Feed The Ball

Designer and historian Josh Pettit began collecting the writings of Alister MacKenzie for his new compendium of essays, “The MacKenzie Reader,” years ago, and was ready to publish in 2020 when the pandemic postponed printing until the summer of 2022. The wait was worth it–the Reader is a gorgeous volume of Pettit’s selections of the architect’s best and most important writings, presented with sketches, prints and routing maps. The volume will soon be in its third edition.

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Pettit visits the Salon to speak with hosts Derek Duncan and golf course builder Jim Urbina about a variety of topics, from his research into the archives at The Valley Club of Montecito that helped inform Urbina and Tom Doak’s greens renovation, the horse-trading that goes on with memberships when attempting to recreate what was originally designed, the romanticism of early-internet archival research and what’s still undiscovered, MacKenzie’s process for identifying local talent to construct his courses, the necessary discrepancy between the green elevations MacKenzie drew and what was originally built (and the problem that presents to preservationists), and why there isn’t a contemporary voice advocating for design ideals comparable to MacKenzie.

Get “The MacKenzie Reader” here.

Photos: Above, The Valley Club of Montecito (LC Lambrecht); Opening page, “Thirteenth at Cypress Point” (J.P. Graham Photos)

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The post Feed the Ball Salon Vol. 25, ft. Josh Pettit appeared first on Feed The Ball.

Landmand Golf Club in northeast Nebraska, just across the Missouri River from Sioux City, is one of the largest and most expansive golf courses ever built, with the largest total square footage of greens of any course in the U.S. That it was designed by Rob Collins and Tad King, creators or the equally audacious though much smaller Sweetens Cove outside Chattanooga, should come as no surprise–both courses (Landmand is their first 18-hole course) are courageous pieces of architecture that push the boundaries of the genre.

Collins comes back to the Feed the Ball podcast to talk about Landmand and his design outlook with Derek Duncan and golf course builder Jim Urbina. Topics include the new King-Collins short course at Palmetto Bluff, seeing the Landmand property for the first time, whether he doubted if he and King could pull of such a major build, if Landmand is a “maximalist” course, routing a course on 550 acres but only coming up with 16 holes, the reasoning behind the size and extremity of the greens, the thought behind the Sitwell green and figuring out the blank slate that was Red Feather in Lubbock.

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Photos: Cover photo–Landmand’s 12th hole; Above–Ground level view of Landmand’s 17 green.

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Jim Nagle began working with golf course renovation and historical restoration legend Ron Forse in 1998, in what might be considered the field’s pioneering days. Golf course restoration is an attempt to reestablish a course’s first principles–placing it back in a specific point in time, usually in accordance with the way the original architect designed it–using documentation and photography as resources. In the last few decades Nagle and Forse have helped dozens of clubs reconnect with their past, from Lancaster Country Club (PA) to Country Club of Buffalo, to Kirtland in Cleveland to Lawsonia Links to Broadmoor East. If there was a Hall of Fame for restoration and consulting work, Nagle and Forse would be first ballot admissions.

Nagle joins the Feed the Ball podcast to discuss how the desire to host top tournaments can skew a club’s architecture, the fine line of following the a previous architect’s design “intent,” how fast green speeds kill interesting contour, the early days of restoration, dealing with a new type of historical ignorance (or at least agnosticism) and the unending revolving door of the renovation profession.

View Derek’s latest narration in the Golf Digest Every Hole at series with “Every Hole at The Country Club“

Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher Radio and Google Play

Twitter: @feedtheball

Instagram: @feedtheball

Derek Duncan discusses the breakdown of Golf Digest America’s 100 Greatest Courses list with Aaron Abrahms and Jimmie James on the Golf Nuts Podcast, Episode 15.

Photos: Above, Country Club of Orlando (Vaughn Halyard/StoryLounge Films); Title page, Philadelphia Country Club (Vaughn Halyard/StoryLounge Filmss).

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Jason Straka has been a principle in Fry/Straka Global Golf Design since joining with partner Dana Fry in 2012. Previously he was the senior architect for Hurdzan-Fry Golf Design, helping that company build landmark courses like Calusa Pines, Erin Hills and Shelter Harbor. Fry/Straka is one of the hottest design firms in the world right now, coming off major new builds including the South Course at Arcadia Bluffs and Union League National in south New Jersey. They will soon begin redeveloping the four different courses at Boca West Country Club in Florida, and are currently restoring 36 Donald Ross-designed holes at Belleair Country Club in Clearwater.

Staka visits the Salon to talk with Derek Duncan and golf designer Jim Urbina about the first time he met Urbina as a landscape architecture student, his goals at current president of the ASGCA, the influence classical has on architecture today, the advise he received from Bill Coore, the social and emotional importance of community golf courses, the role of criticism in golf course architecture and much more.

