Feed The Ball

Matt Dusenberry opened his own design firm in 2013 after years of building courses all over the world at Greg Norman Golf Course Design. He’s demonstrated incredible range in renovation work ranging from the flat Florida coast at Sandhill Crane in Hobe Sound to the magnificent mountain setting of the Cornerstone Club in Colorado. Particularly inspiring is his Golden Age-inspired remodel of the Keney Park municipal course in Hartford, Connecticut where he riffed on the sharp, jazzy design ideas of Devereux Emmet and his 1920s-era compatriots, and also the open concept, play to anywhere ground-game design at Ellerstina (above) near Buenos Aries.

Matt joins Derek on the podcast to talk about the explosion of golf in his home state of Wisconsin, the radicalism of Pete Dye’s architecture on impressionable minds, the (perhaps) waning desire for “championship” caliber golf courses, the returning demand for character and variety and playability, working on real estate golf projects with Greg Norman, the failure of Florida golf, the potential of “paddock” golf, keeping Keney Park right on the edge of severity, the lost idea of the clubhouse being integrated into the playing character of the golf course and the range of methods between pure design/build and the architect/contractor model.

Photo: Ellerstina (dusenberrydesign.com)

Listen to Derek talk to Ricky Lee Potts on The Wednesday Match Play Podcast, Episode 131

Read about some of Derek’s favorite public golf courses at UKGolfGuy.com

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Canadian designer, author, artist and historian Keith Cutten returns (Episode 15) to discuss his new book, “The Evolution of Golf Course Design.” The book traces how golf course architecture has morphed and changed through time, and, more importantly, examines the underlying societal and economic forces that continually shape the way golf has historically been created.

Keith talks to Derek about the difficulty of working and building Cabot Links, turning the design knob to “11” on new short courses, applying the concept of natural selection to golf course design, the market dominance of neoclassical naturalism, the “Dark Ages” of golf writing and lack of primary source material beginning in the 1940’s, the influence of modernism in golf design, the rise of the superintendent, the danger and optimism of changing societal tastes, whether more golf media equals better golf media and the economic advantages of the design/build model of construction.

Photo: Algonquin Resort, New Brunswick (www.algonquinresort.com)

Listen to Derek talk to Ricky Lee Potts on The Wednesday Match Play Podcast, Episode 131

Read about some of Derek’s favorite public golf courses at UKGolfGuy.com

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Outro: The Sundogs, “Recreation”

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Jim Wagner and Gil Hanse have been design partners for over 20 years. Though Hanse’s name is on their courses, Wagner has been equally influential in their concepts and outcomes while overseeing a dedicated group of shapers and designers known as the Cavemen. In the last 10 years the two men have taken their small company to the highest elevations of golf architecture with designs like the Olympic Course in Rio, Castle Stuart in Scotland, Streamsong Black and Ohoopee Match Club, plus major renovation and restoration work at Pinehurst No. 4, Los Angeles Country Club, Winged Foot and Merion.

Jim takes a break from flying around the world to make a rare appearance on the podcast, talking about the difficulty of young designers breaking into the business, laying awake at night, moving up the architectural scale, the Bill Kittleman factor, quirk and fear and thought disruption in design, hanging with Donald Trump, expanding the concept of Streamsong Black’s “borderless” greens, designing holes for match play rather than stroke play and being on the job with the Cavemen.

Photo: Ohoope Match Club (photo: hansegolfdesign.com)

Cover Page Photo: Boston Golf Club

Outro: Wasted Potential Brass Band, “Spending My Days”

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Brian Silva began working for iconic New England architect Geoffrey Cornish in 1983, building golf courses in the traditional way of the day. After a revelation concerning the essence of strategic golf he transitioned into golf course restoration, becoming one of the business’s most respected talents at renovating historic Golden Age-era courses. His particular passion is for Seth Raynor, and Silva has been peerless in drawing attention to Raynor’s work and helping clubs revive his lost architecture. Silva’s acclaimed original courses include Black Creek in Tennessee, Black Rock, Waverly Oaks and Renaissance in Massachusetts, and he continues a busy renovation and consulting schedule.

