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Malcolm Mckinnon

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Re: What golf courses have been improved, architecturally, by
« Reply #25 on: February 10, 2011, 10:36:16 AM »
John,

I'll admit I am not a scholar on the full history at Baltusrol.

Did Louis Keller fashion the original layout himself or did he have assistance? I would love to see pictures of the original design pre-Tillie.

I hope I didn't sound critical of the endless revisions there. My point was that they never stop. Every year there is something new to contemplate. When I played the lower last fall they were just laying the sod on the new deepened Bunkers on 14 and 15 and to be honest I couldn't tell what to think. I did like the changes to how the 18th fairway incorporate the creek.

John Kavanaugh

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Re: What golf courses have been improved, architecturally, by
« Reply #26 on: February 10, 2011, 10:41:22 AM »
My history of Baltusrol is on loan so I can not speak to specifics.

John Foley

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Re: What golf courses have been improved, architecturally, by
« Reply #27 on: February 10, 2011, 10:50:45 AM »
How much better is Oakmont now vs when Fazio renovated it before the 2007 Open?

I heard complaints about the FW bunker depth but the rest of he course looked solid.

BTW - the tree's came out waay before that.
Integrity in the moment of choice

Michael Moore

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Re: What golf courses have been improved, architecturally, by
« Reply #28 on: February 10, 2011, 11:09:49 AM »
Pete Dye's 1985 recontouring of some of the Crooked Stick greens in preparation for the 1991 PGA Championship was a subtle and sensitive improvement.
Metaphor is social and shares the table with the objects it intertwines and the attitudes it reconciles. Opinion, like the Michelin inspector, dines alone. - Adam Gopnik, The Table Comes First

Phil_the_Author

Re: What golf courses have been improved, architecturally, by
« Reply #29 on: February 10, 2011, 11:20:24 AM »
Malcolm,

Louis Keller didn't play golf and didn't design the original 9-hole course. He hired George Hunter to do this. He would later become a member and served on the Board of Governors.

The routing below is taken from the June 16, 1895 issue of The Sun:


Patrick_Mucci

Re: What golf courses have been improved, architecturally, by
« Reply #30 on: February 10, 2011, 11:59:17 AM »

Pat, how has Mountain Ridge been affected architecturally by next year's US Senior Am?

It hasn't been affected "architecturally"

It may have been affected, in terms of accelerating work already planned.

Richard Choi

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Re: What golf courses have been improved, architecturally, by
« Reply #31 on: February 10, 2011, 12:10:36 PM »
Perhaps one of the members can speak better about this, but wasn't the recent renovation of Plainfield motivated by the desire to host a PGA Tour event (a WGC event). Based on the photos of before and after, I would say the course has been improved greatly.

JESII

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Re: What golf courses have been improved, architecturally, by
« Reply #32 on: February 10, 2011, 01:21:41 PM »

Malcolm & Jim,

Was Ron Prichard's work for the club in general or specifically for preparation for an event ?
I always thought it was independent of any event, but, I'm not that familiar with the club/work.



Not 100% sure, but they hosted a US Junior in about 1998 and a Senior PGA Championship in about '03 and now the AT&T event in '10 and '11 due to a partnership of sorts with Congressional. I think the work was planned and completed in the late 90's early 2000's.

I think the ultimate goal is likely a major but I can't be sure.

Anton

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Re: What golf courses have been improved, architecturally, by
« Reply #33 on: February 10, 2011, 03:15:46 PM »
I think Plainfield would make a great course for the PGA or a Ryder Cup
“I've spent most of my life golfing - the rest I've just wasted”

Phil Benedict

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Re: What golf courses have been improved, architecturally, by
« Reply #34 on: February 10, 2011, 04:40:46 PM »
getting the us open might have promoted the interest in pinehurst no 2, leading to Coore Crenshaw recent work

The US Open may have contribnuted to the degradation of #2, particularly the narrowing of fairways and elimination of angles.

