The Linksman at The Northeast Golf Company

Spreading the "Virus"

2012-01-23T09:48:00.000-08:00

Spreading the “Virus”

by Robert McNeil, ASGCA, Associate Member

January 23, 2011

The cynics of the game often point to the struggling economy or the lack of players or sometimes the correction of the oversupply we have seen in the US over the last 4 years as a reason to question the future of the game. And this is certainly a valid position to take. As a golf course architect it is easy to get mired in the negative press, the spiraling reports and the environmental pressures that seem to stab at the industry from all sides. It is easy to wonder where the next project is coming from. But in the midst of all of this mental anguish, in the midst of the not knowing, we are sometimes reminded of why this game is so great and why being a golf course architect is so great.

For the past 10 years I have been traveling to Central Europe to chase opportunities. The key word is chase. During the chase I have been fortunate to have traveled to some very interesting places including Slovenia, where I spoke at the 1^st ever, Slovenian Greenskeepers Association Conference in 1999, Poland and most recently Romania. When visiting these and other countries in the region, the remnants of Industrialization are everywhere. The gray walls of abandoned factories, the socialized living arrangements and the hardened faces of Communism and hard times are only slowly fading. Amidst all of these stereotypical pictures, what I have found the most refreshing is the passion for the game. There is a desire to bring the game to markets where there may be hundreds of miles between courses and most of all there are people that understand the true meaning of the game, its spirit, its role in our social environment and its value to a good life.

On a recent visit to Romania to layout a course just outside the city of Cluj-Napoca in the Transylvania region….yes Transylvania as in Vlad Dracula, I met a gentlemen that reminded me of what it truly means to bring golf to new regions. His name is Atilla Kadar, he is a stone craftsman. He owns a company in Cluj that creates and cuts special pieces of stone for buildings, monuments and other unique applications. If you speak with Atilla you would think he has played golf his whole life, grew up in it and had all the opportunities to hone his skills. In fact he has a grand goal to compete in the 2016 Olympics representing Romania, why not? There are no golf courses in Cluj, considered one of the largest cities in Romania, resting in the shadows of the Apuseni mountains, part of the western Carpathian range. The city has a population of roughly 600,000 growing to 700,000 during the academic year as there are numerous universities scattered throughout the city. As far as golf go, the closest course is 120km away, nearly a 2 hour drive.

I had been involved with a proposed golf course at the Sun Garden Resort, set along the city limits for a few years. During my most recent visit it became clear that Atilla would become the ambassador for the project. To think, no more 2 hour drives to play golf…or even practice, alas a 9 hole course right in Cluj, with a practice center. But it is more, as Atilla will attest, his spoken words much stronger than my written. I am paraphrasing, but the essence of his sentiment was that this course in Cluj would change the social fabric of the community. It will bring to the players and would be players of the region, and there aren’t very many yet, a game that instills the goodness of life, heightens the competitive spirit and teaches the lessons of fairness, honesty and camaraderie. This is where he believed the value of a course rests.

For our part as golf course architect, you can’t help but get caught up in his “sermon” and sing along. Our work as golf course architects is important, this project is important as are all projects that introduce the game to new players in new markets. This is what golf is all about, bringing the game to the people. Letting what he calls “the virus” take hold and watching it spread.

"IT'S GOOD"

2011-12-09T06:17:00.000-08:00

December 9, 2011

It’s a term all golfers are familiar with. You’re playing with friends and find yourself kicking the ball along what looked to be a hole you could pencil in a reasonable number. Fifteen minutes later your ball rests within the leather and your cohorts utter the term “It’s Good”. Immediately you are overcome with a barrage of mixed emotions. First relief…that the party hole is over…next the frustration with your game sets in and you question every element of your swing…finally you embrace the words that have given you a new lease on the game.

These two simple words have become a staple in the lexicon of the game. They have given hope to the everyday player that the game can go on and even at the highest level “it’s good” has been known to ease the pain of the game. We all remember the late Payne Stewart’s historic gesture when declaring Colin Montgomerie’s twenty foot putt to win their match “good” once the 1999 Ryder Cup had been decided, taking the raucous crowd’s attention away from Montgomerie and placing it more appropriately on the reverence and traditions of the game. A hand shake ensued and the game was preserved.

