The Best Of: 2015

Hole 18 at Orinda Country Club, only 15 minutes drive from my front door

It was another good year for myself and Hochstein Design, if a little less hectic and travelled compared to 2014.  The year started at home with some administrative things, the most exciting of which was finally executing the "HD green complex" logo concept I had in my mind since first forming Hochstein Design a year prior.  I continued to re-sharpen my drawing skills after being commissioned to create a scorecard plan drawing of the bunker changes Frank Pont and I had made at Sallandsche.  Speaking of Sallandsche, fieldwork for the year kicked off with a trip back to Holland to hand edge the bunkers, which had been sodded and growing in over the winter.  In seven quick work days, the 22 remaining bunkers were finalized, and 7 bunkers on the practice area were reworked with a mini-excavator and shovel.  It was incredibly satisfying to see the finished results of the project, especially after having done all of the shaping, finish work, and edge cutting for each bunker.  Due to time and soil types, there aren't that many opportunities to be that hands-on in a project, but we were lucky to have that at Sallandsche.

Sallandsche plan drawing and logo in progress

For the summer and biggest project of the year, I had the rare and pleasurable opportunity to work a home gig when Todd Eckenrode of Origins Golf Design (http://www.originsgolfdesign.com) asked if I would be interested in shaping on his upcoming project at Orinda Country Club, which was at the time the nearest course to where I lived.  It is still just a 15 minute drive (in non-commuter Bay Area traffic) from my new location, and for four and a half months, I got to experience a taste of "regular" life (including being in that commuter traffic) where I worked long hours in the dirt but was able to come home every night to my own house and bed.  Needless to say, it was nice.  What was also nice was working alongside fellow shaper/architect George Waters (http://georgewatersgolf.com), a San Francisco resident and someone I had worked with briefly at Cal Club, and new superintendent Josh Smith, a Lafayette neighbor also formerly of Cal Club and famous for his excellent golf paintings (http://www.joshsmithart.com).  With Todd, George, Josh, and myself, we had four unique creative minds to carry forth the plan for the restoration/renovation of the 1924 William Watson design.  The course has now transformed from a strict test of aerial accuracy to one with many options and some of the more fun shots to be had in Bay Area golf.  

The year concluded with a trip to Tom Simpson's Hardelot Les Pins in the far north of France.  Patrice Boissonnas and Frank Pont recently completed a major restoration of the Golden Age course, which sits only a mile from sea, but there are still some areas where they would like to improve things further.  They decided to bring in Hochstein Design to help implement these improvements, which consisted of a few greens expansions, greens surrounds work, approach expansions, and a number of bunker edits.  The greens work has been completed, and the rest will follow in January 2016.

The following lists and anecdotes are Hochstein Design's best moments of the year both on and off the machine, including favorite features built, courses seen, tourist spots, and tunes (gotta have tunes!).  Thanks as always for reading and taking interest in this crazy and wonderful field of golf design and construction.  Cheers!

WORK

This is what it's really all about--building and working on golf courses to make them more fun and interesting for all who play them.  These are some of the year's highlights from doing what I love.

Favorite features worked on

1. 18th green and approach, Orinda CC.  We lowered the sharply pitched hillside green of the medium length par 5 a good 3 or 4 feet to make it sit naturally on a nice existing landform.  Bunkers were added front left and 40 yards short right center to challenge layups and run on shots, which are now more encouraged with a more open right side and increased short grass.  The overall grade is a big steep slope, and the bunkers were made to look like the were tumbling down the hillside.  The green itself is more wild but more playable at the same time.  While the old version was a steep pad at a constant 6%+ grade, the new one has three sections at different levels, which allow for a variety of hole locations and changing day to day strategy.  Material cut from the old green was used to build up the massive left falloff to get balls to stay there as opposed to running all the way down to the cart path and back down the hole.  In the end, the drama of the uphill shot remains, but there are now a lot more playing options and short game variety for wherever your ball may end up. 

2. Hole 13 green and surrounds, Orinda CC.  The former par 3 green had an attractive bunker arrangement off the hill and to the right, but with the length of the hole and the narrow sloped entry, there was no way to fly and hold the green unless you were a single digit handicapper with high ball flight.  After caving in the left bunkers, a nice little sloped corridor for bouncing in a ball emerged.  A tiny part of the front left bunker was retained and made into a small centering bunker, and the leading edge of the large right side bunker was built up to help keep some shots from rolling into it.  A back right corner pin was added, and the backside runoff area was built up to make the creek more visible and in play for those who go long.  On top of these improved playability changes, Todd's plan had the entire tee box area blown up with a divisive fence and trees removed, a cart path moved away, and a blinding slope lowered to make the green and bunkers visible.  I personally can't wait to go out there and hit some shots down the left corridor and try to hold the green. 

Before (top) and after (bottom) comparisons of the 13th at Orinda

3. Hole 14 green expansion and edit, Hardelot Les Pins.  This medium length par 3 was a combination of fun and frustration, as it was a real challenge to fit in a pinnable transition slope with a meter-plus fall from the back shelf to the front edge.  The bigger the challenge, though, the bigger the reward, and this green turned out to be pretty special and certainly the wildest I've been a part of, which despite a still young career building greens says a lot.  We expanded and lowered the back right section to have a pin behind the right-hand bunker.  We also expanded and slightly widened the narrow front section of the long (45 yard) green and eliminated half of the bunker to the right so that shots missing the front section now have short game options for trying to get up and down.  The most difficult part was trying to shelf in a middle pin in the transition slope without making the green appear too 'tiered' or artificial.  After a number of attempts with Frank Pont and Patrice Boissonnas looking on, we got something that everyone was happy with.  Hardelot now has its own version of the 16th at Pasatiempo, though this one is more dynamic and offers an even greater variety of golf shots.  

The front and back view of the freshly grassed 14th green at Hardelot Les Pins

4. Final bunker edging, Sallandsche.  The ugliest phase of bunker construction is when sod is laid over the finished edge and left to take root.  The edge detail is almost totally gone during that time.  That is why it is so satisfying, if a little back-breaking, to take a spade and shovel and hack out that final edge and immediately see the final product you had been envisioning for weeks or months.  I am very proud and happy with how the bunkers came out at Sallandsche and look forward to seeing them mature. 

The edge cutting process is instantly satisfying, as shown here at the 8th hole at Sallandsche.

5. Hole 14 green edit and bunkers, Orinda CC  This was a slight and subtle change, but it had a big impact and is the kind of opportunistic detail work Hochstein Design loves to maximize.  The skinny angled green on the short par 4 is unique among the greens at Orinda, and it turns out this was an alteration suggested by A.W. Tillinghast, which is not surprising.  The key change here was lowering the front left part of the green while flashing up the back of the left greenside bunker to create an effect where that front part of the green is hanging out over the bunker, a very "Golden Age" type of feature.  In lowering the green edge, a hole location could also be scooted closer to the edge, hopefully allowing for a flag profiled against the sand.

Hole 14 at Orinda before this year's work, where there was a missed opportunity on the left for a neat interaction between green and bunker  

The retouched left corner of the 14th green at Orinda, which is now profiled against the sand, is the kind of detail work Hochstein Design prides itself upon.