Where did the impetus for restoring #2 come from, since it sounds like some of the US Open style features - i.e. rough lines - are being removed?  The course was commercially very successful even as the architecture deteriorated - $400 a pop and pretty much full all the time. 

A US Open sans rough - which the USGA appears to have embraced - is an exciting prospect.

JESII

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Re: What golf courses have been improved, architecturally, by
« Reply #35 on: February 10, 2011, 04:45:27 PM »
I'll admit to only paying a little attention to the Pinehurst evolution so this is a sincere comment...if the USGA is embracing a roughless US Open (or even close to it) the world of golf will be turned on its ear...especially at a place like Pinehurst. Could be the most important positive impact a televised event will ever have on the perception of how the game should be played.

Patrick_Mucci

Re: What golf courses have been improved, architecturally, by
« Reply #36 on: February 10, 2011, 10:04:21 PM »
getting the us open might have promoted the interest in pinehurst no 2, leading to Coore Crenshaw recent work

The US Open may have contribnuted to the degradation of #2, particularly the narrowing of fairways and elimination of angles.

Phil,

I couldn't agree more.

Bringing the Open to Pinehurst # 2 ruined that golf course.
But, I've only been playing it for 50 years.
[/b]

Where did the impetus for restoring #2 come from, since it sounds like some of the US Open style features - i.e. rough lines - are being removed?  The course was commercially very successful even as the architecture deteriorated - $400 a pop and pretty much full all the time. 

A US Open sans rough - which the USGA appears to have embraced - is an exciting prospect.

Dean DiBerardino

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Re: What golf courses have been improved, architecturally, by
« Reply #37 on: February 12, 2011, 10:54:39 AM »
How about Donald Ross’ changes to Pinehurst No. 2 before the 1936 PGA?

Tom MacWood

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Re: What golf courses have been improved, architecturally, by
« Reply #38 on: February 12, 2011, 11:24:46 AM »

Bethpage Black.

It has turned into a Mecca now for the almost 2 handicap and may be the hardest course to get on in New York if you are 6'6" and don't want to sleep in a SUV but there is no question it is an amazing course due to the US Open. Could it be better? Yes.

There is a part of me that misses the days when you could walk up because it was "walking only" and the bunkers has wet concrete in them, but again it is now a better course.

What changes were made to the original design that improved the course architecturally?
« Last Edit: February 12, 2011, 11:29:39 AM by Tom MacWood »

Tom MacWood

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Re: What golf courses have been improved, architecturally, by
« Reply #39 on: February 12, 2011, 11:36:22 AM »
Egan & Co.'s redesign of Pebble Beach prior to the 1929 US Am and Colt's redesign of Muirfield prior to the 1926 British Am.

Wayne Wiggins, Jr.

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Re: What golf courses have been improved, architecturally, by
« Reply #40 on: February 12, 2011, 11:45:18 AM »

Malcolm & Jim,

Was Ron Prichard's work for the club in general or specifically for preparation for an event ?
I always thought it was independent of any event, but, I'm not that familiar with the club/work.



Not 100% sure, but they hosted a US Junior in about 1998 and a Senior PGA Championship in about '03 and now the AT&T event in '10 and '11     due to a partnership of sorts with Congressional. I think the work was planned and completed in the late 90's early 2000's.           





I wasn't involved in the actual discussions of undoing the RTJ and Fazio features to the course, but I think it was a mix of wanting to bring the original Donald Ross design intent back with an eye to a hosting future USGA and PGA events... and the AT&T is definitely seen as a springboard to major.

I think the ultimate goal is likely a major but I can't be sure.

Patrick_Mucci

Re: What golf courses have been improved, architecturally, by
« Reply #41 on: February 13, 2011, 11:21:19 AM »
I would turn it around:  has any classic course ever been improved by changes made to host a USGA or PGA event?


Bill, please read the second sentence in my original post.

That's what I asked.

So, to those of you who responded,

HOW have those courses been improved "architecturally"

What specific changes improved those courses ?

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