complaint on that particular day was the excessively wet approaches. I had several approach shots plug in the soggy turf two feet off the front of the putting surface. I would characterize the bunkering as very typical for modern daily-fee golf courses. This is not to say that they are not placed strategically, but I would condsider their placement as obvious.
To speak of Kiva Dunes, which I played in the summer of 2000, I definitely enjoyed the round there. Again I would characterize the design as typical resort/daily-fee. Gulf Shores, Alabama is becoming quite the vacation/golf destination... The hole corridors at Kiva Dunes are primarily straight and there are few pronounced dog-legs--only two that I recall. Angles at Kiva Dunes are created with water features along the edges and tee alignment. One hole, the par five Fifth, does have a waste bunker that bisects the fairway to create a go or lay-up decision for your second shot. I have enjoyed the green contours of his putting surfaces. He does provide some interesting rolls that separate cupping areas.
Both of the Pate designs I have played are on relatively flat terrain. I would be interested to see what his work looks like on land with more topographic change. Some of the photos of Dancing Rabbit and some of his Fazio collaboration work appear to have more elevation. It is good to hear that Jerry is doing work in the Northeast. Unless his work is at the Jersey shore I will be anxious to see what he designs with more elevation.
Jerry Pate Golf Design can be considered a large player in NW Florida/AL/MS/LA region because of his roots in the deep South and the marketing value he brings to a project. With the exception of a few courses, I'm not sure what he may have done beyond his stronghold in this area.
I believe he has co-design credits on a few courses with Tom Fazio. These have been generally well-received. I am curious to know how Jerry has been influenced by Tom Fazio or what he may have learned (good or bad) from this partnership. I'm interested to hear more from those who've played or seen his other courses.