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Photos: Opening page, Union League National, 4th hole, Meade 9 (Derek Duncan); above, restoration work at Belleair Country Club in Clearwater, Fla. (Connor Lewis).

View Derek’s latest narration in the Golf Digest Every Hole at series with “Every Hole at The Country Club“

Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher Radio and Google Play

Twitter: @feedtheball

Instagram: @feedtheball

Derek Duncan discusses the breakdown of Golf Digest America’s 100 Greatest Courses list with Aaron Abrahms and Jimmie James on the Golf Nuts Podcast, Episode 15.

The post Feed the Ball Salon Vol. 23, ft. Jason Straka appeared first on Feed The Ball.

Andy Staples positioned himself as one of the profession’s most creative architects with his throwback renovation of Meadowbrook Country Club near Detroit with its Willie Park, Jr. inspired early-1900s shaping. He moved into the 1920s with his green designs and shot strategies at The Match Course at PGA National Resort, opened in 2021, that pull from Macdonald/Raynor templates. He’s currently remodeling the South Course at Olympia Fields and consulting for numerous clubs in the U.S. and Canada.

Andy steps into the Salon to talk with Golf Digest architecture editor Derek Duncan and designer Jim Urbina about the economic tailwinds behind renovation work, whether the same amount of investment that’s been pouring into the private and high-end markets will find its way into public golf, the massive effect of television and the PGA Tour on golf design and the way golfers perceive the game, giving golfers the opportunity to experience different forms of the sport, the mundane instinctiveness toward par 72 courses, an emerging cultural taste for old style architecture and pre- and post-war green design.

Photos: Above, San Vicente Resort (sanvicenteresort.com); Title page, The Match at PGA Resort (pgaresort.com, )

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View Derek’s latest narration in the Golf Digest Every Hole at series with “Every Hole at The Country Club“

Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher Radio and Google Play

Twitter: @feedtheball

Instagram: @feedtheball

Derek Duncan discusses the breakdown of Golf Digest America’s 100 Greatest Courses list with Aaron Abrahms and Jimmie James on the Golf Nuts Podcast, Episode 15.

The post Feed the Ball Salon Vol. 22, ft. Andy Staples appeared first on Feed The Ball.

Chris Cochran began his career building golf courses for Jack Nicklaus in the mid-1980s. With over 100 international projects completed, he is Nicklaus Design’s longest tenured senior design associate, and since the early 90s has arguably been the most significant mover behind Nicklaus Design’s global operation.

Cochran sits down with Golf Digest architecture editor Derek Duncan and golf course builder Jim Urbina to discuss his career working side by side with the Golden Bear. Specifically the conversation veers to Cochran’s love for hands on field work, the dynamics of interacting in the design process with Nicklaus, how Nicklaus valued a high “player’s IQ” in his design team, the early Nicklaus way of designing holes tactically through the lens of shot values, the shift into more artistic design and an intriguing new project in south Florida called Panther National that will allow for a rare degree of originality.

PHOTOS: Homepage–The par 4 5th at Quivira in Cabo San Lucas (nicklaus.com); above–Dismal River’s White course in Mullen, Nebraska (nicklaus.com).

View Derek’s latest narration in the Golf Digest Every Hole at series with “Every Hole at The Country Club“

Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher Radio and Google Play

Twitter: @feedtheball

Instagram: @feedtheball

Derek Duncan discusses the breakdown of Golf Digest America’s 100 Greatest Courses list with Aaron Abrahms and Jimmie James on the Golf Nuts Podcast, Episode 15.

The post Feed the Ball Salon Volume 21, ft. Chris Cochran appeared first on Feed The Ball.

Joe Jemsek grew up with Dick Wilson. At least figuratively. In the early 1960s, Wilson, one of golf architecture’s most interesting and possibly misunderstood figures, designed the former America’s 100 Greatest Course Cog Hill No. 4 in Chicago, known as Dubsdread, for Jemsek’s grandfather. Few people knew Wilson or his former partner Joe Lee as well as the Jemseks, and the family remained close with Lee until his death in 2003. The younger Jemsek’s experience growing up on Dubsdread inspired him to dig deeper into the work of Wilson. Now an architect in his own right (the Jemsek family stills operates Cog Hill, along with several other facilities), Jemsek has poured through the Wilson/Lee archives and studied Wilson’s courses as closely as anyone in the profession.

Jemsek joins the Feed the Ball podcast to discuss how Wilson’s legacy has aged, the orchestrated prescription of shots he built into his designs, how Wilson’s courses helped revolutionize resort golf, the special shaping crew known as the All-Stars he used on his courses, the appeal of the “championship course” to golfers of the 1960s (and beyond), the role Lee played in the Wilson operation and how his approach to design differed, and the past, present and potential future of Dubsdread.

