Here are some of my general thoughts on Flynn. Like with all architects, of course there are exceptions.
• On Trees:
o Flynn liked trees and incorporated them into his design schemes.
o He once stated that, “It is impossible to conceive that the “Canny Scots” would have denuded their courses of trees if there had been any there originally. As a race, they are entirely too thrifty for any such waste as that”.
o He felt trees add beauty, form picturesque back grounds and delightful vistas.
o Trees offer shade on a hot day and are of practical value in segregating the various holes.
o Moreover, Flynn felt most sites have them and it is a costly operation to cut them down and remove them.
• On Variety:
o Flynn was a master at routings. He was always concerned about the sequence of holes and avoided having holes of similar length and character coming too closely together.
o He felt the most interesting layouts were those where the lengths and types of holes were broken up.
• On Greens:
o Flynn believed strongly that greens should follow the natural ground contours and blend in with the terrain.
o His greens might best be described as potato chips. Every one has movement, but the contours are often subtle as they sweep off and around bunkers tapering down at the edges.
o Flynn despised blind greens. He believed visibility of the green "from the approach area" is one of the most important considerations in the design of a golf course.
• On Bunkers:
o As with his greens, Flynn felt visibility of bunkers is important.
o While he incorporated many blind shots into his designs (often due to the terrain) rarely did he put bunkers in those blind areas.
o The look of most of Flynn’s bunkers can best be described as ordinary. To him, placement was their most important aspect. He did, however, believe that the best looking bunkers are those gouged out of faces or slopes, particularly when the slope faces the player.
o Unlike some architects of his time, his bunker style seemed relatively consistent between his courses. Though there are examples, you don’t find too many of his bunkers that would be described as “artistic” or “works of art”.
o Flynn also believed that bunkers should all surface drain. In flat areas, he would build them above the surface of the surrounding terrain.
o One other key design philosophy of Flynn regarding bunkers was that he would often add and/or change the location of bunkers after the course had been opened for play for awhile. He would monitor where golfers hit their shots and adjust his bunkering accordingly. This is an important consideration for courses of his looking at restoration.
o He believed bunkers should present problems (encourage thinking and strategy) and not just penalize.
o He felt hazards in general need not be numerous but must be well placed to arouse lively interest.
• On Tees:
o Like most all of Flynn’s design features, he believed tees should blend in with their surrounds.
o There placement is very critical to the proper play of the golf hole and believed two to three tees per hole was important to accommodate all levels of play. He usually called his tees, forward, intermediate and back.
• On Fairways:
o Flynn believed the ground should have a bearing on the outlining of the fairways. He did not like straight lines as they rarely looked natural.
o He believed there should be a premium on accuracy with “due consideration” for length.
o He advocated risk/reward and encouraged aggressive play in the placement of his hazards and in the width of his fairways.
o He liked diagonal bunkers and holes that promoted better angles in the fairway for better shots to the green.
o Flynn always suggested sufficient room between fairways when at all possible.
• On Water:
o Though Flynn did incorporate water in his designs, he was like most architects of his time and believed it was a nuisance.
o On the other hand, he fully realized the need for water from a maintenance standpoint was critical to any design.
o He often stated that water hazards prohibit the recovery shot, perhaps the best shot in the game.
o He felt parallel use of water was best.
• On Approaches:
o Flynn liked interesting approaches that rewarded the ground game.
o He felt this was an area that was often over looked by architects.
o He liked ground features that looked natural and tied into the rest of the greensite.
• Other thoughts:
o Flynn was one of the first to recognize the longer term impact of golf equipment on course design. He believed one day this could force golf courses to be 7500 and even 8000 yards in length.
o He placed a strong importance on each hole having individual character. He felt problems should be developed on each hole and their order of importance are first - accuracy, second - carry and third – length, which includes carry and roll. Accuracy of play should carry the greatest reward as it is the essence of the game. Carry, while slightly less valuable than accuracy is important in that it promotes boldness. Length may be considered least important but it becomes quite a factor when a player is able to mould all three tests together.
Did Flynn pioneer the aerial game as Pat suggests? I don't think so. If he pioneered anything, it might have been "modernizing" design from a construction standpoint.
Mark