Read Time: 9 minutes

Notable Threads

by Colin Macqueen

INDEX CATEGORIES:

HAZARDS AND BUNKERS    *    TEES AND FAIRWAYS    *    GREENS AND SURROUNDS

TEMPLATE    *    ROUTING COURSES    *    MINIMALISM

GCA NAVEL GAZING    *    CRANE, BEHR, DARWIN et al    *    PHILOSOPHY AND METAPHYSICS

ARCHITECTURE    *    ARCHITECTS    *    BOOKS & WRITING    *    AGRONOMY

 

 

HAZARDS AND BUNKERS

Bunkers

Bunkers as a Hazard

Extreme bunkers

Inconsistency of Fairway Bunkering

Groupings of 3, 4, 5 or 6 or… Bunkers. Won’t 1 or 2 do
the trick?

‘Floating’ Back Bunkers —- Why??

“Aiming Bunkers”

The Natural Use of Sand – Max Behr

“Bad Bunkers”

Random Bunkering

Fairway Bunkering

Bunkers: How should they be maintained

The art of the bunker……

Tom Doak and his bunker style

Re “Nature’s Bunkers” Thread: Man &
Strategically-Placed Bunkers

Should bunkers be black holes ?

Should Greenside bunkers

A Brief Bunker Pictorial (No Frills)

Why is Bunker Style Uniformity…

The art of the bunker……

Ground control to Major Tom Bunkering…

Tom Doak and his bunker style

What Characteristics of Course Bunker Schemes Stand the
Test of Time?

Re “Nature’s Bunkers” Thread: Man &
Strategically-Placed Bunkers

Nature’s Bunkers

Who’s afraid of the big, bad…bunker?

The impediment to centerline bunkers is

Rear Bunkers

What Characteristics of Course Bunker Schemes Stand the
Test of Time?

Have we minimised hazards in seeking Strategic over Penal

The Perfect Hazard?

Old vs New, Is it true…

Is There an Inherent Reason

Deception of Perception

Crinkliness v Smoothness

The practical realities of maintaining bunker entrances
at fairway height

“Saving” bunkers: bad architecture?

TEES AND FAIRWAYS

FRAMING, a curse or a necessity ?

How do you make flat land interesting?

What makes a good “ground game” course? – Aside
from turf / firmness

Land in its Original State

Contour utilization and contour avoidance – which
philosophy do you prefe?r

Grass Type iseekgolf

Turfgrass America

Golf Course Management Blogging World

Links
– Australian Super blogs

Maintenance Issue: How High the Rough?

Diagonal splines in Fairway landing areas…..

Who Among You Is Qualified To Evaulate The “Ground
Game”?

Acceptable fairway cants

Crinkliness v Smoothness

The practical realities of maintaining bunker entrances
at fairway height

a neophyte: explain the ground game and its nuances

The fallacy of graduated rough

The Role of Rough ?

Mowing Lines, Equipment and Maintenance Costs

Mowing lines

Drainage? Perhaps it’s boring, but how important is it?

Unfair fairways. When will it ever end!

“Maintenance Meld” revisited & updated

Maintenance meld perfection…

Best Links Soil?

Rollin, Roolin, Rollin at Merion

Shapers Part II

an observation from around

Ground Game: A must for any great course?

The Role of Rough ?

Tom Simpson on Fairway to Rough transitions

GREENS AND SURROUNDS

Does too many contours on a green ruins strategy

Are golf greens really only supposed to last 15-30 Years?

Wild Greens – The Architect’s Crutch?

Canted and greens that slope away

Green contours, speeds and hole locations?

Classic green changes, contours…more pins or less
traffic?

Are Severe Green Contours Warranted?

Classic greens that have improved with faster green
speeds?

Renovating Classic Greens in the Modern Era, thoughts…

From Putting Greens to Green Complexes

Pinable slope

C&C and internal green contours…

Little dips/bumps in front of greens

Who are green sites really designed for?

Punch bowl greens

Canted and greens that slope away

Are Severe Green Contours Warranted?