Photos: Above, Cog Hill No. 4, Hole 8 (courtesy coghillgolf.com); Cover page and below, Pine Tree GC, 1961

View the latest in the Golf Digest Every Hole at series with “Every Hole at Oakmont“

Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher Radio and Google Play

Twitter: @feedtheball

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Derek Duncan discusses the breakdown of Golf Digest America’s 100 Greatest Courses list with Aaron Abrahms and Jimmie James on the Golf Nuts Podcast, Episode 15.

The post Episode 80: Joe Jemsek on Dick Wilson appeared first on Feed The Ball.

Tim Liddy and Dave Axland have worked together on a number of projects including, most recently, Harrison Lake in Indiana, a remodel that included the addition of several new holes and a re-routing of the course. Liddy, the primary designer, was a longtime collaborator with the late Pete Dye and knows his mentor’s work and beliefs as well as anyone. Axland is the longtime associate of Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw and has been the “muscle” behind most of their best work since the early 90s. He’s also recently joined forces with Rod Whitman and Keith Cutten to create a new power firm, Whitman, Axland and Cutten, who have new builds under construction in Bend, Oregon and British Columbia.

Liddy and Axland join golf architect Jim Urbina and Golf Digest architecture editor Derek Duncan for an entertaining and wisdom-filled talk about the nature of collaboration, the pitfalls of ego, the humility required to do the work and the most important lessons they’ve learned over the course of their long careers.

View some photos of Harrison Lake, and other lovely golf holes, at Tim Liddy’s website.

Photos: Cover, Harrison Lake Club, Tim Liddy. Above, Colorado Golf Club.

View the latest in the Golf Digest Every Hole at series with “Every Hole at Oakmont“

Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher Radio and Google Play

Twitter: @feedtheball

Instagram: @feedtheball

Derek Duncan discusses the breakdown of Golf Digest America’s 100 Greatest Courses list with Aaron Abrahms and Jimmie James on the Golf Nuts Podcast, Episode 15.

The post Feed the Ball Salon Vol. 20, ft. Dave Axland and Tim Liddy appeared first on Feed The Ball.

In just the last several years, designer Andrew Green has played a prominent role in guiding back to their founding architectural spirit a number of prominent major championship courses, including America’s 100 Greatest Courses fixtures Inverness Club, Oak Hill East and Congressional Blue. He’s also brought back to life the most interesting features that had faded from over a dozen other clubs in the U.S. and Caribbean. His current work includes restorations of another 100 Greatest course with major championship heritage, Scioto Country Club in Ohio, and Second 100 Greatest ranked courses Wannamoisett in Rhode Island and East Lake in Atlanta, home of the Tour Championship.

Green joins the Feed the Ball podcast to talk to Derek Duncan about these projects, how he got his break as a solo designer, the line between renovation and restoration, projecting bold design and restoration visions to clubs, the excitement and the personal connection he feels when working with clubs with older architecture, and what we can learn about the game from the great writer-architects of the past.

Photos: Above, the par-4 8th at Congressional’s Blue Course (Derek Duncan); title page, the par-4 6th at Oak Hill’s East Course (Evan Schiller).

View the latest in the Golf Digest Every Hole at series with “Every Hole at Oakmont“

Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher Radio and Google Play

Twitter: @feedtheball

Instagram: @feedtheball

Derek Duncan discusses the breakdown of Golf Digest America’s 100 Greatest Courses list with Aaron Abrahms and Jimmie James on the Golf Nuts Podcast, Episode 15.

The post Episode 79: Andrew Green appeared first on Feed The Ball.

The topic is bunkers: should they be placed scientifically or randomly? Should there be more or less, or any at all? Has the naturalistic look become ubiquitous and overused? What about proper bunker depth? Are liners a waste of money? And are bunker still the hazards they once were, have they lost their importance, and have they become too expensive to maintain?

To discuss all of this, as well as answer questions about bunkers from listeners, is Golf Digest architecture editor Derek Duncan and golf course builder Jim Urbina. They’re joined by Ron Whitten, Golf Digest architecture editor from 1985 to 2020, a historian who is also a practicing designer with current projects going on in several states, including the new North Course at Corica Park in Alameda, California, with lead architect and builder Marc Logan.

More pertinent thoughts from Urbina about bunker myths can be found here: Urbina on Bunkers

Listen to Ron Whitten on The Green Awning golf podcast: Whitten

View my narration of Golf Digest’s “Every Hole at Whistling Straits”

Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher Radio and Google Play

Twitter: @feedtheball

Instagram: @feedtheball

Derek Duncan discusses the breakdown of Golf Digest America’s 100 Greatest Courses list with Aaron Abrahms and Jimmie James on the Golf Nuts Podcast, Episode 15.

Photos: Opening page, Claremont Country Club (courtesy Jim Urbina); Top, The Valley Club of Montecito (Urbina); Below, Corica Park South Course (Urbina); Bottom, Corica Park North Course (courtesy of Derek Duncan).

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