Best Transformations

1. Hole 13 Orinda CC  Visibility from the tees, a playing corridor down the left, a more tenable central approach, a shifted cart path, and elimination of a fence and trees at the tee have this par 3 remarkably improved both from a playability standpoint and an aesthetic one.

2. Hole 18 Green and Approach, Orinda CC  The previous green was high, over-tilted, disconnected from the land, and surrounded in rough.  The new one is lower, pinnable, connected to the landform, and surrounded in the front, right, and back in short grass and helping contours.  New bunkers add to the aesthetic of the unique amphitheater setting, and the short right one poses all sorts of questions for how one will play their second, third, or fourth shots. 

The revamped 18th at Orinda: more contour, more playable, more fun

3. Hole 14 Green, Hardelot Les Pins  The whole front tongue of the green was reworked to increase hole locations, a bunker was half filled-in to open up short game possibilities, and a new pin was created behind the right side bunker.  The difference in the type of shot between the front hole location and the back right one is immense, but the challenge level for both is still high.

4. Hole 4 greenside bunkers, Orinda CC.  I had been eyeing these bunkers since the winter, basically calling "shotgun" on getting to work on them.  The previous set was the most out of place on the course and apparently rebuilt because of washing from the rocky hillside.  That outcrop of a hillside, which gives the hole its name "Meteor," and the long narrow green were screaming for something that fits more in the context of Northern California golf, and I feel we were able to pull that off while also diverting away surface water to reduce washouts.

Hole 4 at Orinda, before and after new bunker scheme

5. Hole 2 green surrounds, Orinda CC.  This is one of the more unique green locations on the golf course, but before removing the clutter of artificial mounding around it, one would hardly know it.  The connection to the beautiful surrounding oaks is now stronger, the bunkers on 4 are now visible from the fairway, the green is expanded back and right toward a dramatic falloff, and the golfer, when standing near the back, enjoys a nice 270 degree view of a deep native-covered bowl, the 4th hole, the 11th hole, and the fairway of the 2nd itself, which aligns with the famed 15th green.

Best Restored holes

These holes could easily be on the "Best Transformations" list, but they stand out on their own while also being the best representative of restoration type work.

1. Hole 15, Orinda CC   This mid-to-long par 3 was featured in Robert Hunter's famous Golden Age book The Links, showing "a fine natural diagonal hazard," a rugged natural creek with the green sitting hard against its edge.  Somewhere along the line though, a bunker was added between the green and the creek, the latest iteration cutting into about a third of what we believed was the original green pad.  With ample pictures and Hunter's endorsement of the hole's merits, it was a no brainer to try and restore this hole.  George Waters gets credit for shaping the green here, while I jumped in later to naturalize the right side O.B. line (previously an ivy covered fence) and to work on some of the creekside landforms.  The result is one we are happy with and continues to look more like the original as the native matures along the creek.

Before, original, and after of the 15th hole at Orinda

2. Hole 8, Orinda CC  The challenge and bones of this short little drop shot par 3 had not been lost, but it was certainly in need of a restorative facelift.  Going off of early photos from the 20s, we began with eliminating small bunkers at the left and back areas of the green and making those short grass runoffs (we also built those up a little to reduce the severity of them).  Non-native redwoods at the back were eliminated to restore the view of the hills, enhance sunlight, and open up the wind, which will seriously mess with club selection.  The bunkers were made to generally resemble their 20s form while being more practical for drainage/maintenance and having the edge texture more like the bunkers we had already completed around the course.  The green itself was reworked slightly, with the two main goals being expansion to the edges of the pad and reduction of the strong right to left tilt in order to make shots from the right hand bunkers more playable.  Flanking bumps at the middle pinch of the green were also enhanced, increasing the reward for being on the proper half of the green, an effect somewhat like that at the famous "Duel Hole" at the San Francisco Golf Club. 

Original, before, and after of the 8th hole at Orinda

Best Experiences

1. Working a full day in the dirt and getting to go home after it

2. Victory Laps around Sallandsche and Orinda

3. Knocking around some putts for the first time on the 18th at Orinda

4. Completing my first ever interview with Jason Way of the 'Geeked on Golf' blog (http://geekedongolf.com/2015/12/03/multimedia-multitalented-an-interview-with-architect-brett-hochstein/) 

5. Watching the soft, changing December lowlight from the seat on the 16th at Hardelot

H.M. Walking from the train station to Houtrak on a pleasant spring day in the west of Holland

Some of the best experiences of the year, shown through Instagram

 

GOLF 

Rustic Canyon during a pre-flight whirlwind tour

Best New-to-me Golf Courses Seen in 2015

There were two main areas I was able to sneak in some golf course visits--Holland after finishing my work there early, and Los Angeles during a break between projects.  This list is dominated by courses from those two regions.  I was not able to see L.A.C.C. on that trip, but it is at the top of my list to see as soon as I can.

1. Riviera (George Thomas and Billy Bell)

2. Kennemer (Harry Colt Holes)

3. Rustic Canyon (Gil Hanse, Geoff Shackelford, and Jim Wagner)

4. Hardelot Les Pins (Tom Simpson)

5 (tie). Claremont (Alister MacKenzie)

5 (tie). Wilshire (Norman Macbeth)

H.M. Eindhovensche (Harry Colt)

Best Holes 

1. Riviera #10  I don't need to say much about the template for strategic golf, but seeing this green up close in person and rolling balls on it was one of the more valuable things I have done in my study of golf architecture.  It is the perfect example for pushing the limit without going too far, which is a successful ingredient of good design that very few architects are able to get right.

2. Riviera #4  The true "Hogan's Alley" is much more prominent in person. The kikuyu does seem to hold running shots down the right more than you would like, but you can clearly see what Thomas was doing here with the design.  I've always been a fan of the ideal line being off center or counterintuitive, and this hole is a great example of that.

3. Wilshire #10  This is an unusual par 3 with a rather simple concept--a really long (40 or so yards) and really narrow (as narrow as 7 yards at the middle) green set at a 45 degree angle from the tee and falling slightly away from the player.  What's more is that it is guarded by bunkers on both sides except for a very sharp dropoff at the deepest back section. It doesn't fit the eye at all, and that is one of its great attributes as you try and figure out just what club to hit.

The wonderfully uncomfortable tee shot to the skinny, angled 10th green at Wilshire

4. Wilshire #2  Fun par 5 with an angled green guarded by a bunkered nob on the left, which encourages players to interact with the bunkers down the right of the hole.  Furthering the challenge at the green, there is a little trench of short grass that runs along the back right of the green.  Surely it gets a lot of play (including from the author), which is a great way to get that short game tested early in the round.

5. Riviera #5  I just really like this green complex that falls away and right to left.  There are short grass falloffs to the right and back, which connects with the tee of the famous par 3 6th.  For the weaker player, approaching the green involves flirting with a giant knob short right of the green that was said to be built by Thomas and Bell to divert major storm water coming off the cliff.  The hole is a thoughtful test for both the everyman trying to make par and the professional trying to make birdie.

6. Wilshire #4  Another hole where the green is the star. Norman Macbeth originally designed the par 3s at Wilshire with two greens a piece in order to offer more day to day variety.  In the case of the 4th hole, Kyle Phillips went ahead and connected the two pads to make one green, which is over 60 yards long and joined by a really neat looking roll that screams 1920s construction. 