Brian talks with Derek about his long career and everything else golf, including becoming a practice range ball banger, the disgusting happenings at Omni Amelia Island Plantation, being blown away reading a competing job proposal from Bob Cupp, the difficulty in getting high handicap players to “read” strategy, his epiphany at PGA West and the genius of Pete Dye, the regrettable Age of Engineering, the under-utilized potential of flat Florida golf sites, getting past the “skin” of a golf hole and into its skeleton, trends and followers in design and the joy of bringing Raynor to life at Black Creek Club.

Photo: Augusta Country Club

Home Page Photo: Black Creek Club, 10th green

Outro: “Blinded By the Light,” Manfred Mann’s Earth Band

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Jay Blasi founded his own design company in 2012 after working for Robert Trent Jones II for over a decade. He gained notoriety as the lead associate on two high profile Jones courses: The Patriot Golf Club in Oklahoma, and Washington State’s Chambers Bay, host of the 2015 U.S. Open, where Blasi was instrumental in infusing the design with its sandy, tumbling avant garde character. He recently completed a total reroute and rebuild of Santa Ana Country Club near Los Angeles and continues to work with officials at Sharp Park outside San Francisco in an ongoing effort to restore its lost Alister Mackenzie features.

Jay talks with Derek about the game’s golf cart conundrum, getting the PGA TOUR and USGA to truly contribute to public golf, the plan for Sharp Park and how it can once again become one of the country’s great municipal courses, winning the Santa Ana job as a last minute interviewee, the awful decor at RTJ II office, how only a few active architects have extensive routing experience, if collaborations are the future of design, if there’s a need to break from neoclassical naturalism, his thoughts on Wisconsin becoming an international golf destination and “peaking” to soon with Chambers Bay.

Cover Photo: Santa Ana Country Club (photo: Brett Hochstein, hochsteindesign.com)

Outro: Dawes, “Hey Lover”

Since you asked @the_fried_egg here is more punchbowl. 12 at Santa Ana CC. pic.twitter.com/wGk2sJgtrM

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Mike Clayton is a throwback to a bygone tradition of golf figures such as Willie Park, Jr., Walter Travis and Max Behr, top players who later became both architects and men of letters. Clayton won the Australian Amateur in 1978 and played the European Tour from 1982 until 2000. He’s written extensively for golf publications in his native Australia and beyond, and has recently published a book of essays written by him and Charles Happell called “Preferred Lies–And Other True Golf Stories.” As a golf course architect he co-designed, with Tom Doak, Barnbougle Dunes, rated one of the 40 best courses in the world by Golf Magazine, and is now a partner in the firm Ogilvy, Clayton, Cocking & Mead (OCCM). Additionally, he caddies on professional tours and been a mentor to a generation of aspiring players. Clayton’s reverence for the game and for good architecture runs bone deep — in fact, it is infectious.

Clayton spends a few hours here talking to Derek about, well, everything under the golf sun including the difference between playing the game well vs. hitting the ball well, what Merion would be like if set up like Kingston Heath, the elements that make a great short par-4, the feeling of “walking back into town” at great links courses, the role OCCM has played in enhancing the great clubs of the Sand Belt region, making Barnbougle happen, the possibility of an even better potential golf site in Tasmania, the genius and magnetism of Seve Ballesteros, the tragic emptiness of Greg Norman’s golf career and musings on the future of golf design (Asia? Brownfields?).

Buy “Preferred Lies–And Other True Golf Stories” at Booktopia.

Outro: Franz Schubert–Fantasia for Violin and Piano in C Major, D934: II Allegretto

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Not since Hugh Wilson at Merion has an architectural career been launched as brightly as David McLay Kidd’s. As a young designer in his 20’s, Kidd was tabbed by Mike Keiser to build the first course at Bandon Dunes. Kidd followed that spectacular success with a series of prestigious designs across several continents, becoming arguably the hottest architect on the planet. After several of his designs were found by critics to be too severe he returned to his Scottish roots and his love of fun, rollicking and playable courses, resuming stride with driver-friendly designs at Gamble Sands and Mammoth Dunes. Only 25 years in the business, it’s been a full career for Kidd already, but he remains one of the most sought after talents in the game.

