Episodes

3d ago

Ran Morrissett is the founder of GolfClubAtlas.com , the most influential golf architecture website of the past 25 years, which means, of all time. He’s a prolific writer and photographer, a consultant in course designs like The Roost at Cabut Citrus Farms in Florida, the former administrator for Golf Magazine’s top 100 U.S. and World courses, and one of the most eloquent advocates for pure, uncomplicated golf, which means walking courses in quiet environments with an absence of accoutrement or attitude. Ran joins Derek Duncan to discuss golf in quiet places, the possibilities of bunkerless golf courses, the process of building The Roost with three different designers, the challenge of new designers routing courses, the highs and occasional lows of the Golf Club Atlas community and whether we shouldn’t be ranking courses based on experience versus architecture. Photos: Cover page, The Roost at Cabot Citrus Farms (Carolina Pines Golf). Above, Barnbougle Dunes (Penelope Sattler). Music: “The Unguarded Moment,” The Church. Watch Derek Duncan break down the 16th hole at Cypress Point . Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts and Spotify . Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post Episode 99: Ran Morrissett appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Nov 25

Jeff Stein began his career shaping courses for Gil Hanse , Tom Doak , Jim Urbina and other designers. Now he has his own business consulting with clubs and a partnership with Brian Ross designing new courses. They recently opened Great Dunes on Jekyll Island in Georgia and are exploring other opportunities. Jeff talks with Derek Duncan about the unpredictability of the equipment available when building courses, combining the Walter Travis architecture at Great Dunes with parts of a Dick Wilson design, the happiest experience he’s had building golf, his unique job at Ohoopee Match Club and the intricacies of Devereaux Emmet. Photos: Cover page, The Seawane Club (Larry Lambrecht). Above, Ohoopee Match Club. Music: “24 Frames,” Jason Isbell. Watch Derek Duncan break down the 16th hole at Cypress Point . Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts and Spotify . Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post 24 Questions with Jeff Stein appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Nov 12

Golf architect Todd Eckenrode has built and re-built golf courses up and down California and knows the work of historic architects like Alister MacKenzie, George Thomas, William Watson and Max Behr as well as anyone. He joins the Feed the Ball podcast to discuss working at and learning to play at Pasatiempo , when to try to “restore” original architecture and when to make alterations, how his outlook on design has changed through time, if public courses can close the conditioning gap on private courses and how the early courses of California evolved into what they’ve become today. Photos: Cover page, Sharon Heights Golf & Country Club (Channing Benjamin). Above, Diablo Country Club. Music: “Los Angeles,” Phosphorescent. Watch Derek Duncan break down the 16th hole at Cypress Point . Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts and Spotify . Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post Episode 98: Todd Eckenrode appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Oct 29

Golf course designer and builder Jaeger Kovich , who has shaped projects for Gil Hanse and Tom Doak and now is establishing himself as one of the busiest remodel specialists in the business, joins Golf Digest’s Derek Duncan to answer 24 questions about his views on architecture. Photos: Cover page, The Cradle (Pinehurst Resort). Above, Laurel Links (propergolf.com). Music: “24 Frames,” Jason Isbell. Watch Derek Duncan break down the 16th hole at Cypress Point . Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts and Spotify . Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post 24 Questions with Jaeger Kovich appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Oct 13

Architect Tyler Rae is part of the next wave of major golf course designers. He joins Derek Duncan in the hot seat to answer 24 questions about golf, his career and his outlook on design. Photos: Cover page, Old Sawmill (Tyler Rae). Above, Lookout Mountain, 11th hole. Watch Derek Duncan break down the 16th hole at Cypress Point . Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts and Spotify . Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post 24 Questions with Tyler Rae appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Sep 21

