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Ran Morrissett

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Feature Interview with Keith Foster is posted
« on: April 07, 2014, 03:47:01 PM »
During an attempted intellectual  :-\ conversation on writing style at my local pub, the mention of Gustave Flaubert was met with a deafening thud. This French writer famously searched - and searched - for ‘le mot juste’ so much so that his output lagged well behind that of his contemporaries. However, his work and attention to detail is of such uniformly high (!) quality that his written word truly stands for something.  It endures. Flaubert always put his profession of writing first and never came close to cranking out inferior work for pecuniary gain.
 
The timing of this conversation was serendipitous and the perfect segue … you guessed it …  to this month’s Feature Interview. Keith Foster is a guy who takes on only 2 or 3 restoration projects at a time and that’s it. Like Flaubert, Keith’s precision and authenticity hallmark his undertakings.  What and where he ‘builds’ often turns into a long lasting relationship. For example, he has been affiliated with Colonial in Fort Worth for 16 years, Southern Hills for 15 years, and Eastward Ho! for 10 years. The two courses of his that I toured last year (Southern Hills with its intricate Maxwell putting surfaces and clean bunkers and Orchard Lake with Alison’s rugged bunkers and broad green slopes) couldn’t be more different stylistically. It’s wonderful to witness his adaptability as far too many other architects hammer home a certain style (i.e. THEIRS  :P) on virtually each and every project.

Given some of the inane opinions of which green committee members are capable, some architects try to cocoon/insulate themselves within their work. Not Keith, he refreshingly speaks of the enjoyment he gets from working with Green Keepers and committee members. Such an approach has helped Keith do what few designers can: work on great courses. Most golf architects suffer nobly without ever sniffing a world top ~300 course. Foster’s quiet manner and his old school, hands-on approach are well suited to traditional clubs who favor moving at a measured pace. The right architect + the right green committee + right green keeper = Keith’s winning team formula. One such example of all the right people being in place is Philly Cricket, where updates within this Discussion Group have shown a startling transformation. It represents another Golden Age restoration to Keith’s glittering resume.

Keith’s interest in mountaineering nicely ties in with the current GolfClubAtlas.com front cover photograph. If you like the outdoors, you like the outdoors, be it on a golf course or in the mountains or on a plain or wherever. Continuing with an analogy (a writing tactic that Flaubert likely detested!), mountain climber Ueli Steck was recently awarded the Piolet d’Or, the sport’s greatest honor, for scaling the south face of Annapurna. The rub? He didn’t have any proof of the feat: he lost his camera, his altimeter didn’t function and there were no witnesses because his climbing partner had turned back. Modern architects can’t suffer a similar fate: their work is laid bare for all to see (and critique). There is no questioning what Keith has accomplished.

While Flaubert agonized over his craft, Foster seems to revel in his but both have produced works of inspiration and beauty that enrich lives. Keith always talks about work that ‘endures’ and that’s exactly what he has accomplished. We would have done a Feature Interview with him LONG AGO but he isn’t a fan of our Q & A format that necessitates talking about oneself. So be it but as you can see, GolfClubAtlas.com finally won out! 

Best,

Niall Hay

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Re: Feature Interview with Keith Foster is posted
« Reply #1 on: April 07, 2014, 04:06:36 PM »
Interviews like this one are what makes GCA.com so wonderful. Thank you Ran and thank you Keith. One of the best in a long time.

Bart Bradley

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Re: Feature Interview with Keith Foster is posted
« Reply #2 on: April 07, 2014, 04:58:32 PM »
Ran, nice job.  Whoever suggested an interview with Keith is a genius  ;).

Bart

PCCraig

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Re: Feature Interview with Keith Foster is posted
« Reply #3 on: April 08, 2014, 09:08:07 AM »
A really terrific interview. Thank you for putting it together, Ran. I really enjoyed reading Keith's thoughts on trees, raising Southern Hill's tree canopy, and on what he looks for prior to and during a renovation.
H.P.S.

Jud_T

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Re: Feature Interview with Keith Foster is posted
« Reply #4 on: April 08, 2014, 09:15:43 AM »
Ran,

Good call on Keith.  One of the unsung heroes of our times.  I've yet to see a renovation or original course of his that wasn't well done.
Golf is a game. We play it. Somewhere along the way we took the fun out of it and charged a premium to be punished.- - Ron Sirak

Craig Van Egmond

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Re: Feature Interview with Keith Foster is posted
« Reply #5 on: April 08, 2014, 11:15:50 AM »
Another excellent interview.

I've played 4 original courses done by Keith Foster:

The Quarry - Texas
SunRidge Canyon - Arizona
Druids Glen - Washington
Horn Rapids - Washington

All of them were good courses with some very cool stuff on them. Looks like he wasn't afraid to try some different things. While some architects will take restorations as side work while they wait for new courses to build it seems that Keith has built a thriving business doing the opposite.

My understanding is that David Druzisky who sometimes posts here was an associate for some of these courses.