7. Orinda #8  Great before the restoration, and even better now.  Pick your poison for missing the small narrow green: big bunker short, bunkers right with a fallaway shot, deep left with the green above your head but short game options, or long with the same problem if your ball doesn't make it all the way to the long native grass (I really don't recommend long).  It's only 120 yards, but with those listed hazards and a commonly swirling wind, it is a brute of a hole.  For those really dialed in with the wedge and seeking a birdie or sure par, you are better off being on the proper half of the green due to the anchoring slopes at the middle pinch.

8. Eindhoven #3  Of the many very good holes at Colt's Eindhoven, this is probably my favorite.  It is a medium-long par 3 playing slightly uphill with a couple of mossy natural landforms guarding the front.  In addition to messing with depth perception, the unpredictable nature of the bumps could kick a low shot in any direction.  You don't always need bunkers to form an effective defense of a hole.

The 3rd hole at Eindhoven is cleverly tucked behind some natural landforms

9. Claremont #5  Two simple land movements make this hole what it is: a hog back fairway that is hard to find off the tee, and a fallaway green that is met with a bunker tight to the rear.  A lot more effective and interesting than, say, building giant pond and over-bunkering.  A lot cheaper too.  

10. Riviera #6  Ok, I will bite and include the famous "bunker in the green" hole.  What I was most keen to see was if you could putt from one side of the green to the other around the bunker.  You can, but in general, you can't really get the ball too close.  I like that.  It punishes you for being on the wrong side of the bunker but doesn't do it to an extreme. It's probably a 0.5-1 shot penalty, which seems about right to me.

Best Greens

1. Riviera

2. Eindhoven

3. Claremont

4. Wilshire

5. Hardelot Les Pins

The massively long 4th green at Wilshire is pure Golden Age quirk

Best Bunkers--Playing Importance and Aesthetics

1. Rustic Canyon

2. Claremont

3. Riviera

4. Hardelot Les Pins

5. Wilshire

The outstanding bunkering at Rustic Canyon brings the desert right into the golf course, leaving nary a trace where man's influence begins and ends

Champions of Fast and Firm--Best Turf + Conditions

1. Swinkelsche  The only Frank Pont solo design I've seen has a perfect maintenance meld.  It's tight and fast fescue through the green with minimal mow lines and a beautiful natural look, while the greens are kept at speeds appropriate for the wild contours.  If only it could always be that way.

2. Kennemer  I'm a sucker for links golf and will not deny it; there's just nothing that makes architecture better and more fun than links-type turf.  It was early spring at Kennemer, but I could still use a putter most anywhere.  As an added bonus, the early season moss and rabbit scrapes in the rough made for a beautiful natural aesthetic.  

3. Rustic Canyon  The switch to Bermuda seems to me like only a good thing, as balls looked like they were bouncing all over the place in the high winds.  Superintendent Jeff Hicks also has the bent grass approach and surround areas so tight, they might as well be putting green.  Amazing stuff in a hot dry climate.

4. Wilshire  Doug Martin is doing a great job with the bermuda after their recent renovation a few years ago.  A lot of bounce and roll for a warm season course.

5. Riviera  Yes, Kikuyu and all.  Superintendent Matt Morton is doing an incredible job managing the thick and pesky grass--better than I thought possible.  He also has the greens at a speed and firmness that maximize the outstanding architecture, and he is taking great care to maintain green size and introduce proper looking native areas.

The maintenance meld at Swinkelsche is perfection: fast and natural

Best Playing Experiences

1. Golf with my dad and brother before his wedding. Hickory Hill, Wixom, MI

2. Getting a history lesson and knocking it around Kennemer with longtime member Dolf Cox.  Kennemer, Zandvoort, Netherlands

3. Playing my first ever SoCal round with Todd Eckenrode post-Orinda project. Wilshire, Los Angeles, CA

4. Reuniting and playing a round at Cal Club with fellow shaper/architect and Scotsman Ben Warren.  California Golf Club, South San Francisco, CA

5. Getting in a round at Claremont on a quiet Monday before beginning the Orinda Project.  Claremont CC, Oakland, CA

It doesn't get much better than teeing it up with my dad and brother

 

CULTURE

Travel is a side benefit of this business, especially if you don't overdo it.  Seeing the world opens you up to new things in all senses--sights, sounds, tastes--and the people you get to meet make it even more worthwhile.  Here are some of our favorite things experienced in 2015.

The Gros Horloge, a Renaissance-era astronomical clock, and Cathedral Notre Dame du Rouen in Rouen, France

Favorite Cities

1. Rouen, France

2. Deventer, Netherlands

3. Honfleur, France 

4. Amsterdam, Netherlands

5. Paris, France.

H.M. Le Touquet, France

Honfleur Harbor, a place inhabited by many Impressionist painters for its ever changing light

Favorite food by Place

Netherlands - Bitterballen, obviously

Home (Orinda CC) - Grilling spicy porkchops in the backyard with a cold Grapefruit Sculpin

France - Tie between St. Jacques (scallops) and Magret de Canard (grilled duck breast)   

Favorite Sites Seen

This is a clean sweep this year, as I never saw anything new in my short time in Holland.  These sites were all incredible though, the top two rivaling any place I've ever been.

Mont St. Michel, quite possibly the most amazing place I have ever been

1. Mont St. Michel and Bay, France

2. Rue de Gros Horloge, Rouen, France

3. Honfleur Harbor, France

4. Eiffel Tower, Paris, France

5. Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial, France

The Eiffel Tower exceeded expectations

 

MUSIC

Anyone in this business who works in this style out in the field knows how valuable a companion the art of music is.  It is easy as well to draw parallels between the two, a great golf course acting as a great album with the component pieces, the holes and songs, standing individually while contributing to the work as a whole.  Here are some of my favorites while making it all happen from in the seat or behind a rake.

Best Albums

1. Visions - Grimes

2. Trouble Will Find Me - The National

3. The Flying Club Cup - Beirut

4. Kathryn Calder - Kathryn Calder

5. Born Under Saturn - Django Django

6. Carrie & Lowell - Sufjan Stevens

7. Currents - Tame Impala

8. American Water - Silver Jews

9. Alix - Generationals

10. California Nights - Best Coast

H.M. Strange Pleasures - Still Corners

Best Songs

1. "Genesis" - Grimes

2. "I Should Live in Salt" - The National

3. "A Sunday Smile" - Beirut

3. "Huarache Lights" - Hot Chip

4. "Black Lemon" - The Generationals

5. "To Die in L.A." - Lower Dens

6. "10,000 Emerald Pools" - BØRNS

8. "No No No" - Beirut

9. "Highway Patrol Stun Gun" - Youth Lagoon

10. "Day of the Locusts" Bob Dylan

H.M. "Dreams" - Beck; "Gotta Go Home" - Boney M

And on To 2016...

Only one thing is certain at this point, and that is returning to France to continue making improvements at the excellent Hardelot Les Pins.  The next project is almost finalized and would be much closer to home.  The second half of the year is wide open though, and who knows what is in store (how about some Hochstein Design solo work? Spread the word--I'm ready!).  Be sure to follow me on twitter and instagram (@hochsteindesign for both) for the latest news and project progress.