Martin Ebert is one of the founding partners, along with Tom Mackenzie , of Mackenzie & Ebert , arguably the top golf design firm in Europe. Ebert has been the lead consulting architect, with Mackenzie, for most of the Open Championship courses as well as dozens of clubs in the U.K., Ireland and Europe. They also have several new courses currently under construction around the world. Ebert joins Derek Duncan to discuss the company’s rise to the upper stratosphere of golf design, his impressions of golf in the U.S., how the cost of building and renovating courses in the U.K. compares to the U.S., the way Mackenzie and Ebert use advanced technology to produce plans, his insistence that green surfaces be constructed down to the most minute details of those plans and the trend of architects build too much contour into their greens. Photos: Cover page, Royal Portrush (mackenzieandebert.com). Above, The Island (mackenzieandebert.com). Outro song: Brendan Benson, “Metairie.” Watch Derek Duncan break down the 16th hole at Cypress Point . Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts and Spotify . Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post Episode 97: Martin Ebert appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Aug 27

Jerry Pate burst into the golf world when he won the 1976 U.S. Open at Atlanta Athletic Club in just his second year on tour. From 1976 through 1982 when he won the first Players Championship held at the new Pete Dye-designed TPC Sawgrass he was one of the best players in the world, contending in other majors and earning a spot on the 1981 Ryder Cup team. Injuries forced him off the Tour and into other ventures including golf course design, pairing up with luminaries like Bob Cupp and Tom Fazio . He recently completed a major renovation of the Pete Dye masterpiece Teeth of the Dog at Casa de Campo in the D.R. Pate joins the Feed the Ball podcast to talk about the work he’s done at Teeth of the Dog and his longtime connection to the resort, what Dye told him about architecture in 1974, the challenges of building Teeth, the penal aspects of the original TPC course, his short but illustrious television career and his real thoughts about National Golf Links of America. Photos: Cover page, Teeth of the Dog (Enrique Berardi). Above, Kiva Dunes (Kiva Dunes). Outro song: Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, “Alabama Pines.” Watch Derek Duncan break down the original Redan hole at North Berwick . Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts and Spotify . Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post Episode 96: Jerry Pate appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Jul 24

Trey Kemp has been one of the most active and influential figures in public and municipal golf design in Texas for over 15 years. He spent much of that time working with John Colligan and now has his own firm, continuing to improve public courses while also pursuing new course commissions. He joins the Feed the Ball podcast to discuss the challenges and opportunities working in the public sphere, what courses have guided his design aesthetic, the value of Tom Fazio , if the Raynor resurgence is played out, the secret sauce to making public golf profitable and what it takes to break into the architectural elite. Photos: Main page, Rockwood Golf Course (credit: fortworthgolf.org); Above, Texas Rangers Golf Club (courtesy of the club). Outro song: Wilco, “How to Fight Loneliness.” Watch Derek Duncan break down the original Redan hole at North Berwick . Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts and Spotify . Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post Episode 95: Trey Kemp appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Jun 29

Lost Rail Golf Club Bill Kubly is one of the OG’s in golf course architecture. He’s the founder Landscapes Unlimited , of one of golf’s most prominent course construction companies (opened in 1976), and has had a hands-on, up front view of the profession for 50 years. Kubly joins the Feed the Ball podcast to share stories from a long career building golf courses for virtually all of the industry’s architects going back two generations. He talks to Derek Duncan about being a founding investor in Sand Hills Golf Club with Dick Youngscap , the architectural impact of golf in the Sandhills, what firms delivered the cleanest set of blueprints, the difference between contractor bids and design/build, working special projects like Lost Rail with Scott Hoffman and his involvement in the development of Sutton Bay , one of the great sleeper destination clubs in the U.S. Photos: Main page, Sutton Bay (credit: Gary Kellner); Above, Lost Rail (courtesy of the club). Watch Derek Duncan break down the 3rd hole a Oakmont Country Club . Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post Episode 94: Bill Kubly appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Jun 6

Ron Whitten , historian and former Golf Digest architecture editor, and Mike Davis , former USGA CEO and executive director, delve deep into the origins, evolution and architecture of Oakmont Country Club . We discuss how and why Oakmont developed the way it has, what makes it arguably the greatest championship venue in American golf, what makes the greens so unique and so fast, whether it’s a purely penal design, how Whitten shamed the club into reclaiming their treeless identity in the 1990s and the course’s specific strengths and weaknesses. Photos: Main page, Oakmont CC, First hole; Above, Oakmont’s second hole. Watch Derek Duncan break down the 13th hole at Augusta National . Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post The Rap: Oakmont, One of One appeared first on Feed The Ball .