Terry Lavin

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Re: Feature Interview with Keith Foster is posted
« Reply #6 on: April 08, 2014, 12:26:43 PM »
Keith did a great job at Knollwood Club in the Chicago area.  The description of what was ailing Orchard Lake is quite reminiscent of what had happened at Knollwood.  Bunker shapes were beaten down, fairways were straightened and narrowed, tees were moved and placed at incorrect angles to play, greens had shrunk due to mowing patterns, a huge excess of trees were planted in the wrong position.  Keith did a great job of fixing all of those deficiencies.  The one glaring problem, however, is a short, straightaway par four on the back (#14 IIRC).  There's water in play on both sides of the fairway, goalpost willows that frame the fairway and a green complex that is more reminiscent of Dick Nugent than Hugh Alison.  It's an abomination when compared to the rest of the great holes.  The club's committee just couldn't come to an agreement and the hole which has always stuck out as an outlier is still there in all of its unrewarding glory.  I"d be interested in hearing Keith's take on how to deal with a club that just tunes you out on an important part of a renovation.  I, for one, would love to see Keith get back to Knollwood and fix that hole.
Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people.  H.L. Mencken

Jud_T

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Re: Feature Interview with Keith Foster is posted
« Reply #7 on: April 08, 2014, 02:05:38 PM »
Terry,

I believe you're referring to #13.  The short 4 with the water hazard...
Golf is a game. We play it. Somewhere along the way we took the fun out of it and charged a premium to be punished.- - Ron Sirak

John Connolly

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Re: Feature Interview with Keith Foster is posted
« Reply #8 on: April 08, 2014, 02:17:14 PM »
Terry,

Interestingly, I kinda like that hole at Knollwood. The "goal post" willows aren't an issue if you lay back with an iron which the fairway allows for. Your then left with a wedge which you should be able to negotiate the willows with.The trees become an issue only if you try to get home, or at least hit it up close on your tee shot, and you push or pull it. In some ways, it's a classic risk/reward short par 4. Having said that, I do dislike willow trees in general and even more so on such beautiful property as Knollwood.  ;D
"And yet - and yet, this New Road will some day be the Old Road, too."

                                                      Neil Munroe (1863-1930)

Jason Thurman

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Re: Feature Interview with Keith Foster is posted
« Reply #9 on: April 08, 2014, 02:29:07 PM »
Keith Foster is as underrated as any modern architect currently working in my book. His renovation work is fantastic, obviously, but his choice to move away from original designs in the process is something of a loss. I really enjoyed Dark Horse north of Sacramento. It has some fantastically bold holes and rides a bold property in a tumbling and really fun manner.

His best work by my estimation is The Harvester just north of Des Moines. It has as many truly original and exciting holes as any course I've ever played, and it's supremely fun and challenging. Iowans and Nebraskans heartily debate whether Wild Horse or The Harvester is the better course. It may be sandhills blasphemy, but I give the edge just slightly to Foster's course. Both are outstanding. In the five rounds or so that I've played at The Harvester, I've continuously grown more and more impressed with its variety and, as I mentioned, originality. The 2nd, 7th, and 18th are all completely unlike any other hole I've ever seen before. I'll also never forget playing 15 with a 25 mph headwind that probably made its effective yardage almost 800. That was the day I learned just how much the average person tends to overstate wind speeds. 25 doesn't sound that high until you're standing on the tee at 8 and aiming at that tall tree right with a little draw to hit the center of the green (and promptly 3 putt).
"There will always be haters. That’s just the way it is. Hating dudes marry hating women and have hating ass kids." - Evan Turner

Some of y'all have never been called out in bold green font and it really shows.

Niall Hay

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Re: Feature Interview with Keith Foster is posted
« Reply #10 on: April 09, 2014, 09:43:19 AM »
While Keith has a great reputation for his original works. His reputation as a Top Restoration Specialist is as diverse as any when you consider the really top quality of the work. You have major championship venues like Southern Hills Country Club (Maxwell) to great members clubs like Baltimore Country Club at Five Farms (Tillinghast) and Wilmington Country Club (RTJ) to under the radar classic gems like Eastward Ho! (Fowler) in Massachusetts and Orchard Lake (C&A – Alison) in Michigan. His current work at Philly Cricket (Tillinghast)has been well documented. Really impressive body of work, combined with the fact that he really wants to work of the original architect to shine through. This lack of ego is refreshing. Bravo.

Jason Topp

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Re: Feature Interview with Keith Foster is posted
« Reply #11 on: April 09, 2014, 05:00:25 PM »
Interesting career path.  Keith must have missed out on a lot of revenue prior to 2007 and then was perfectly positioned thereafter.  It shows that if you follow your passion, the business part can work out even if it seems like a sacrifice in the near term.

The Harvester is one of my favorites built in the last 20 years. 

Thanks for the interview.