To start the year, it will be back to France to finish a winter architectural program at Hardelot Les Pins

Sallandsche Bunker Renovation Part III: Back Nine Imagery

This post is a continuation of the previous one, complete with before-and-afters of the recently completed bunker renovation by Hochstein Design and Frank Pont at the Sallandsche Golf Club.  Due to the amount of images, I've split it up by nines.  This is the back nine, beginning with the 10th, one of the original holes on the course (though like the rest, not quite in its original form).

The 10th is a medium long dogleg right par 4 that plays through large trees along the northern side of the sandy esker running through the middle of the property.  Again there are two greenside bunkers, but these are more forward than most of the other other pre-existing bunkers.  The plan was to fill in the left one and rebuild the right side one to get it closer to the green and open up some visibility.  During the demo and digging, an opportunity was seen to create something different from the rest of the course using three-dimensionality.  With a high point sticking up left, the bank on the right, and a new part in the middle low near the green, the bunker took on a look that is seen sometimes on sites where wind erodes sand.  We wanted to get the front right part of the green more visible, and creating a sort of "blow-through" like this turned out to be a unique way to do it.

*Again, all before images credit to Frank Pont and Infinite Variety Golf Design*

Hole 10 before image with high right bunker blocking that whole part of the green and other bunker way out left on the property line.

The 10th hole after removing the left bunker and creating a new version of the right one with a blow-through that now gives a peek at the right corner of the green. Similar to the effect on 2 and 9, this bunker changes in depth and view as you move closer and around it.

The 10th hole bunker up close.

A view of the 10th bunker from the side walking up to the green showing how the bunker changes form as one walks past it.  This is taken at the end of edging but before cleanup. 

The 11th hole takes you across a two-track road onto the newest holes of the property designed by Donald Steel.  A flat and completely open field when first acquired, there are now some trees on it, some of them good others not as good.  It is a nice change of pace though to head into the open space after being mostly in the woods the first 10 holes.  The hole itself is a par five with a slight dogleg right.  There were initially two bunkers on the outside that are now one large one.  Up by the green, there was a bunker in the left approach that was re-angled, a new bunker built at an angle to the right of it, a blind left greenside one filled in and made a hollow, and a blind right greenside one filled in and made much bigger and more visible toward the front.  Needless to say, there was a lot going on at this hole.  

Hole 11 fairway bunkers before.  The view from the tees is vast, and making something to scale would be a challenge.

The zoomed in after view on 11.  By building up a high peak in the middle and making it long, it just fits the vast open landscape.  The 12th fairway bunker is just behind and to the left of it, and I shaped it to interact well with the one built on 11 and take up some space on the long plane.

A closer view of the fairway bunker on 11.

A before image of the 11th green approach shot.  For most of the hole, the left greenside bunker was blind while the right one was always blind.

Hole 11 approach from 200 meters down the fairway.  The right side bunker was built into the existing landforms built by someone else.  For a short hitter trying to avoid a shot over a bunker, the gap is to the right short of the big one.

11 green closer up.

The 12th hole is a short dogleg right around the bordering woods and property line.  There were initially a pair of circle shaped bunkers flanking each side of the fairway, and there were 3 greenside bunkers--two right and one left.  The plan here called for eliminating the bunker on the right inside the dogleg, rebuilding the left bunker, and adding another bunker further down on the outside of the dogleg.  This may seem a little counterintuitive to leave the inside of a dogleg undefended, but the reality is that it is defended by the work that went on up at the green, a green that also happens to fall slightly away and left.  At the green we eliminated the left bunker and consolidated the two right greenside bunkers while also shifting it forward to cut off more of the angle from the right.  The ideal play off the tee is then to drive it as close to the fairway bunkers and you can in order to get the good angle into the green.

Hole 12 fairway and green before

Hole 12 fairway after.  The outside bunkers perfectly defend the ideal angle into the green.

Hole 12 green before

Hole 12 Green after with one of the simplest but in my opinion best looking bunkers on the course.  The exposed dirt on the left above is a newly seeded hollow.  

Hole 13 is another hole of substantial change.  Like 12, it is a short par 4 bending to the right with circular fairway bunkers flanking both sides.  Unlike 12, we flattened both fairway bunkers and instead built a small nasty bunker just off center in the middle of the fairway.  Choosing which side to hit to is now dictated by the hole location following the work that went on at the green.  

The green at 13 is probably the most dramatic and interesting on the golf course.  It has a big left to right fall with a difficult-to-get-to high right side.  A deep grass-faced bunker was on the right front of it and a low bunker was on the left side.  Instead of doing the typical thing and maintaining the defense on the high right side with a bunker, that one was instead filled in and rounded off with excess material shaved down to further exaggerate the crown on the right side as well as help with the fill-in.  With it to be short grass like the rest of the greens surrounds, it should make for very interesting approach and recovery shots.  

The left side bunker was extended out to cut off the angle to the left side of the green.  The advantage of this is that now to get the better angle to the lower left hole location, one must thread their tee shot between the centerline bunker and ditch down the right.  When the hole is up high on the right  though, the better place to be is in the left part of the fairway due to the slope of the green.  13 is now a great little hole.

Hole 13 before viewed from the beginning of the fairway

Hole 13 after from the further up the fairway.  The exposed ground is the newly seeded flattened old bunker.  Notice how much more prominent the high right side of the green is.  That is the perfect example of addition by subtraction, for the green itself was not touched at all.  Also notice how the angle to the hole is open from here.

Hole 13 from the left side of the fairway.  This is the better angle to get at the high side of the green, but you can see how the bunker cuts off the angle of the low side hole location vs the other side of the fairway shown above.

Hole 13 green before.  This image is also taken before the front right bunker was changed in-house in recent years. 

Hole 13 green during work showing what the right side bunker was like at construction.  Notice the extra landforms around the right.  

Hole 13 green after.  Notice the reduction of mounding on the right and how it makes the green more prominent.

Bonus image of the 13th green bunker showing how it changes form as it is encountered

The 14th hole is a par 3 through the trees and the only hole in the woods on this section of the property.  Here the left bunker was filled in and made an undulating hollow, and the right bunker was rebuilt to be made visible.  A second bunker was also added by Frank out in the field after the first (closer to the tee) bunker was dug and finished.  This ended up enhancing not only the view from 14 tees but also from 16 fairway and green, which play toward the the 14th green from the right.  That was a view we were also focused on from the beginning because of how prominent it is.  It is a fun challenge making something look good from multiple angles, a skill that I enhanced working on Tom Doak's wide open Simapo Island in China.  

Hole 14 before. Hard to believe, but there is a bunker over there on the right.

Hole 14 after.  The second bunker behind was a late addition by Frank Pont.  This is one of the few images unfortunately where the top lines of the shaping are clearly visible, but it can be seen that care was given to give nice variable movement of the ground and in this case make lines intersect and highlight the profile and depth of the set.

Hole 14 as viewed from the 16th green.  Here the pair of bunkers also complement each other well.

The 15th hole is a pretty straightforward medium length par 4 with one of the flattest greens on the course.  The one feature on the hole is a pond at the left in the landing area.  With the scope of the work limited to bunkers and expanding grass lines, we keyed on that pond and made flirting with it on the tee shot the ideal play.  The bunkers on the left of the green were eliminated and made a hollow while a little ridge was built to help balls from the left find the green while not really helping balls coming from the right.  The right side bunker was made bigger and shifted slightly left, cutting off the angle from the right while leaving the left side still open.  