May 6

Golf course designer Riley Johns joins Derek and Jim from his home in Canada to fill us in on his latest thoughts on course building and artistry. Johns has been splitting time between his own growing business with partner Keith Rhebb , leading projects for Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw , and even working with Jim on the renovation of St. Charles in Winnipeg, a club with nines by both Alister MacKenzie and Donald Ross. We talk about the influence of Stanley Thompson and Thompson’s similarities to MacKenzie, the benefits of unconditional constraints in artistic design, the luxury of improvising in the field, the downside of following recipes and the value of collaborative input vs. intense auteurism. Photos: Main page, Te Arai South, 5th hole (Ricky Robinson); Above, Winter Park 9 Watch Derek Duncan break down the 13th hole at Augusta National . Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post Salon Vol. 31, ft. Riley Johns appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Apr 3

Augusta National is complicated. It’s the most famous course in the world and has been an architectural and maintenance ideal for decades, even though the design is in a continuing state of flux and the turf and bunker conditions have been far from perfect over its life. If it isn’t what we think it is, and perhaps never was, and if it has passed through numerous very different versions of itself, how can it perennially and for most of its history be considered essentially one thing: arguably the best or second best course in the U.S. and number one on every golfer’s bucket list? Designer, historian and Golf Digest architecture emeritus Ron Whitten , and prolific author David Owen (who wrote the seminal book on the Masters called “ The Making of the Masters “) sit with Derek Duncan to hash out all of this and explore the depths of Augusta. The Comprehensive Guide to Every Change at Augusta National. Watch Derek Duncan break down the 18th hole at TPC Sawgrass . Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post The Rap: Augusta Agonistes appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Mar 27

You may have read or heard someone talk about good or bad “tie-ins” on a golf course. It loosely has to do with how the architecture is connected to the land during construction, but the topic is much larger and more nuanced than that. Derek Duncan and Jim Urbina define and discuss tie-ins, what they are, and why doing them correctly is important to the functionality and enjoyment of a golf course. Cover photo: The 4th at Pacific Dunes, built by Jim Urbina. Watch Derek Duncan break down the 18th hole at TPC Sawgrass . Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post Ask/Answer: What is a “Tie-in”? appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Mar 10

Looking ahead to The Players Championship, former PGA Tour player Richard Zokol and designer Jeff Mingay drop in from Canada to break down everything there is to know about The Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass (Zokol actually competed on Sawgrass in the 1980s). We get into the history and creation of the course, how it exemplifies Pete Dye’s architectural genius, its influence on golf design, playing the course with 1980s equipment, how the professionals have adapted to it and commentary on its best, worst and most overrated holes. Outro song: “Comfortably Numb,” Pink Floyd. Watch Derek Duncan break down the 18th hole at TPC Sawgrass . Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post The Rap: Dye-secting TPC Sawgrass appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Feb 25

Writer Michael Croley , author of the book Any Other Place: Stories , veered into the world of golf with a revelatory profile on Tom Doak in 2017 in the Virginia Quarterly Review , hardly the place you’d expect to find an expose on a golf course architect. Now fully entrenched in the golf writing world while teaching creative writing at Denison University, Croley joins the Feed the Ball podcast to discuss how he was able to get under the surface of Doak’s public persona, the usefulness of being new to a subject, if the concept of “genius” applies to golf course architects, the usefulness of criticism in golf writing and if contemporary architecture is “sanded out.” Photos: Above, Kinsale; Main page, St. Patrick Links (Clyde Johnson). Watch Derek Duncan break down The 17th hole at Whistling Straits . Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post Episode 93: Michael Croley appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Feb 11