Holding the green – thoughts from Brauer and Macan

Why don’t more greens..

Why the hatred towards Poa Annua???

What is shaping?

Fast Firm and Green?

Why is flat seen as being so difficult?

Bunkerless Greens

Who Among You Is Qualified To Evaulate The “Ground
Game”?

Ground Game: A must for any great course?

The paradox of backstop.

The Time Between Shot And Result Is The Key

Who are green sites really designed for?

The Return of the Craftsman Bungalow and the Death of
Large Greens

Pins cut close to the fringe

The architectural and playing variety and appeal of
tactical

TEMPLATES

Raynor – Banks … Do any lesser efforts exist? Do the
templates always fit?

Template Hole MADNESS!!!

Has technology improved the redan?

Template Holes. Did CBM really invent them ?

The Redan’s Fairway

Do templates get boring?

Eden Holes

The definition of a Cape hole?

Template Routings

The original Redan….

Eden Holes

When is it a Biarritz?

Rethinking the Redan

Template Hole Madness!!! – 1st Region – ALPS – Taking
nominations now

Template Hole MADNESS!!!

Template Holes. Did CBM really invent them ?

When Is A Cape Not A Cape?

Biarritz style greens on a short par 4?

What a “Short” Hole Really Is.

What makes a “Short” hole great?

Biarritz Question

Biarritz holes – what are they all about ?

Do Biarritz holes (and Biarritz greens) work? Did they
ever?

Why isn’t…Bottle hole

ROUTING COURSES

A Compilation of Routing Maps, Plans and Architectural
Drawings

Is Routing Overrated?

How do you tell if the Routing is Good?

Ian Andrew’s “Caddy Shack”: Routing a Course

routing how its done

Breather Holes

Routing…how and what.

Pacing v Routing – an interesting read

Architect routing question

Routings

Routing a Subdivision Course

A genius routing

Old School Routing Aid

Are par 3 opening holes a good or bad idea?

In light of many recent threads….

MINIMALISM

Is “minimalism” a myth ?

Tom Doak and Minimalism

Minimalism in the UK

I’d confused Minimalism with Freedom

Naturalism and golf course architecture

Can we change Minimalism to Naturalism?

Tom Doak and Minimalism

Is “minimalism” a myth ?

Opulent Golf

Naturalism and golf course architecture

Can we change Minimalism to Naturalism?

“The show is about nothing!”

GCA NAVEL GAZING

For the record…….Tommy Naccarrato gone

Emperor, education and this forum

GCA “Blank Stares”

What this site is….and what this site isn’t

The ‘problem’ with the Discussion Group

Has GCA.com jumped the shark?

Good and bad in GCA (in brief)

Golf’s most beloved electrician

GCA.com Ratpack (there’s a name missing)

The Bonfire of the Vanities

Where can we go?

Wah wah wah in the golf tower   Haiku…

What did it for you?

Emoticons…

Global warming ????

GolfClubAtlas.com 1999-2010

I Hate Golfers Long thread jakaB

CRANE, BEHR, DARWIN et al

The Natural Use of Sand – Max Behr

Writer’s Block – Behr philosophy

Max Behr Golf Architect

Books by Max Behr??

The purpose of GCA is…Behr

Darwinism – I (The Course Your Soul Loves Best)

Darwinism – I (The Course Your Soul Loves Best)

Trouble with a Max Behr quote

Herbert Wind the Most Influential Writer?

Where is the best place to read the largest amount of
writing by Max Behr?

Joshua Crane gets Mad…

How Darwin Defined a Great Course; What Would You Say
Meets His Criteria?

“Line of Charm” vs “Field of Delight”

Herbert Wind the Most Influential Writer?

Where is the best place to read the largest amount of
writing by Max Behr?

Joshua Crane gets Mad…

A Bernardo requirement for a course to count as great:
great 17th hole

Sorry, but golf writing really isn’t that good. Here’s
why?

How Darwin Defined a Great Course; What Would You Say
Meets His Criteria?