Hole 15 before

Hole 15 after.  The hollows on the left ended up being quite deep.

The 16th hole is a straightaway par 5 playing along the eastern boundary of the property and an open farm field that provides some nice long views on this hole and others out in this open section of the course.  There were only two bunkers worked on at this hole, though it looks like more due to the bunkers of the 14th green in the background.  The first is a fairway bunker in the left approach that was re-angled and built up.  The second is the right greenside bunker that was dramatically reduced in size leaving only the section nearest the center of the green.  The left side bunker was filled in, and the right side off the green was reshaped to interesting short game contours.

Hole 16 before from the left fairway bunker.

Hole 16 after from the left fairway bunker.  Notice the bunkers of the 14th hole in the backdrop.

Hole 16 before nearer the green

Hole 16 green after

The 17th hole has been much talked about and photographed thus far, part because of its setting and result and part because it was the first hole completed and ready for photographs.  In short, the hole is a short dogleg right with a series of three angled crossing bunkers and a small left greenside bunker.  All of these bunkers were rebuilt in place, and another small bunker sitting blindly in the back was filled in and made a fall-off ridge.

Hole 17 the morning of project groundbreaking

Hole 17 on last day of project in December.

Hole 17 in sepia filter for fun to see how it compares with older styles of bunkers.

One more close-up view.

The back nine finishes the same as the front--with a par 3.  This one is a bit longer though and downhill through a shoot of pines.  The downhill nature of the hole made for an opportunity to do something a little different because the bunker would be sitting down below you versus on the horizon like most places on the course.  Without the need to visually fade out into the ground, we made a big catcher's mitt sort of pit on the opposite (left) side of the existing right bunker, which we filled in and built up into some interesting contours that should catch some nice shadows from the clubhouse view.  I like how the bunker turned out, and it will be interesting to see how it matures as heather from the left side is brought further in toward the bunker.

Hole 18 before from the tee.

Hole 18 after from the tees. 

Hole 18 before from closer up.

Hole 18 after close up.  Native and heather should eventually creep in from the left.

That concludes the review and photo tour of Sallandsche.  All the comments, interest, and support have been much appreciated.  Looking forward to seeing this work mature and get better, and looking forward to the next projects here in 2015 and beyond.  Orinda CC for Todd Eckenrode and Origins Golf Design is next.  

Sallandsche Bunker Renovation Part I: The Story

Hole 11 at Sallandsche Golf Club 'De Hoek' in Diepenveen, The Netherlands.

As those who follow @HochsteinDesign on Twitter and Instagram well know, I was very much involved recently in a bunker renovation with Dutch architect Frank Pont of Infinite Variety Golf Design at the Sallandsche Golf Club in Diepenveen, The Netherlands.  Located about an hour and a half east of Amsterdam near the wonderful Ijssel River town of Deventer, Sallandsche is one of the more pleasant and culturally rich places I've had the opportunity to work.

The golf course itself has some history as well with its original holes designed by Frank Spalding in 1934 comprising one of the oldest clubs in Holland.  Like the other great old courses of the country, the original holes were built upon land naturally suited for the game.  The spit of sandy heathland that splits the current 10th, 17th, and 18th holes is full of Scotch Pines, heather, and ground movement and is the cornerstone from which the rest of the course builds outward.  It was fitting then that we began at the short par 4 17th with its original angled cross bunker scheme, and hindsight proved it to be a good decision as the rugged heathland character bunkers we built set the tone and style for the rest of the project.  

Old aerials show crossing hazards and natural looking bunkers angled strategically in ways consistent with the period.  Through the addition of more holes over the years and general changes to the course, the interesting 1930s strategies and aesthetics were for the most part lost.  Simply shaped unnatural bunkers would flank greens at the sides instead of cutting off a corner of the putting surface or sitting short in the approach.  The effect was that there was no player engagement with the hazards unless a shot was hit poorly long to the right or the left.  A game of thought and execution was reduced instead to just a game of execution. Furthermore, a number of these bunkers were hardly even visible to the player, which, given the sand flashed style and the flatness of most holes, is rather odd and a missed opportunity for visual impact.  

Frank Pont had been working with the club for years to put together a plan to remediate the problems mentioned above with the following goals--increase strategy, restore a classic and more natural aesthetic, and improve visibility.  When it came time for approval and getting to work, Frank got in touch with Hochstein Design to discuss potential bunker styles and eventually coming to Holland to do the shaping.   

After looking at site images, discussing the club's preferences for maintenance, and talking about the history of the club and its context in Holland, we set to looking at comparables.  Flat sites like Garden City GC and Chechessee Creek in America quickly came to mind, as did a number of Harry Colt and Tom Simpson examples found around Europe.  After this analysis and talks with Frank, Hochstein Design proposed a flashed style with naturally moving lines but few capes and bays to enhance visible sand and keep maintenance simpler.  

Proposed stylistic rendering for the bunker work at Sallandsche.  The style called for flashed sand with naturally textured edges and a horizontal nature fitting of the site. 

The previous bunkering at the 17th shows a low and simplistic version of bunkering that doesn't fully take advantage of the nearby heathland texture.

The new bunkering was outlined in the report as containing or accomplishing the following:

" -Elements of both Colt and Simpson, Golden Age architects who played an important role in European golf design, Colt especially so in Holland.

-Scale is appropriate to that of the property and in line with current amount of maintenance

-Lines have interest but are not too “busy” or repetive, allowing a clean but natural look.

-Increased sand flash profile increases aesthetic style of golf course, makes hazards more visible to golfers, and adds more challenge and strategy in avoiding them.

-Texture in heather and fescue is added for further interest and definition but is not too thick and prominent where balls are lost and unplayable lies are had.

-Heather and fescue bunker edges should be low maintenance and require more infrequent attention than mowed turf.

-Construction works with current grade and does not require soil to be imported."  

Work was slated early in the summer to begin on September 16th, and sure enough everyone along with the requested excavator and knuckle bucket was there that day with work getting started right away.  For those who work in this business or any kind of construction, it is understood how rare and refreshing it is to have a start date actually start on time, especially when planned so far in advance.  This is a big credit to both the club and De Enk Groene and Golf, the contracted maintenance team who also supplied the equipment and extra labor.  With everything functioning and everyone cooperating, I was enjoying the relatively fast and efficient start.  After just a couple of days of stripping the grass and getting used to the machine and tight working quarters (this was my first time shaping on an existing course and using a knuckle attachment, a request that proved highly valuable in the end), the first row of three bunkers were rough shaped. 

The plan was always to do at least some of the finish work myself to try and perfect the details, though we weren't sure just how much the schedule would allow for it.  With the loose sandy soil, the first three cross bunkers on 17 were rake shaped and edged quite quickly.  It became apparent at that point that this might be something that we can do for all of the bunkers, and indeed that ended up being the case.  Re-used grass sods went back down on the lead-in front sides right away, and it was decided to buy in new fescue sods for the top edges since there was not enough quality native on site to harvest.  No heather was added at this time, but it might be something to consider later on if done only sporadically.  The long term strategy will be to let the fescue and whatever else grow on top but keep it thin enough for playability.  