Former Australian, European and PGA Tour player and current CBS Sports golf broadcaster Ian Baker-Finch joins Golf Digest architecture editor Derek Duncan and golf course builder Jim Urbina on the Feed the Ball podcast. They discuss the lack of architecture discussion during tournament television broadcasts, the dangers of the distance professional players are driving the ball, the importance of seeing as many different courses as possible, the different genius of Bill Coore and Tom Fazio , why PGA Tour rounds take so long, what makes Australian Sand Belt courses so distinct and what Baker-Finch’s ideal course design would look like. Photos: Above, Pebble Beach (Stephen Szurlej); Main page, Kingston Heath (David Cannon). Watch Derek Duncan break down The 17th hole at Whistling Straits . Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post Feed the Ball Salon Vol. 30, ft. Ian Baker-Finch appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Jan 20

Hole No. 17 credit: LC Lambrecht/Courtesy of Whispering Pines GC (or however Larry Lambrecht likes his credit to appear) Texas-based architect Chet Williams joins the Feed the Ball podcast to discuss designing the 2024 Golf Digest Best New Private Course , The Covey at Big Easy Ranch near Houston. He talks about what made the land special, the ideal of creating as much hole-to-hole variety as possible, working with owner Billy Brown and how 25 years working for Jack Nicklaus has influenced his design sensibilities. Photos: Above, Whispering Pines 17th hole (Larry Lambrecht); Main page, The Covey at Big Easy Ranch, 8th hole (Brian Oar). Outro song: “Anything Can Happen,” The Clean. Watch Derek Duncan break down The 17th hole at Whistling Straits . Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post Episode 92: Chet Williams appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Jan 13

Keith Cutten comes back on the Feed the Ball podcast to discuss the new Shorty’s course at Bandon Dunes that opened last year, Brantford Golf & Country Club in Ontario and building Ken Baskt’s The Ranch near Hobe Sound, Florida. He also explains the working dynamics of his firm Whitman, Axland, Cutten (WAC), how Dave Axland and Rod Whitman work, the importance of small contours and what an updated chapter of his book The Evolution of Golf Course Design might look like. Photos: Above, Brantford Golf & Country Club (Brantford G&CC); Main page, Shorty’s at Bandon Dunes (Bandon Dunes). Outro song: “Time Stands Still,” Rush. Watch Derek Duncan break down The 13th hole at Pacific Dunes . Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post Episode 91: Keith Cutten 3 appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Jan 6

Mike Davis was the CEO and executive director for the USGA for over 30 years and was responsible for awarding U.S. Opens and Amateurs to host courses and helping to set them up for those tournaments. Over the course of his career he got to know intricately virtually every great golf course in the U.S. He now takes that knowledge into a new chapter of his life as a golf course designer, working with partner Tom Fazio II at Apogee Club in Florida designing the South Course, just completed. Davis talks to Golf Digest architecture editor Derek Duncan and golf course builder Jim Urbina about his first foray into design being such a large engineering project, fitting ideas of holes he experienced while setting up Opens into a blank-slate site and the challenges of balancing the demands of agronomy, professional skill levels, average member play and tournament play in modern design. Photos: Above, Merion’s 5th hole (Derek Duncan); Main page, Apogee South (Jim Urbina). Watch Derek Duncan break down The 13th hole at Pacific Dunes . Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post Feed the Ball Salon Vol. 29, ft. Mike Davis appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Dec 29, 2024