Sven Nilsen

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Re: Feature Interview with Keith Foster is posted
« Reply #12 on: April 09, 2014, 05:27:00 PM »
Not one word on Shepherd's Crook?  I'd love to get the backstory on Keith sending his team over to Shoreacres prior to its construction, and to get his thoughts on the design principles they picked up and tried to emulate in a municipal course design with a limited budget.

Sven
"As much as we have learned about the history of golf architecture in the last ten plus years, I'm convinced we have only scratched the surface."  A GCA Poster

"There's the golf hole; play it any way you please." Donald Ross

BCowan

Re: Feature Interview with Keith Foster is posted
« Reply #13 on: April 09, 2014, 08:31:57 PM »
Ran,

    I enjoyed that interview.

thank you

Sam Morrow

Re: Feature Interview with Keith Foster is posted
« Reply #14 on: April 10, 2014, 12:17:51 AM »
Glad to see this, I've always enjoyed his original work and I like his work at Colonial and Southern Hills.

Ian Mackenzie

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Re: Feature Interview with Keith Foster is posted
« Reply #15 on: April 14, 2014, 08:55:30 AM »
in early 2012, we began a search for an architect to redo bunkers, grassing lines, etc. at our club in Chicago. Keith Foster was on our list and I was the one who called him, through an introduction from a friend at CC of Detroit where Keith has recently completed work.

Net/net: Keith was just too busy. BUT, he spent over an hour on the phone with me and answered questions, provided some guidance and commented on our other candidates. I guess that ever since he did Colonial and Southern Hills, his phone has been ringing non-stop. Good for him. He's a very nice guy and I am still appreciative of the time he chose to spend with me over the phone.

Love Knollwood. Not a fan of the bright white sand that was chosen there for the new bunkers.

Terry Lavin

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Re: Feature Interview with Keith Foster is posted
« Reply #16 on: April 15, 2014, 10:15:39 AM »
The white sand is visually quite jarring, that's for sure, but almost all of the private clubs in Chicago that have done bunker work recently have gone to this.  It is much more playable than the usual tan-colored sand that we are used to.  I know that the look offends purists, but it's difficult to tell a greens committee that they can't use the "new" stuff.  It's a pretty strong fad at this point in time.  Off the top of my head, I can think of at least ten clubs in the Chicago District that now use the product.
Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people.  H.L. Mencken

BCowan

Re: Feature Interview with Keith Foster is posted
« Reply #17 on: April 15, 2014, 01:29:16 PM »
Are you sure it is the sand or is the sand with new drainage?  Also lots of bounce on SW aren't good with darker sand, depending on depth too.  White sand is harder to play out of IMHO. 

Ian Mackenzie

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Re: Feature Interview with Keith Foster is posted
« Reply #18 on: April 16, 2014, 08:33:56 AM »
It's definitely the sand. Drainage and lining are different issues.
The two main types being considered lately are (I thinks):

1. Steep Face Waupaca (the darker of the two - very natural)
2. Tour Angle (bright white, Knollwood, Butler, etc.)

Both are ~$89/ton and very good.

Steep Face was "developed" by guys in Wisconsin for Erin Hills. Also used at Conway, Old Elm and Briarwood.
Much more natural for sure.

John Mayhugh

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Re: Feature Interview with Keith Foster is posted
« Reply #19 on: April 16, 2014, 12:44:15 PM »
Really good interview.  I especially liked his thoughts on the first question:

My first trip to the UK was with the ASGCA when we toured some of the great courses within England back in 91′ when I was part of Art Hills firm. That trip exposed me for the first time to a wonderful quirkiness of features and holes as well as seeing first hand, a softer placement of the game within the land. In 93′ , I established my own firm and from 92′ through 98′ , each year I would commit and travel to either Scotland, Ireland or England for 2 weeks and immersed myself there. I visited and played so many golf courses and really fell back in love with the game of Golf. Those 2 week sojourns were so important to me as I learned and saw that the US  production golf (going on in the 90′s) was not the direction that I wanted my work to reflect. My trips served to ignite within me a desire to be part of work that endures.

Made me wonder if there any architect that has spent considerable time in the UK and not reflected this in his work?

Jud_T

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Re: Feature Interview with Keith Foster is posted
« Reply #20 on: April 17, 2014, 03:00:43 PM »
Is Keith's formative education Art's greatest contribution to the game?
Golf is a game. We play it. Somewhere along the way we took the fun out of it and charged a premium to be punished.- - Ron Sirak

Norbert P

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Re: Feature Interview with Keith Foster is posted
« Reply #21 on: April 22, 2014, 02:07:22 PM »
  Another terrific educational and philosophical interview. The lucid bullet points why Keith does new or restoration work should be studied and pursued.  Keith seems to have a well developed "worth" ethic.

  One of my favorite course profiles that Ran has presented is the Eastward Ho! edition.  I went there to link in a photo that I really like but decided there are too many great shots to show just one.

http://www.golfclubatlas.com/courses-by-country/usa/eastward-ho/

"Because it is there."  Mallory

"Golf is only meant to be a small part of one’s life, centering around health, relaxation and having fun with friends/family." R"C"M

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