The 17th hole after the finish work.  The loose sandy material was so easy to work that the hand work for all 4 bunkers was completed by Hochstein Design in a little over a day, cumulatively.  Note that the final shapes and lines are not exactly what was drawn, but the spirit and style is still the same.  Working in the field almost always leads to doing something a little differently and, far more often than not, better.

This would become the process for the next 3 months--rough shape, move the machine to the next spot, do the hand work, shape the next one while the guys lay down the grass, repeat.  After 6 weeks though, there was the opportunity for one more element--finish cutting the edges on the already grassed bunkers.  Because of the loose soil, it was essential to lay the grass down and over the edge to help keep it stable.  After the 6 weeks or so, there was just enough rooting and solidarity in the sod that edges could be cut without much damage or slipping of the sods.  Just like the finish work, this went pleasantly quickly and successfully, and it became apparent that perhaps the cutting would also fall under the responsibility of Hochstein Design.  It's a rare thing due to time demands for a designer/shaper to be able to do their own finish work; it's even more rare for the same designer/shaper to do their own sod cutting.  That is pretty much ideal for Hochstein Design's methodology--have as much control over the creative as possible--and we are appreciative of Sallandsche giving us the opportunity to work in a way that is foreign to the present design and construction standards of Holland (and still most everywhere).  

he greenside bunkers on the 4th hole after finish work and at the start of grassing.  Just in case things appear to change or look different, I always like to take a few pictures to be able to refer back to for the final cutting or painting of the edge.

The 4th hole after grassing and before cutting.  The contrast of the green is nice, but this is probably my least favorite state of bunker construction.  I can't wait to go back in and get back the original finished character of the edge.

The 4th hole a few days after edge cutting and clean-up.

Construction continued on with only the slightest of hiccups and slowdowns.  Another advantage of having a multitasking shaper is that you can always keep them busy.  When the machine needed some maintenance or there was a big area of sod to strip, I could leave it to De Enk and either do some finish work or edge cutting of the already grassed bunkers.  There was very little downtime, and the project of 37 new bunkers, 21 fill-ins, and 4 green surrounds ended up completely shaped and grassed (minus the 3rd hole, which the club is currently undecided on) with about half of the new bunkers edged out and open for play, all in 59 working days.  Considering the intricacy of the final product and involvement level, that's not too bad and a credit to all involved.  Harry Otten, course manager of Sallandsche, would bend over backward if asked in order to keep both the project moving and everyone happy.  Arthur Berends, manager at De Enk, was instrumental in getting a great machine and any other resources necessary for the project.  The grounds crew of De Enk was helpful, quick, and showed adaptability to do things a little different than they might be used to doing.  Maarten Amse and the rest of the club committee of Sallandsche were excellent in all of their support and understanding of what Frank and I were trying to do.  And lastly, Frank Pont was wonderful in his presence, commitment to good work, allowance of creative license, and ability to make quick decisions out in the field.  

Golf course design and construction is a team effort, and any successful project has a lot of moving parts behind the scenes doing their job well.  This bunker renovation at Sallandsche is certainly an example of that.  

Now, what about the remaining bunkers that had not been edged?  Fortunately, the club was happy to bring back Hochstein Design in the following spring of 2015 before the start of the seasonal competitions to complete the rest of the edging and also do some work at the practice area bunkers.  Images of this and more of the course will be coming up in the next section--Part II: Front 9 Imagery.

An updated scorecard drawing for Sallandsche showing all of the new bunkers and their positions.

The Best of: 2014

It's been a good first year at Hochstein Design--probably better than I could have anticipated.  For someone newly independent, I've been fortunate to have a number of different opportunities to work in some great places with some great people.  Thanks also to a wife who has the same passion for life as I do and works remotely online, all of this has been a lot easier as she has joined me in many of these journeys.  I'd like to take a moment now to reflect on some of the fun and highlights that 2014 brought to HD. From Haikou, China to Sorocaba, Brazil to Sperryville, Virginia to Diepenveen, Netherlands, it's been quite a ride.

The year started with Chinese New Year in Haikou.  It is something everyone should experience once, though be sure to bring earplugs and avoid the crowds at RT Mart the week before!

Golf 

Best New-to-me Golf Courses Seen in 2014

Not surprisingly, Europe dominates this list.  I didn't see anything new in the States, and the links and heathland courses of Europe are just outstanding on their own. 

1(tie). Ballybunion  About as solid and fun as it gets through a full 18 holes.  The short game is a blast with moving greens that have lots of short grass falloffs and banks all around them, and the long game is great as one works through the dunes without being overwhelmed, save a few holes.

1(tie). Lahinch (Old) (Old Tom Morris, Alister MacKenzie, Martin Hawtree)  If this course had all of it's original Old Tom and Mackenzie greens, it would be clear cut number one and challenge my all time favorite, The Old Course at St Andrews, which I've always thought impossible.  The routing and old stuff still there is that good.

3. Utrechtse De Pan (Harry Colt) So disappointing that I only got to play 6 holes here, as I was really loving it.  It has the best golf-scale contours in the Netherlands, and from I saw, Colt used them really well.

4. Simapo Island (Tom Doak, unopen, partial grow-in) Maybe some bias after having spent over 330 days on the ground building it, but the strategies and variety that have been thought through there are really good.  So too are the horizon line views of the river on which the course sits.  

5. Royal Hague (Harry Colt) I only walked this course and not in sequence with the routing, so my assessment isn't fair.  The hills are mighty, perhaps seemingly too mighty. My suspicion is they look harder than they actually play, and I am really hoping to get back with clubs to find out.  The routing seems great, the greens are good, and the club is making great work to restore a more natural and original character.

Possibly both my best hole and best photo of 2014, the 9th at Lahinch.

Best Holes

1. Lahinch #9  A raised shelf in the fairway runs from short right to long left.  It is nice to get to the top of that shelf, but it is more important to be left due to the super long and skinny green, one of few originals left on the course.  The falloff left of the green is steep, and the bank on the right also steep, sometimes kicking balls straight left off the green and downward.

2. Lahinch #4  "The Klondyke" hole, a cross-continental short par 5, tees off with the ocean at your back and finishes right at the road running along the course. After finding the secluded valley off the tee, it has a second shot to nowhere over the craggy Klondyke Hill.  Trust the marking rock and pole and get enough air under it to clear.  Then be sure not to get hit by golfers teeing off from the left on 18 as you approach one of coolest greens I've ever seen, a big rumply bowl twisting around a natural little dune.  Awesome hole.

3. Lahinch #6  How do I include 4 and 6 but not the Dell? Or 13? Because I have to stop somewhere, I guess, and I didn't actually get to play the Dell as it was closed for the winter.  The 6th is great though with a tee shot to a pleasant looking plateau that seems to sit in heaven.  Don't hit too long though because there is a massive hole out there with a bunker in it. The approach is downhill over the hole to a green set scenically against the Atlantic.  Unfortunately, this is where I remembered most of the greens were flattened years ago then later rebuilt by Hawtree. They are good, but they are very far from Mackenzie and Old Tom.

4. Simapo Island #14  This long par 5 plays up and over a hill, where one of it not the best view on the course is had looking toward the green with the bridge beyond it and an inlet, bunkers, and acres upon acres of turf lying before it.  The amount of space often lulls one into a lazy second shot out to the right, which is both longer and a worse angle.  If I told you pretty much this entire hole save the inlet was created, I would hope you had no idea.