Scottish golf course architect Benjamin Warren joins the Feed the Ball podcast with Derek Duncan to discuss building The Loop at Chaska in Minnesota, a course designed for adaptive golfers, working extensively in Japan, why recent architecture outshines that of the 80s and 90s, the challenge of building true links in the U.S. and shaping courses for architects like Bill Coore , James Duncan , Kye Goalby and Ogilvy, Cocking and Mead . Photos: Above, The Loop at Chaska (chaskaloop.com); Main page, The Tree Farm, hole 13 (Jeff Marsh). Outro song: “Better Trends,” Japanese Motors. Watch Derek Duncan break down The 13th hole at Pacific Dunes . Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post Episode 90: Benjamin Warren appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Aug 19, 2024

Nick Schaan works side by side with architect David McLay Kidd out of their offices in Bend, Ore. Kidd is one of the most esteemed and decorated designers in the business over the last 25 years, and since 2006 Schaan has been instrumental in bringing to life acclaimed courses like Tributary , Mammoth Dunes and the new GrayBull course in the Sand Hills of Nebraska. Schaan joins Golf Digest architecture editor Derek Duncan to discuss GrayBull, making the new course at Gamble Sands different than the first, flying with Kidd as he pilots his private plane, the mastery of Pete Dye, the challenge of building Huntsman Springs (now Tributary), advancing their concept of “playability,” how they routed GrayBull and his thoughts on what the next generation of architects need to do to inherit the torch from Kidd and his peers. Photos: Above, Gamble Sands’ 17th (Brian Oar); Main page, GrayBull’s 11th. Outro song: “Wishlist,” Pearl Jam. Watch Derek Duncan break down The Postage Stamp at Royal Troon . Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post Episode 89: Nick Schaan appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Jul 25, 2024

Mike Cocking is the “C” in the Australian golf design firm OCM . His partners are former tour player and 2006 U.S. Open champion Geoff Ogilvy and Ashley Mead . The trio have built courses in Australia and Asia and consult with some of the top historic clubs Down Under including Victoria and Kingston Heath . Over the last five years they’ve gained a foothold in the U.S. as well, beginning with the renovation of Shady Oaks in Fort Worth and more recently executed the radical reconception of the famous #3 course at Medinah outside Chicago. They have new projects, too, including the Fall Line in central Georgia, Tepetonka in Minnesota and a course near Austin. Cocking joins the Feed the Ball podcast to discuss how OCM broke ground in the states, the influence of Alister MacKenzie in Sand Belt golf, caddie culture, the insurmountable cost of building affordable public golf, the DNA of Sand Belt golf, the rare privilege of routing courses, the role of aesthetics in perceptions of greatness and the concept behind the revamping of Medinah. Photos: Main Page, Victoria Golf Club (Gary Lisbon); Above, Medinah #3 (Medinah C.C.) Outro song: Modest Mouse, Sunspots in the House of the Late Scapegoat Watch Derek Duncan break down The Postage Stamp at Royal Troon . Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post Episode 88: Mike Cocking appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Jun 11, 2024

Lee Schmidt’s lengthy golf architecture career began in the early 1970s working for Pete Dye and took many different detours through the decades. He worked closely with Landmark Land Company on numerous Dye projects in the 70s and 80s before taking a job with Jack Nicklaus’ design firm. In the late 1990s he created his own firm with Brian Curley , and the two built courses across the U.S. and also made deep inroads into the Asian market, becoming the most influential American architects in the region. Today Schmidt is semi-retired, though as is always true in golf architecture, there’s always work that keeps pulling him back. Schmidt joins Golf Digest’s Derek Duncan and golf course builder Jim Urbina to share stories about Pete and P.B. Dye , learning about golf design from Bill Diddel, the different construction approaches of Dye and Nicklaus, building the Alcatraz Bunker at PGA West’s 16th hole, Dye’s love of building courses that were challenging to professionals, the decision to leave Nicklaus, how he formed his partnership with Curley and opened over 60 courses in China and rooming with Bill Coore in the early 70s. Photos: Cover page, The Wilderness Club (wildernessclubmontana.com); Above, the Alcatraz Bunker at PGA West. Watch Golf Digest’s drone video of Pinehurst No. 2 here . Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post Feed the Ball Salon 28, ft. Lee Schmidt appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Jan 12, 2024