A Bernardo requirement for a course to count as great:
great 17th hole

Darwin

Herbert Warren Wind The New Yorker

Behr with me

“Line of Charm” vs “Field of Delight”

PHILOSOPHY AND METAPHYSICS

The Fun Factor and Architectural Superiority

Deciphering Great Quotes

“Idealism is what precedes experience; cynicism is
what follows.”

Golf Course Architecture and Music

Some thoughts on Visual Acuity – Visual Overload

Confounding Choices: The Essence of Great GCA?

Thoreau and the Line of Charm

The Solace of Open Spaces

A Philosophy of the Game and GCA

The Time Between Shot And Result Is The Key

THE SOUL OF GOLF

Has your philosophy on architecture changed?

Symbolism and Art in the Landscape

The Art of Psychological Warfare

Principles of Art in GCA

A Philosophy of the Game and GCA

How can beard-pullers actually evaluate a golf course?

Can anyone explain what shot values are?

Do you consider yourself one of the finest minds in golf?

Deciphering Great Quotes 3/2/11

Hey, how about a bit of metaphysics – just to riff GCA on

Inside The Mind Of A Critic

Or Narrowing Your Focus

Your tastes in golf courses are so — excuse me for
saying — mainstream.

A Little Eastern Philosophy

Peter Pallotta’s ‘Golf through the Looking Glass’ is now
posted …

Pallotta, Peter – Golf Through the Looking Glass | Golf
Club Atlas

A Philosophical Chestnut

Symbolism and Art in the Landscape

A Concept – What do you think of it?

Golf Course Feng Shui

Golf is a game we play…..

OT – A Little TS Eliot

Invisible Architecture – The Architecture of
Juxtapositions

Going To The Precipice

Aesthetics over substance

Why Do You Play Golf?

A Hierarchy of Values – Not Much of a Thread

Somebody help the new kid out…..

The Black Swan Event

Prodigy versus Master

The Yin and Yang of a Golf Course Architect

“The Battle for the Soul of the Game”

The stochastic process in hole strategy.

Hunters

Confounding Choices: The Essence of Great GCA?

“An Adventure of the Spirit”

Some thoughts on Visual Acuity – Visual Overload

They called it “Thinking Golf” Back Then (once)

If they were right, does that mean we are wrong?

Confounding Choices: The Essence of Great GCA?

A New (because old) Approach to Criticism

A Hierarchy of Values – Not Much of a Thread

Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, Salt Peanuts, and Great
Golf Holes

Do critics like curry, perfer subtitled movies and order
anchovies on pizza…?

A Theory of Relativity: When the Hardest Holes are the
Most Interesting

I play ugly courses worse.

2011—The Best Year of My Life

ARCHITECTURE

The process of designing a golf course

Strategic School Of Architecture

10 Things I Don’t Like in Design – Ian Andrew’s List

Q for architects and wanna be’s: match play v. medal play
in course design

Has architecture contributed to the attrition in golf

The next breakout architect

Step by Step process for building a golf course

Breaking down the design playbook

Phil’s Tilly List #1… 10 Design Principles…

Designing for Scale

Golf Course Architecture

The Don’ts in GCA

The best introduction to golf architecture?

Best Practices for Learning about Golf Course
Architecture

Strategic School Of Architecture

Strategic School of Architecture – Part Deux

The Death of Great American Parkland Golf Course Design

The most underrated part of golf course design

Basic Criteria for Golf Course Architecture…

The Beginnings of Golf Course Architecture

“The Course Doesn’t Reward Good Shotmaking”

Designing for the Wind

Brad Klein: Crash Course in Great Architecture

The balance in architecture

Prevailing wind and design

Does subtlety have a future?

Show Me Subtlety

How important is subtlety?

The broken future of golf (on broken ground)

Fazio’s Push …

Confounding Choices: The Essence of Great GCA?

Golf Architecture Pictures

Is the Study of a Golf Course’s Architecture…

What are average golfers looking for?

If you were designing your own course,

Explain “in-house” shaping vs GC (generic)
shaping to a guy…..