5. Royal Hague #6  One must steer their shot through the dunes, favoring the right without going too far that way down into a deep valley.  The green is a long way and uphill--a difficult shot guarded by a bunker front left and a steep falloff within the green right.  Putting up from the lower part of the green looks like a good time, unless you are playing a match or keeping score. 

HM. 90% of Ballybunion See above.

My most pleasant surprise golfing this year--the 10th green at Dooks

Best Greens

1. Lahinch #4 See above

2. Dooks #10 The end of a long bland par 5 is a surprisingly good one with a propped up green that will push most shots away, running or flying.  Running up the right is better than the left, which kicks away.  Once on the surface, the green is tilted but much more manageable, keeping the whole thing from being over the top.

3. Lahinch #9 See above

4. Ballybunion #9  Don't miss left or right. It might take a few tries to keep it on. 

5. Ballybunion #8  A very cool little green with a left bank and neat undulations all around.  Pity it is closed during the winter

Colorful Sorocaba in Brazil, a cool place for a warm afternoon walk.

Best Bunkering

This list is based on both aesthetics and strategy and surprisingly is more weighted to the modern.  Perhaps it is because the contouring at the old links and heathland courses is so superior to its hazards, or maybe it is just that the newer sets have yet to be tinkered with.  Pardon me for tooting my own horn on some of these, but honesty is the best policy.

1. Simapo Island Scale is huge and fitting to site, placement has been scrutinized out in the field, and maintenance for the new-to-golf Chinese staff should not be too difficult.

2. Sallandsche Yes I know I shaped and finished these, but I believe in the work.  The style fits the site, which is a heathland course waiting to be uncovered, well.  The new positioning is key as well and provides the course's primary defense, which would become even more relevant with firming of the surfaces and well thought-out modifications to the greens.

3. Fazenda Boa Vista Thad Layton, Jeff Stein, and ProGolf Brasil have put together a very good looking and well thought out set of bunkers.

4. De Pan  Not the most interesting to look at, but they are positioned well for playing and general looks.

5. Lahinch  Not quite as clean as other links bunkers, but not exactly natural either.  There is some good positioning, but they are really overshadowed by the dunes and contours of the course.

Music

Anyone in this business who works in this style out in the field knows how valuable a companion the art of music is.  It is easy as well to draw parallels between the two, a great golf course acting as a great album with the component pieces, the holes and songs, standing individually but contributing to the work as a whole.  Here are some of my favorites while making it all happen from in the seat or behind a rake.

Best Albums

1a. Brill Bruisers The New Pornographers

1b. I Never Learn Lykke Li

3. What Once Were Vices Now Are Habits  The Doobie Brothers

4. High Violet The National

5. Lonerism Tame Impala

Best Songs

1. "Just Like a Dream" Lykke Li

2. "Backstairs" The New Pornographers

3. "I Never Learn" Lykke Li

4. "I'm Afraid of Everyone" The National

5. "Red Eyes" The War on Drugs

6. "Coming Up" Paul McCartney

7. "Champions of Red Wine" The New Pornographers 

8. "The Man of Metropolis Steals Our Hearts" Sufjan Stevens

9. "Coming of Age" Foster the People

10. "Koala" Oliver Heldens

Best Experiences

1. Seeing the Gold Top County Ramblers play along the Thornton River in Sperryville, VA.

2. Walking Haikou, a city I really grew to love, for the last time on a warm tropical winter Sunday, with the satisfaction of completion of 2+ years work at Simapo while listening the Doobie Brothers and all the music that made those 2 years memorable.

3. Dancing to electro pop, classic American/British songs, and Dutch polka(?) songs with my wife at Dorpsfeest Diepenveen, our first weekend in The Netherlands.

Mysterious, medieval Brugge with its canals and old winding streets

Culture

Travel is a side benefit of this business, especially if you don't overdo it.  Seeing the world opens you up to new things in all senses--sights, sounds, tastes--and the people you get to meet make it even more worthwhile.  Here are some of our favorite things experienced in our craziest year of travel to date.

Favorite Cities

1. Brugge, Belgium

2. Tie-The Ijssel Towns--Deventer, Zutphen, and Zwolle

3. Haikou

4. Utrecht

5. Den Haag

6. Killarney

7. Amsterdam

8. Washington, D.C.

9. Sorocaba

10. Dusseldorf

Favorite food by Place

China - Street Barbecue, Grilled Oysters

Brazil - Prawn Pasteles

Virginia - Southern Pig Roast

Netherlands - Bitterballen

A massive cathedral ruin perched upon a giant rocky hill--the unity of geology and human history.  

Favorite Sites Seen

Pretty crazy to have this list and not even include places like Skyline Drive in Virginia, our national monuments in D.C., the Grand Place in Brussels, the windmills in Holland, or a ton of other places in Ireland and Europe, but that is just the kind of year it has been.  Also how surprisingly stunning Ireland was.

1. Rock of Cashel - Cashel, Ireland

2. Ring of Kerry, Specifically Bray Point - County Kerry, Ireland

3. Cliffs of Moher Walking Tour (craziest thing we've ever done) - Doolin, Ireland

4. The Poulnabrone, Oldest human thing we've ever seen, including Stonehenge - The Burren, Ireland

5. Charles Dickens Festival - Deventer, Netherlands

Work Life

The work is really the means to providing all these wonderful experiences, but the work and experiences themselves are great too. Here are some of the highlights while on business

Favorite features worked on

I had a hard time picking specifics, but what is wrong with celebrating more in a celebration post anyway?

1. Greens 3, 4, 5, 6, and 8, Schoolhouse 9

2. Hole 2,6,7,9,10,11,14,17,18 Bunkers, Sallandsche

3. Bunker finishing on 6+18, Simapo Island

4. 5, 6, and 13 Greenside bunker and fill-in, Sallandsche

5. Microcountouring the river holes, Simapo Island

Best Experiences

1. Playing grow-in golf on the first 6 holes ready at Simapo Island

2. Walking the Rio Olympic Course with Ben Hillard and Benjamin Warren

3. Having Lahinch all to myself for an early morning round (well, except for the goats)

4. First and last nights at The Schoolhouse 9 with Mike McCartin and Cliff Miller, the first involving a late night at Headmaster's Pub and visit to the Miller's barn, one of the largest wooden barns in the country, and the second involving trivia night, a helicopter landing, and reminiscing about all the great times working there that summer.

5.(tie) Hanging with Thad Layton of APDC at Fazenda Boa Vista in Brazil

5.(tie) Getting soaked on the first 6 holes at De Pan with Frank Pont and Cristian Willaert before retiring for beer and bitterballen in the clubhouse

5.(tie) Playing Noordwijkse on a perfect November day with Chris Veldkamp of Golfweekly

My last day at the Schoolhouse Nine with Cliff Miller (left) and Mike McCartin (right)--a great time to reminisce on one of the most fun projects I will ever be a part of.

Best Photos

...will be in a separate post as I get caught up in loading all my pictures from Ireland and Holland

Battling wind, wire, and backwards waterfalls (waterflies?) while walking the Cliffs of Moher. Photo credits to the wife, partner in 2014 and always.