If might seem like golf course architect Scott Hoffman came out of nowhere with his design at Lost Rail , opened in 2022 outside of Omaha. However, he’d previously worked for over a decade with Tom Fazio, designing courses in the western U.S. He then worked with Tim Jackson and David Kahn for a number of years. Hoffman wasn’t pursuing new work when he was approached about looking at land for a club near Omaha, where he’s from, and those interests turned into Lost Rail, Golf Digest’s runner up for Best New Private Course for 2023. He’s now busy constructing Mapleton , another new stand-alone club near Sioux Falls, Idaho. Hoffman joins Golf Digest architecture editor Derek Duncan on the Feed the Ball podcast to discuss finding the land for Lost Rail, his instinct for routing golf courses, the insomnia-inducing puzzle of routing Lost Rail, the freedom of working for Fazio versus being his own business, how to water a 20,000 square-foot green, whether classical architecture influences his designs, the futility of properly evaluating a course after just one round and how he compares and contrasts Shinnecock Hills with National Golf Links of America. Photos: Cover page, Lost Rail (Lost Rail Golf Club); Above, the par-3 11th at Scottsdale National. Watch and listen to Bill Coore narrate the latest Golf Digest Every Hole at Cabot Saint Lucia (script by Derek Duncan). Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post Episode 87: Scott Hoffman appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Dec 25, 2023

Two-time Masters champion Ben Crenshaw joins golf course builder Jim Urbina and Golf Digest architecture editor Derek Duncan to discuss his long time partnership with architect Bill Coore and the beliefs and impulses that define the many courses they’ve built, from Sand Hills to Friar’s Head to Bandon Trails , all the way through to their newest courses including Point Hardy at Cabot Saint Lucia . Crenshaw talks about meeting Urbina for the first time, Coore grooming green contours down to the quarter inch, how his roots playing dry and windy courses influenced his preference for designing toward the ground game, the importance of matching turf conditions to the architecture, the influence of Perry Maxwell in his green building and the intuitive and enduring chemistry between he and Coore. Powered by Highest quality CBD oil Watch and listen to Bill Coore narrate the latest Golf Digest Every Hole at Cabot Saint Lucia (script by Derek Duncan). Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Photos: Opening page, Sand Hills #4; Above, Sand Hills #2 The post Feed the Ball Salon Vol. 27, ft. Ben Crenshaw appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Nov 2, 2023

Golf course architect Greg Letsche , lead designer for Ernie Els Design , joins Golf Digest architecture editor Derek Duncan and golf course builder Jim Urbina to discuss his early years working for Pete Dye , how running projects for Jack Nicklaus differed from his experience with Dye, the design similarities between Dye and Nicklaus, the sometimes absurd challenges and hiccups working internationally in different cultures, how Els’ sympathy for poor golfers manifests in his designs, reuniting with Nicklaus at The Bear’s Club and transitioning into renovating older courses like the Scarlet Course at Ohio State (MacKenzie) and Wentworth (Colt) near London. PHOTOS : Cover image: Albany, Bahamas (albanybahamas.com); Above: Anahita Mauritius (ernieels.com) Watch Derek Duncan discuss Los Angeles Country Club’s North Course , host of the 2023 U.S. Open. Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post Feed the Ball Salon Vol. 26, ft. Greg Letsche appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Oct 17, 2023

