"How do you tell if the Routing is Good?"
Peter:
Good question.
I'd say you can tell if a routing is good simply if the thought occurs to you.
Think about that--what could that mean?
In my opinion, most of the time a routing doesn’t even occur to golfers unless there is something wrong with it in any number of ways. Routings are so fundamental and structural (in a macro and micro way) that if the thought of a good one occurs to a golfer it probably occurs to him over time simply because he comes to realize there's nothing really wrong with it. I think I say that advisedly because there are just so many things that can go wrong with a routing, or make it problematic in large or small ways and in one way or another.
That sounds a bit negative or it sounds like I'm coming at the question from the negative side and maybe it is----maybe I am. But there are so many elements about a routing that can inherently disturb people for one reason or another, I'm sure you get a glimmer of what I mean.
But I think it sure is possible to play a course for the first time and say to yourself afterwards--"Wow what a great routing." One might have to be actually thinking of the subject first, though, to have the thought or that conclusion occur to you.
What would some of the things be that would make it occur to you?
I like what Don Mahaffey said--if you get lost in your round---if whatever it is about the golf course just keeps you constantly engaged from beginning to end without anything consciously bothering you along the way. Maybe I shouldn’t even say without anything bothering you along the way---maybe I should just say that you’re aware that your interest level has remained noticeably high throughout.
I think I had that experience when first playing Pacific Dunes because I felt constantly engaged with each hole---nothing at all rubbed me the wrong way from beginning to end but the thing that really got my attention regarding the routing is I basically never knew where I was on the course in relation to the rest of it and I never really even knew what direction I was going in unless I was along the coast. I guess I was so engaged throughout I did not really realize either what a totally odd par sequencing the course has. I had so little idea where I was or where I was going (I couldn’t tell where I was in the overall layout of the course) I actually got Doak to draw me a routing diagram on a paper place setting and I was completely surprised what the general routing layout looked like (I still have the place setting routing Tom).
I've tried maybe 500 hours of routing and I can tell you it's pretty daunting, certainly at first and can be real maddening in all kinds of ways----all kinds of ways. There’re a number of apparent “no-nos” you are aware of like routing the first hole or so directly into the rising sun or the last few directly into the setting sun. Always in the back of your mind is the issue of balance and variety of the course as you go along---eg par sequencing or whatever. The guys who are experienced at it say one needs to take care not to get wedded to some particular hole or landform or whatever if it means it can only be done at the expense of the holes leading to it or coming just after it.
There are just so many things to think about in routing a course. I think it can be much harder to route a really topographically potential site compared to a blander site because the former sometimes doesn’t allow much routing latitude with balance, variety, sequencing etc. And then there’s the clubhouse that really can set things routing-wise in a start and stop sense.
But, in my opinion, there is nothing at all that is better for a real understanding of golf course architecture than this particular area of GCA----to try to do a routing and work out the complexities and obstacles in it. It really is like doing a massive jigsaw puzzle only you sort of get to make the pieces too---although every piece better be good in and of itself.