Recently, the “goodness” of the game again found its way into my life…and in a way that many experience every day. Each year I make an effort to find and study exceptional golf...sometimes in places we are all familiar with and at other times simply within the landscape that surrounds our everyday life. This year offered an exciting opportunity. My father-in-law was celebrating his 70^th birthday. He has been a lifelong golfer, more avid in his retirement years, a club player, but not one to travel to the special courses of the world. As a gift, my brothers-in-law and I brought him to Whistling Straits in Kohler, Wisconsin, a Pete Dye gem set along the banks of Lake Michigan best known as the host course for recent PGA Championships. The trip provided great inspiration for me artistically, but more importantly gave my father-in-law an unforgettable experience. That experience was not only driven by the holes we played, but by the beautiful ever-present now! It became an event in our lives where even the leaves strewn across the bridges we crossed seemed to be falling into place.

Walking along the fairways and trying to unravel the strategic battlefield laid out in front of us gave us pause. We were faced with an uncommon thousands of sand hazards as well as a distracting view to the expanses of Lake Michigan. How do we honor these places, these accomplishments...we play. And we played. As we approached our last putts on the last day there seemed to be only two words to concisely summarize the moment…and as I remember it we all pocketed our balls and uttered a resounding

“It’s Good” ….and it was Good.

Historical Reverence

2011-01-24T08:29:00.000-08:00

by Robert McNeil, President, The Northeast Golf Company

ASGCA, Associate

The presumption that one knows…to the point of considering themselves an expert…the distinct idiosyncrasies of another’s way of thinking about things, reacting to environmental inputs or inner most artistic desires is certainly very difficult to swallow. This level of understanding is tough enough to accomplish within many years of wedded bliss, never mind with someone you’ve never met.

This applies in life and certainly applies to golf course architecture. Rather than become the venerable Ross, Tillinghast or McKenzie expert… the practice of Relative Historical Reverence…sprinkled with a lot of respect brings reality to the restorative process.

What is Relative Historical Reverence?

Simply stated it is responding to the architecture of noted golf course architects from an historical perspective that identifies several important elements:

Does the work have some importance within the history of golf course architecture?
Is there an “obvious” philosophy that was employed?
What was the actual involvement of the architect on the specific project?
What was the “state of the game” at the time strategically?
What were the maintenance practices at the time and can the course deliver the expected conditioning through today’s standards of upkeep.
Given the evolution of the game, does the original design offer the intended strategies, playability and shotmaking cues?
Is it worth attempting to restore of the original design? If yes, get the research team to work…if not are there elements worthy…if not is there an era style that sensibly fit the property….if not then you have properly done your research and your plan may have broader flexibility.

Recapturing Raynor “geometry” at Gardiner’s Bay in Shelter Island, NY

Style presumption is another touchy subject. To think that architects of the stature of Ross or Travis or Flynn would employ the same style of bunkering, approach contouring or green surfacing on all of their courses is ridiculous. Even more so, projects that may have been designed at different ends of technological advancements in construction and maintenance were likely driven by the ability to do things differently. Finding decipherable aerial photography from the period of original design is the most important first step in determining the form and positioning of bunker styling, green shapes, fairway contouring, strategic features and the existence of certain trees. Assuming something is the way it is because it was done somewhere else is usually a step in the wrong direction. Measurable design connections both and physical and photographic will likely lead to some reasonable conclusions and design directives.

Read, read, read. Whatever literature, correspondence, field notes, are available regarding a particular architect, course, era, design trends, or issues relevant to your project will be helpful. Read carefully, again the presumption of expertise must not be taken lightly. Because Ross designed the venerable Seminole in Florida, means very little in terms of its applicability to the not so recognized Kernwood Country Club in Salem, Massachusetts.

Hole 9 bunker restyling, Kernwood CC Donald Ross-1914

“Respectful renovation” is a term that has been coined and it fits. This encompasses most of the improvements that are likely applicable to a course that was built between 1910 and 1935. Respect for the work of the architect, whoever it may be and respect for the design and construction processes that existed at the time. With the knowledge gained through research driven by historical reverence taken from a position of respect and understanding of the era, real ideas can be argued, explored, planned and executed.

The Campaign for Khaki

2010-12-03T11:22:00.000-08:00

The Campaign for Khaki

by Robert McNeil, ASGCA Associate

The Green Movement is clearly upon us. The world’s population has taken a responsible turn and is trying to give the planet a break and move toward long-term sustainability. Golf course design and management has been a leader in this movement, but the message seems to be falling on deaf ears. So let’s change the message.