In less than 10 years in the profession, Blake Conant has risen from crew member to shaper to the co-designer of Old Barnwell , a stunning new course near Aiken, S.C. Conant has primarily shaped greens and bunkers for Tom Doak at projects like Houston’s Memorial Park, Bel Air, The National’s Gunnamatta Course in Australia and St. Patrick’s in Ireland while working closely with Doak’s associates Eric Iverson , Don Placek , Brian Slawnik and Brian Schneider , who is his co-designer at Old Barnwell. Conant joins the Feed the Ball podcast to discuss the difference between being a shaper for someone else and having final edit responsibility at Old Barnwell, how the search for creative opportunities stokes his passion for golf design, whether he and Schneider began with an initial vision for Old Barnwell, originality vs. derivation, drawing inspiration from other forms of art and nature and if designers of his generation need to be more ethically aware of golf development’s impacts on sustainability, social connections and the economy. PHOTOS : Cover image: Old Barnwell, 13th hole; Above: Old Barnwell’s 6th and 7th holes. Watch Derek Duncan discuss Los Angeles Country Club’s North Course , host of the 2023 U.S. Open. Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post Episode 86: Blake Conant appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Sep 6, 2023

Shortly after Tom Weiskopf broke with design partner Jay Morrish in the late 1990s he turned to architect Phil Smith . Smith had been working with Nicklaus Design in Arizona, but the opportunity to partner one-on-one with Weiskopf was too good an opportunity to pass up. Over the next 24 years, Smith and Weiskopf designed courses in numerous countries with most of their best work occurring at gorgeous sites in the U.S. west, in Arizona, Nevada, Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. Their latest work, completed after Weiskopf succumbed to cancer in 2022, is at Black Desert Resort in southern Utah, a dazzling course blasted from a landscape of black lava outcroppings. Smith joins the Feed the Ball podcast to discuss the potentially contradictory transition from Weiskopf the elite professional golfer to professional architect, the importance of playability and aesthetic appeal (versus “championship-style” designs), the evolution of the “Weiskopf bunker,” the almost guilty feeling of building golf in many of the pristine environments they’ve worked, designing good drivable par 4s and the courses they’ve built that best represent the Smith-Weiskopf design philosophy. PHOTOS : Cover image: Black Desert, Utah (courtesy of Brian Oar); Above: Spanish Peaks in Montana (philsmithdesign.net). Watch Derek Duncan discuss Los Angeles Country Club’s North Course , host of the 2023 U.S. Open. Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post Episode 85: Remembering Tom Weiskopf with Phil Smith appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Aug 23, 2023

Don Placek began working for Tom Doak’s Renaissance Golf Design in 1997 after being in Perry Dye’s Denver office for several years. It was a significant jump, going from the types of technical builds Dye was coordinating in the western U.S. and Asia to Doak’s more intuitive, organic way of designing and constructing courses. Placek began producing plans and blueprints for Doak’s projects and eventually migrated to the field where he helped shape and oversee numerous Renaissance projects, including The Renaissance Club in Scotland and CommonGround in Denver while consulting with venerable clubs like Shoreacres and Camargo . One of the profession’s great graphic artists, Placek has run the day-to-day operations at Renaissance Golf for 25 years and is often the point-person prospective clients first speak to regarding hiring Doak and the firm. Along with fellow associates Eric Iverson , Brian Slawnik and Brian Schneider , he’s now an owner and partner at Renaissance. Placek joins the podcast to discuss some lean years partnering with Iverson, getting started with Doak and the impact of showing that large sums of money aren’t required to build great golf, Renaissance Design’s “Hippocratic oath” to do no more than is necessary to a site, what golfers like versus what they want, restoring Seth Raynor greens, the future of Renaissance design and the importance of short courses. PHOTOS : Cover image: Placek’s map of Cabot Highlands in Inverness, Scotland (courtesy of Cabot); Above: The “Short” 11th hole at Camargo. Watch Derek Duncan discuss Los Angeles Country Club’s North Course , host of the 2023 U.S. Open. Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post Episode 84: Don Placek appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Feb 28, 2023