Back to School

The Schoolhouse 9 finishes at the Headmaster's Pub and Sperryville Schoolhouse with the Blueridge Mountains looming behind

It was probably at Askernish four and a half years ago on the R&A Scholars Tour that I reached the height of my faith in what golf should be--organic, for the people, and full of interesting quirk.  Much of the past two and a half years though up to this winter had been spent on something lacking at least some of the first two of those ideals.  That isn't to say I am not proud of what we accomplished there; in fact it could always go down as my most personally satisfying project given all that was put into it and the results created.  It was just a highly engineered one shaped wall-to-wall that was a long way from the rabbit mown turf on South Uist.

This summer, we haven't exactly been mowing out turf on sandy links land, but we are building something closer to that of the small-town Scottish ideal than almost anything else that exists in America.  Architect and former Renaissance Cup partner Mike McCartin contacted me while I was in Brazil to see if I would be interested in helping with a 9 hole par 3 course next to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.  It would just be the two of us shaping and finishing the thing, and it would be a chance "to show that new, fun, interesting, and ridiculously affordable aren't mutually exclusive in the US."  This was all music to my ears because despite the economy and state of the game, I had always believed this was still possible.  The course would be quirky, locally involved as it sits right in the town with the Headmaster's Pub serving as the clubhouse, and managed with super low inputs, not even having any irrigation outside of the greens.  There will even be an honor box for when the Pub is closed.  Sounds pretty close to the Scottish game to me.

So here we are in the unique small town of Sperryville, where the restaurant to resident ratio is a ridiculous 5 to 342, racing to finish the shaping and grading of the Schoolhouse 9 Golf Course by the end of the month in preparation for seeding in September.  After a slow start due to some permitting issues, things are going fast and well despite wet weather being more prominent than normal for this time of year.  At less than 10 disturbed acres, it should go fast.  We have only tilled and stripped topsoil around greens and adjacent tees.  Most tees and one green (number 3) will be unstripped--the shaping needing only a little work in the topsoil.  There are no USGA specs here.  The method of seeding undisturbed areas has not yet been finalized, but no shaping will take place.  The idea is not to fight with the gentle landscape of the former pasture field but rather to embrace it and prove that interesting and natural looking golf can be had with just a few key moves.  So far so good as shaping is finalized on 6 of the holes and beginning on the other 3 as those 6 begin finish work.  

Hole 8 breaks away from the intimate lower section to a longer shot straight at the mountains.

The golf is going to be very fun with a ton of variety and balance.  Mike's routing maximizes outside views of the property, including the Blueridge Mountains in Shenandoah National Park, foothills to the north, the adjacent Mt. Vernon farm (which is owned by the client Cliff Miller's family), and a very unique farm ruin behind the 3rd green.  The concepts of each hole present different types of challenges while fitting into their respective settings, and there will be different hole locations and ways to play them in effort to keep the par 3 experience from becoming stale.  Some examples worked on so far include the 1st with a hidden front and plateau back, the 3rd that looks dead flat but will be maddening to play in a drought as it falls away and to the sides, the 4th with 3 very different sectors including one sitting on a horizon, the 6th tight against the creek with an increasingly difficult pitch for those safely bailing away, the short 7th on the ridge with its back bowl pouring out the right, and the 8th with the biggest bunker on the course and partially hidden saddle green all set against the mountain backdrop.

There is a lot going on for such a small course, but that is also the funny thing, for there is also not a lot of other things going on.  There is not a lot of land disturbance, there is not a major contractor, there will not be a lot of irrigation, there won't be a lot of nutrient or pest inputs, and there surely won't be a bag drop and cart station.  It is just going to be golf--affordable and environmentally friendly--and that is what the game needs right now.

Hole 3 plays directly at a farm ruin to what seems like a totally flat field.  It is not.  These mowing lines are yet to be determined.

Rio in Review: Brief and Belated

The mountains in all directions are incredibly more dramatic in person

Earlier last month following my duties at Fazenda Boa Vista, I had the opportunity to visit Rio de Janeiro and the Olympic Golf Course for my last weekend in Brazil.  The guys from Progolf Brasil, who were just beginning work as the contractor for the Olympic course, had been especially insistent upon making a trip to Rio both for the course but also to see "the real Brasil."  Sorrocaba might actually be a closer representation of the "real Brasil," but I knew what they meant.  Upon flying into and landing in the city, I could see immediately I was no longer in Sao Paolo State.  Bright blue water, golden sand beaches, and vivid green mountains* thrusting themselves up from the earth all made for a setting not quite like any I had ever seen.  Lake Michigan has its Carribean like water and golden sand, but there are no mountains towering above.  Guilin in China and Thailand have their famous odd rock formations thrusting into the sky, but there is no sand or blue water (or blue skies for that matter) to be found in their more color-muted settings. No, this was different, and to the eyes of outsiders around the world, this was indeed the Real Brazil.

*There is something concrete to the inspiration for the unique colors selected for Brasil's instantly recognizable national flag--blue water, golden beaches, and green countryside.

I had the great fortune to stay with the 3 lads from Olympic course architect Gil Hanse's on-site team--Melbourne native Ben Hillard, Brora native Neil Cameron, and North Berwick native Ben Warren.  The collective hometown golf locales of these three gentlemen could rival that of probably just about any gathering of 3 people.  I wasn't jealous at all or anything.  

We grabbed a quick lunch that Saturday then headed out to the site for what was their afternoon of work and my chance at a tour.  Seeing this site was going to be particularly interesting for me after having gotten to know it through helping plan the proposal from Tom Doak and Renaissance Golf, who obviously came up just short in the selection. 

Warm, sunny, and sandy, I ditched the pants and boots that were required back in the Fazenda and immediately threw on my preferred type of site shoes--a pair of Rainbow flip flops, which to my delight were also being sported by Ben Warren.  I'm not alone in my fashion choices after all.  To my appreciation, Ben Hillard decided to take the afternoon to check on things himself and play tour guide, taking me along 1 through 18 and engaging in great talk both about the course and the industry in general.  Benny Warren joined in around the middle of the front 9, and we continued, pausing to talk about hole features, shot values, and the adventures or pains of constructing them.  We planned a quick go around in about 2 hours, but we ended up using every last bit of daylight before getting to 18 and finding it to be time for a few cold ones and some dinner.  They continued to be great hosts that evening and the following day, introducing me to my favorite food in Brazil (prawn pastels) and taking me to a mountain top restaurant overlooking the beaches and countryside.  Between the course tour, the Sunday drive, the endless golf discussion, and the general camaraderie, it was one of the more fun weekends I've had in quite awhile.  

I won't say too much about the course itself, for it is not really my position to do so.  The project is under tight wraps and understandably so given the stature and the amount of scrutiny it is subject to.  I will say though that barring any major interference or negative events, Gil and team are going to have come up with something special.  The routing is great, and there are a lot of cool concepts in play.  The site is also way better than I imagined.  All I had known of it was that it was sandy and flat with one corner of moving terrain.  Truth is, there is a lot of micro stuff going on, the surrounding mountains are unbelievable cool and dramatic, and the vegetative texture is quite amazing, especially for Brazil, or any tropical locale for that matter.  They are utilizing that texture and those contours to the fullest, and the result is going to be a very good and very natural look.  Despite the lame format, I am really looking forward to seeing the 2016 event to see how this course turned out and how it is received.  It should be another move for golf going in the right direction.