Kidd joins the Feed the Ball podcast to discuss his status as one of the “Big 4” architects, the shock of seeing the procession of “Olive Garden” golf courses upon coming to the U.S., the artist’s fear of irrelevance, “overthinking golf guys,” winning the Mammoth Dunes Bake-Off, the psychological power of presenting width to the golfer, offering architectural mercy, the story arc of his career thus far, intentionally junking up the potato field at the Castle Course and building courses that provoke emotion.

Outro: New Order, “Your Silent Face”

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A rundown of the best moments and most significant exchanges during the first full season of the Feed the Ball podcast. Highlights include thoughts on the current and future state of golf course architecture from Golf Digest architectural editor Ron Whitten, Golf Advisor’s Brad Klein and architect Ian Andrew; thoughts on Tiger Woods as designer from Beau Welling; reflections from Dr. Michael Hurdzan and Bruce Hepner; Peter Kessler’s storytelling and other memorable highlights.

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Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast.

Outro: Allah La’s “Vis a Vis”

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Bruce Hepner began his architectural career in 1990 as an associate for Ron Forse, with whom he became one of the early advocates and influencers of historic golf course restoration. He returned home to Michigan in 1993 to work for Tom Doak, first as a shaper and later as a designer at modern masterpieces like Pacific Dunes, Ballyneal, Streamsong Blue and Cape Kidnappers. He opened his own firm in 2010 to focus on restoration and remodeling projects for some of the country’s best Golden Age courses including Piping Rock, Essex County Club, Franklin Hills, Warwick, Holston Hills, Blue Mound, Canterbury and Cape Arudnel.

After months of chasing, Bruce and Derek finally got together to talk about the competitiveness and etiquette of restoration and consulting jobs, the fallacy of the Donald Ross “expert,” getting into the psyche of Robert Trent Jones, the exciting pioneering days of the early restoration age, the influence of Ron Whitten, investigating Raynor’s architectural intent of the Biarritz, the early days with Doak at Renaissance Golf Design, the legend of Dave Axland and Dan Proctor, how the stars aligned at Pacific Dunes, third-gear shaping, the early days of the “bunker wars” and “melting down” Ballyneal. 

Ran Morrissett’s Cape Arundel review.

No Laying Up Podcast Episode 160: Bruce Hepner

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Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast.

Outro: Rush, “The Fountain of Lamneth — Bacchus Plateau”

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Brian Curley began his golf course architecture career working on a number of Pete Dye courses for Landmark Land Company. There he met another Dye protégé, Lee Schmidt, and the two combined forces to form the company Schmidt-Curley Golf Design. Since the 1990’s they’ve built courses all over the U.S. and throughout the world, and for the last 20 years Curley has been occupied with a large number of major golf construction jobs in Southeast Asia, including most of the 22 courses at China’s Mission Hills resort. Now handling the majority of the firm’s work, Curley has numerous new projects on the books at some intriguing and diverse golf sites in Vietnam and Myanmar.

Curley joins the podcast to talk about how growing up on the Monterey Peninsula spoiled his view of challenging golf, cutting his teeth on PGA West and working on other big golf communities during the 1980’s, the connection between premium golf courses and premium real estate prices, making the economic decision to dive fully into the Chinese golf market, projects without budgetary limits, bowl of spaghetti routings, Shadow Dunes as a precursor to Sedge Valley, using Feng Shui to determine suitable golf properties, the freedom of working with hands-off clients and the untapped potential of some extraordinary future international golf sites.

See Ryan Farrow’s photos of the NLE Dalu Dunes course here.

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Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast.

Outro music: “China” by Red Rockers

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