One shade of green I would like to make a case for is khaki….yes, khaki, one of only four colors of men’s pants sold worldwide. As I write this I just happened to be wearing a pair of khakis! And, I humbly propose that golf courses nationwide implement the “Campaign for Khaki.”

The “Campaign for Khaki” can help clubs educate members on the budgetary and environmental effects of striving for unrealistic maintenance conditions. It usually begins in April at a “tradition unlike any other” and is compounded every weekend. Players at the high-end clubs to the mom and pop muni have come to expect course conditions that somehow approach that of Augusta or the many wonderful Tour stops we see every week. What viewers perceive as standard is in most cases not the average club’s reality. The budgets and maintenance inputs—fertilization, water, mowing, labor, equipment and, in some extreme cases, if all that doesn’t work…green paint—that goes into a televised golf presentation far outweigh that of the average club. The conditioning we witness is a made-for-TV movie. The lens of the camera sometimes even tints the picture we see to heighten the hues of green.

Players have become so accustomed to the golf movie they watch every week that they have demanded the same conditions at their own club…which likely operates on a third of the budget or less. Is this a sensible expectation for your club? Consider the following suggestions to help your club respond to the environmental challenges that continue to define, and in many ways plague, the perception of golf:

- Establish a Sustainability Committee which includes the Golf Course Superintendent to define how your property can be improved through managed sustainability.

- Conduct a complete environmental analysis of your property categorizing areas of maintenance by inputs (water requirements, chemical applications, fertilization, labor, and mowing)

- Establish a Sustainability Program which softens the hand (and cost) of maintenance on the property. The program standards should include (height of cut, color charts, green speeds, habitat development, low maintenance zones)

- Communicate your Clubs commitment to the Campaign for Khaki to the membership, community and environmental regulators in your area.

The professionals practicing golf course architecture, environmental planning and golf course maintenance (particularly your golf course superintendent) have been the leaders in developing and executing ecological principles that make sense. Assistance with the development of your program should start with these professionals.

And now the USGA has taken a stance. At February’s annual meeting, new USGA President Jim Hyler outlined a framework for khaki to become the new green stating “Many of the standards by which we construct and maintain our courses have become, quite simply, unsustainable.” Read more: http://www.golfdigest.com/golf-tours-news/2010-02/golf-usga-hyler-sirak#ixzz0iFg4jZjk

Over the last 20 years and even more so in the last 10 we have seen a concerted effort to move toward a sound stewardship plan on new and existing golf courses. Through habitat creation, the development of conservation areas, plant and species diversity plans and buffering and infiltration practices, golf courses are beginning to look different. The leading issues that have driven all of these positive steps are responsible use of our water resources and protection of existing watersheds. A recent article by Forrest Richardson, ASGCA in “BoardRoom” includes a reference to “Golf & Water” pdf file, available from ASGCA website at www.asgca.org. in the “Publication” section. This is a great resource to begin the communication process at your club and with the public at large.

The challenge remains to push the communication of this environmental ethic uphill from its roots within the history of the game in spite of the unrealistic definitions of perfection televised on weekly tournament broadcasts. The demand for perfection is costly both financially and in terms of long term sustainability. Our sights might be more soundly placed on playability and strategy rather than what a course looks like. Wouldn’t it be fun to play along corridors and greens that change naturally with the weather or time of year?

(Photo by Robert McNeil)

Gardiner’s Bay- Shelter Island, NY

(water at tees and greens only- picture taken in September)

The question remains, should my golf course look like Augusta in April? The economic stresses that many clubs are facing have given rise to creative maintenance solutions that in essence will change the face of golf in the future. We are currently in the midst of a paradigm shift that will likely move most courses toward a more efficient, conservation based maintenance approach. Contour mowing vs. stripping, heightened disease scouting vs. preventative applications, firmer greens and fairways vs. lusher turf using less water and the development of framing and naturalization plans have all become standard protocol at clubs in an effort to quell the budget pressures.

Swinley Forest (photo from Golf Club Atlas)

A grand opportunity lies in the hands of the clubs pursuing a leadership role in the development and communication of sustainable practices to their memberships and to the communities in which they preside. Join the “Campaign for Khaki” by making your course a slightly lighter shade of green.