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.

Perfect Fall Days

We finally got a great month weather wise. September has been hot and dry. We've got a lot more grass on the ground. Only a few holes left to go. I'll be busy for the next few days, I'll be posting again on Wed.

Don -- Part 2 -- Creative too.

Someone doesn’t just become a task master, it is a continual process. Don Mahaffey really excels because he started with himself – caring about and carrying out all the details or insuring they are handled properly – from making sure the 2” irrigation drill bit really is 2” – it wasn’t – to making sure there are no bird baths or puddles – that everything drains even on a small scale.

In my opinion his creativeness is on par with his taskmaster abilities. Although he is very creative in the way that he manages all the details, he is also creative in an artistic sense. I drew detailed plans for the entire golf course, but the intent was to improvise in the field on both a large and small scale. To improve functionality – drainage and irrigation – playability, aesthetics and construction production effectiveness. The detailed shaping and finished playing surfaces are works of art. The fairways are unique and varied, the greens are magnificent -- and they all work functionaly and look like they play great. I think the course is going to be a tremendous amount of fun.

Pictured above, Don is planning the next few days of grassing with Wayne.

I'll have one more part in the near future...
In case you missed it -- here was Don part 1

15th Looks Easy Plays Hard

We put the finishing touches on the 15th green earlier this month. It has always been my favorite green – I think it is incredibly unique – and the shaping was original to the site. The directive for the course was to make it challenging and not ball hungry – our client didn’t want the player to be looking for their golf balls.
For me, besides short and wide, it also translates to a course that looks easy, but plays hard. The first picture is the 15th green from a forward tee – it is a par 3. It looks easy to me.


This picture is a closer look at the green. A sand pro is “finishing” or polishing the green. It is directly on the extents of the putting surface – the edge of where we will be mowing the green. The margin for error is slight. The green looks even better from other angles with better shading, but I'll be saving those for when this green is green.

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

10th fairway

I had hoped to post earlier this week, but it is tough to write more than I already have been – I’ve been updating my brochure, among a few other items – yes I still have a printed brochure in this day and age – I’ve kept it a little smaller to be environmentally friendlier.

So tonight I want to share a picture of the 10th fairway – ripples and all. The further one plays away from the lake the bigger the bumps get near the green – leaving a very tough approach even though it may be only a pitch, it will be tough to get close to the pin.

The stakes are irrigation heads and a few basins. The fairway is 4 rows wide in spots, and only 7 rows long.

A fine computer rendering

I was very excited to see the final results of the above image – it is hot off the presses. It is a computer generated rendering of a planned renovation. There are currently 3 ½ average to poor holes on this existing piece of the property. With a little more room at the other end of the of the site I was able to give both holes some breathing room, I think they can be very fine.

The railroad serves mostly the oil & gas industry, but it is authentic.

I want to share a little more of 10 - I'm going to work on a sketch of 10 green for tomorrow and follow up with Don - part 2 shortly thereafter.

#10 - Shorter and W i d e r

#4 was short and wide, #10 is shorter and wider, almost as wide as it is short. I’ve driven the green a couple times with a slight helping wind – dirt golf that is. The prevailing wind is in the players face. And the lake looks enormous from the tee – can you guess where the green is in the above picture. Did I mention that there are no bunkers? What I like best is how severe the green plays the further one plays away from the lake. The rumpled fairway has been looking most excellent lately.

We are grassing it very soon and I will hopefully show some shadowy photos. We have a lot more holes grassed as a result of the team and the almost perfect weather the past few weeks.

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