Do you have to be a good golfer to evaluate architecture?

Deception!

The Yin and Yang of a Golf Course Architect

Invisible Architecture – The Architecture of
Juxtapositions

Anarchist’s Guide to Golf Course Architecture: Minimalist
Golf Course Architecture Movement- State of the Union

Architectural appreciation by the poor player

The Time Between Shot And Result Is The Key

Breather Holes

“The Skilled Golfer”

Has your philosophy on architecture changed?

An architectural student’s curriculum

Design in the Field?

Going To The Precipice

Creating a Timeless Gem

At what point do Options become Noise?

Favorite Designers: Bill Coore – Cybergolf

Architecture vs Agronomy

The beauty of architecture deceiving the golfer ?

What is strategy?

Width, what’s it all about ?

Explain “in-house” shaping vs GC (generic)
shaping to a guy…..

strategy vs. course knowledge

“The Skilled Golfer”

The Old Macdonald dilemma

Carnivorous Bays: Why Don’t Architects Copy Mac’s Visual
Intimidation Tactic?

Evolutionary biology and golf course architecture

The Fun Factor and Architectural Superiority

The common thread in greatness

Would UK maintenance practices really change things?

Why Subtle is Better?

Vis a vis GCA, what is the Golden Mean in three dimensions?

Latest thought from Ian Andrew

Confounding Choices: The Essence of Great GCA?

The paradox of backstop.

Carnivorous Bays: Why Don’t Architects Copy Mac’s Visual
Intimidation Tactic?

Breaking new ground

Ode to the Short Course

….so much fuss over concrete…

Confounding Choices: The Essence of Great GCA?

Quirk

Fit for Purpose in the Old Days

Visuals

what’s the point of par?

What can we learn anew from TOC?

Sight Lines …

So why is Pine Valley great again??

Invisible Architecture – The Architecture of
Juxtapositions

Knowing the exact distance to the hole………..

The education of an architect

The beauty of architecture deceiving the golfer ?

The definitions of fun and hard

ARCHITECTS

Maxwell Smart

For Tom Doak – When you design a golf course how much are
you

MacWood, Thomas – The Early Architects: Beyond Old Tom |
Golf Club Atlas

Desmond Muirhead

Everything you ever wanted to know about Desmond.

Calling Desmond Muirhead buffs

An old thread… Mac Plumart

Everything you ever wanted to know about Desmond.

The Best of Canada – All Ian Andrew’s Other Lists

Thoughts on Maxwell – Saltzman

The birth of the modern | Harry Colt

BOOKS & WRITING

Best books on GCA

A Listing of Historic Articles

I Blame “Golf in the Kingdom” – A Step Back in
Time

Bob(by) Jones on “firm and fast” in 1968

The Voice of the Rabbits – Redux

The Last and Final Deal by Tuco Ramirez

What would Macbeth say?

The “In My Opinion” Discussion Series

Sorry, but golf writing really isn’t that good. Here’s
why?

Robert Hunter — Where is he now?

Books

Golf Australia magazine Top 25 New Zealand Courses

Taking Quality GC Pictures

Tuco Ramirez does the Texas Two Step in Port
Lavaca-Nuzzo’s Wolf Point

The Golf Architecture Haiku

Tobacco Road Haiku’s..

GCA and the Pizza Man! The Silent Majority?

The Pizza Guy – Part 2

additions to Doak’s 12 10’s?*

A critics rant from Ron Whitten

Anti-Golf

Do critics like curry, perfer subtitled movies and order
anchovies on pizza…?

Howard Roark

Shivas Irons Society – Digital Anthology

S. Lewis Regarding GolfClubAtlas.com

Høw cän øne pläy græt gølf klubee inda Åmericä?

Quotes To Live By In 2012

Herbert Wind the Most Influential Writer?

AGRONOMY

Chemical-Free Courses?

Why the hatred towards Poa Annua???

Tom Doak’s Quote from the other thread on greenkeeping

Lincoln Roden Classical maintenance and playing
conditions

Organic Golf

Champion Drawf Bermuda

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