Happily, our seasonal greetings become rote: thanks for a great year, post civilly and stick to the subject matter of golf course architecture. Though mundane, it remains a winning formula! Why change? For instance, I once went to a shaving bowl, brush and straight edge razor. Like my leather golf bag, sounded cool in a retro way but in this instance, I was wrong as I ended up being late for appointments, bleeding and stuck looking in the mirror at a face that is
'hard to describe but easy to forget.' 
Why complicate things?! More so than ever, GolfClubAtlas is ideally positioned to capture and portray the uncluttered essence of the game we love. Having shunned commercial interests and backed by the generosity of the 170 people who elected to donate in 2016, we stand alone. Other media have forsaken the player who enjoys a quiet hit with friends in a secluded pocket of nature. They try and doll it up, needlessly trying to glamorize it. Yet, the game isn't meant to be complicated or onerous. I grew up in Richmond, Va where Patrick Henry uttered something more or less like -
'Give me Brora or give me death!' To that end, the core offerings of GolfClubAtlas remain unchanged from its origins; it is just that the content gets better and better thanks to each of you!
GCA.com is well past achieving critical mass. I know where we are read around the world and it is an
honor but one that comes with responsibility. There's a burden (I like to think a delightful one) on each poster to make his words count. We have 1,665 registered posters and we are always seeking to add those who genuinely care about discussing architecture (as opposed to those entranced by padding their play list or furthering their own blog/interests). Before hitting the post button, ask if you are adding to the discussion. We are all busy and no one likes separating the 'wheat from the chaff.' Take a look at your last 20 posts and you'll know instantly if you are a Chatty Kathy or a facilitator of the discussion of golf course architecture.
The tenor of the Discussion Group is the best it has ever been. We are less bellicose and more congenial which is the way to foster intellectual debate. Living close to Fort Bragg, I know and hear of deeds that define toughness. Funnily enough, typing about golf course architecture is low on that list, so hard to imagine a great reason to puff out your chest as you type. S & G's haunting lyrics -
'people talking without speaking, people hearing without listening' - need not apply here. We needn't bounce from topic to topic superficially; we have the luxury to slow down, drill down and reach meaningful depths. In many ways, we are the
'anti-web website.' Manners matter, quality counts - page views don't in our commercial free environment.
I thought 'we' had made great progress over our first 16 years in altering how the world defines great architecture. And then Golf Digest released their 2017 ranking, proving me incredibly naive!
A great playing experience, a great clubhouse and great architecture sometimes go hand in hand - but frequently don't. It is a disservice to the game when a prominent magazine masquerades a list of large, expensive clubhouses under the banner of great courses. Heck, my favorite clubhouse in America (Newport CC) doesn't even have a kitchen! Our fight goes on!!
As for 2017, I hope people will pair off and follow the example of the Mickle/Morrissett debate about the tree on hole 4 at Mid Pines. For those that missed it, Jay and I took opposite sides on the merit of a pine tree 70 yards from the green and argued our respective points. Many weighed-in and it became an instant GCA classic thread and one that epitomizes the thoughtful interaction we cherish. Jay still thinks he won but we all know the truth! Regardless, the Discussion Group is the perfect vehicle for such point/counter-point discussions and I hope to have the opportunity to work with pairs of people to stick one such thread to the top each month. How neat would it be if two architects debated a topic? Also, we hope more people will contribute detailed In My Opinion pieces. Note: we only publish original material, not articles reprised from other publications.
Two years ago, Ben, Joe and I arbitrarily decided that 50,000 threads were sufficient to cover the subject matter of golf course architecture. For that reason, I have deleted ~ 110 pages from the Discussion Group over the past 2 years. Examples include non-architecture threads, about two hundred Tiger threads, ones with defunct photo links, etc. Please email me at
rmorrissett@cabotlinks.com if you find ones of no merit. I am pleased to report that this year the culling process is much, much slower to find such outliers. Put another way, the quality of existing threads is at an all-time high. That statement might surprise people but it is emphatically true. People suggest that I don't read my own web site but that is erroneous. I am up at 500am most mornings working behind the scenes to make the content the most meaningful it can be.
To that end, I have a question: who thinks it is a good idea to disable the new thread button for two weeks this winter? By doing so, we would encourage everyone to root around the archives and bring forward worthwhile past topics by adding fresh material. Plus, everyone would gain a better appreciation for the wealth of information that we house. Recently, a man from Mayfield CC signed-on and was pleased to receive from me an old thread by Tom Macwood in which Harry Vardon named Mayfield his favorite course in America. It's very neat to re-read that one, especially since Tom is no longer with us to bring forth such juicy morsels. Let us know if freezing the new thread button for two weeks is worth trying.
While we are fans of laissez-faire, Joe, Ben and I also think that doing something different from time to time is healthy and in the board's best interest. The biggest threat that we face is complacency and not thinking outside the box. We have seen magazines fall into ruts and lose their ability to inform and captivate. Our profiles on Culver, the Isle of Harris and The Loop are meant to demonstrate that golf doesn't have to be some pre-packaged, one size fits all offering.
I especially want to thank Chris Buie for his technical help with Word Press and photos, Joe for editing my drivel, and all of you for your lasting support and good wishes! These are fabulous times with artisanal work being performed in the field by people with a genuine feel for the land; we look forward to giving such people a platform to share the merits of their (often times inexpensive) work. Bye-bye the days of slapping down a cad-cam design and moving on.
If we don't mess up, simplicity will remain at the heart of our message this year. We will be profiling golf in places like Iowa and Maine and Feature Interviews will come from Australia, Scotland and Wisconsin. Our battle for capturing the timeless joys derived from great architecture marches on - come along!
Ben, Joe & Ran