Happy Halloween

We had a big take on candy tonight. Me and the family had a blast. We even found a haunted house in our neighborhood -- they had tons of decorations and scary monsters.

I very rarely eat candy but tonight I picked out a few of my favorites from the bounty.

The hershey candy above is fantastic, even if the name isn't the best. I don't know what the five things are, but the pretzel, penut butter and chocolate taste great together.

12th Hole -- short and surrounded by trouble

The 12th tee is elevated. The 12th Green is surrounded by trouble. There is only one bunker on the hole. The hole is at most 140 yards. The green slopes hard away and to the players right -- see above sketch. The hole plays with the prevailing wind. It is a very hard hole to photograph -- see below. The ideal ball flight is low and running. There is a pocket in front of the green that should act as a catchers mitt, and slow down the long aggressive ball, and propel the short ball forward. The bunker appears closer to the green than reality, and is severe. The green is also the smallest on the course. Have fun.

Looking back from beyond the green. It is tilted towards the camera.



Looking from in front of the bunker. Good luck if you try to hit a wedge.

Earlier Holes Featured: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 15 .

The Club in it's earlier state

Seeing the vertical architecture progress is almost as interesting as seeing the golf course develop. Each visit I capture a few more pictures. The above image was taken early this spring, and the one below a month later. It is shaping up to be quite the club and locker room facility. I am looking forward to putting some artwork on the walls -- photography and another special piece or two. Beer on tap was Don's and my request.


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View of the Club

The last picture of the 8th tee complex showed the club in the background. The above picture shows a little more. I'm going to show a few more pictures over the next few days -- this time going backwards.

8th Tee Complex

Back to chronicling one of my favorite or unique features of each golf hole. The 8th hole is a long par 3 almost directly into the prevailing wind. The tee complexes at Wolf Point are very subdued, small and until we start mowing are almost indiscernible from the fairways.

The picture shown above if of 8th the tee complex – note the lush grass in the setting sun. The green plays to the left. The tees are an amorphous shaped landform with a few flat spot to start the hole. The foreground is being prepped for seeding of native grasses and wild flowers. The location will have more visitors due to the proximity of the club.

Earlier Holes Featured: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 7 - 9 - 10 - 11 - 15 .

The Ugly Duckling

Anyone know what kind of bird this is? It was very friendly. Seeing animals is a fun benefit of visiting new places.



Did this turtle have a hard night... I’ve never seen one with red eyes before.

Interview

Another reason for my departure was an interview for a new golf course. Getting to know more about the clients and how I could meet their goals is for me the most important part. The client will have an impact at least as great as the land on the eventual quality of the golf course.

I also spent two days traversing the property. It is very fun exploring a new site picturing what a golf hole and course would look like draped across the land. I also feel a bit like an explorer looking out for snakes, spiders, steep drops, hopping barb wire fences and keeping away from hunters while trying to not get lost in the woods. I think my time was very well spent -- it takes a lot of interviews and prospects for a project to emerge through the other side. I liked this one.

New Project Site Visit

One of my next stops was to meet with a new client at an existing golf course. The plans are for some modest changes and the addition of a nine hole par 3 youth golf course. I’m very much looking forward to the project.

The existing course is a little steep in spots. If it isn’t immediately apparent from the above picture, it is highly recommended to not leave your shot short on this par 3.

I’ll be back down to my Texas project this week and will have some greener pictures soon.

Exhibitor

Aside from attending the Golf Inc. conference I was an exhibitor also – my booth is pictured above. I put a large effort into getting ready -- updated brochure, printed materials, give aways and the display itself. The display looks very good in person -- hope you can stop by at a future conference.

I enjoy my time there even if everyone isn't looking for a new golf course. Meeting new -- to me -– individuals, talking to other architects and builders is a good way to share ideas. I also find the sessions quite informative, especially the financial ones.

One fun side effect from having a booth, is I greet everyone I see for several weeks afterwards. In the airport, restaurant, bar, anywhere. I’m going to try and see how long I can keep it up for…

Back from the road....

I’ve been on the road for the past two weeks. My first stop was Palm Springs for the fall Golf Inc. Conference. I didn’t play but had the chance to visit PGA West’s Stadium Course (pictured above). It was designed and built by Pete Dye and his associates. Flying out of Palm Springs it is quite jarring seeing every housing development constrict a golf course. At least the stadium course is single loaded – each hole only has homes on one side. The site was flat and the golf holes were carved out of the desert. The homes are not as prominent as the aerial depicts as well – the holes play towards the center and the homes are set back and on a different elevation.

I didn’t take any pictures but I did get a great guided tour from someone who was involved with the project. The greenside bunker on 16 is very, very deep – 18 feet. It is surprising to see another Pete Dye island green, probably because it wasn’t his idea. Many of the features were quite creative -- and the wayward driver of the golf ball would have a very hard time.

I'm going to share a few of my stops on the road later this week.