Architect Stephen Kay has been involved in the building, remodeling or renovation of over 300 courses during his design career spanning back to the mid-1980s. He was one of the pioneering voices in the late 80s for looking at the historical record of a course during renovation to attempt to honor the original architecture. He built numerous new courses in the 1990s and early 2000s, many public, including The Architects Golf Club in New Jersey (in collaboration with Ron Whitten ), where each hole was based on the style of a different architect. He continues to be busy with major remodels, consultations and a new municipal course, and is always one of the most entertaining voices in the room. Kay joins Derek Duncan on the podcast to share story after story about what the business was like in the late 70s and 80s, the myth of green speeds, the impact of turf technology on golf course design, building the minimalist Links of North Dakota at the same time Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw were building the minimalist Sand Hills and a host of other intriguing topics. Photos: Cover page, The Architects Golf Club (thearchitectsclub.com); Above, The Links of North Dakota (thelinksofnorthdakota.com). Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post Episode 83: Stephen Kay appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Jan 24, 2023

Golf course builder Allan MacCurrach began working on crews for Pete Dye in the late 1970s and opened his own golf course contracting company in 1987. He’s been involved in building or remodeling over 20 courses for Dye, who passed away in early 2020, as well as architects like Tom Fazio , Bobby Weed and Rees Jones . MacCurrach is also responsible for constructing–and designing, through interpretation of the numerous conversations and planning sessions he had with Dye — The Dye Course at White Oak , Golf Digest’s Best New Private Course of 2022 . White Oak, located near Jacksonville on the Florida/Georgia border, is extremely private and is played only occasionally by its billionaire owner, his few guests and select Golf Digest panelists. MacCurrach joins the Feed the Ball podcast to talk about his involvement in the White Oak project, creating something distinctive on a non-distinctive site, the opportunity and challenge of attempting to carry out Dye’s design directives after Dye could no longer participate in the construction, the evolution of Dye’s green contours as a reaction to higher green speeds, how the golf course building business has changed to a renovation business and the artistic and engineering genius of the original TPC Sawgrass design. Photos: Cover page–The 16th hole at The Dye Course at White Oak (Brian Oar); Above–White Oak’s par 3 17th (Brian Oar). See more White Oak photos and flyovers here . Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post Episode 82: Allan MacCurrach appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Dec 29, 2022

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. Powered by pan card agency 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) Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post Feed the Ball Salon Vol. 25, ft. Josh Pettit appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Nov 17, 2022

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. Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Photos: Cover photo–Landmand’s 12th hole; Above–Ground level view of Landmand’s 17 green. The post Feed the Ball Salon Vol. 24, ft. Rob Collins appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Oct 18, 2022

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). Powered by uti pan card agency apply online The post Episode 81: Jim Nagle appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Sep 9, 2022

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. Powered by pan card agency 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 .

Aug 18, 2022

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, ) Powered by WordPress Support 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 .

Jun 22, 2022

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 .

May 9, 2022

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

Mar 17, 2022

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 .

Feb 4, 2022

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 .

Dec 30, 2021

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). The post Feed the Ball Salon Vol. 19: Bunkers ft. Ron Whitten appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Nov 9, 2021

Like most architects, Steve Smyers has a deep reverence for the classical era and the strategic brilliance of Harry Colt, Alister MacKenzie, George Thomas and others. However, as an elite player as well as a veteran designer, he realized the basic strategic precepts that have existed since the early 1900s and have guided much of his own work might no longer apply to golf at the highest levels. Smyers joins Golf Digest architecture editor Derek Duncan to discuss the a-ha moment that led to his evolving views on strategy and course design for the game’s best players, and whether or not a changing understanding of strategy symbolizes the end of strategic play as we’ve always known it. Powered by GST Suvidha Kendra [Photos–above, Old Memorial, courtesy oldmemorialgolfclub.com; cover page–Pine Valley, Derek Duncan] 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 . The post Episode 78: Steve Smyers and Rethinking Strategy appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Oct 12, 2021

In this Feed the Ball podcast, we get deep into some Wisconsin golf talk with golf course architect Craig Haltom . Haltom joins Golf Digest architecture editor Derek Duncan to discuss recreating C.B. Macdonald’s The Lido at Sand Valley , how GPS technology has the potential to change the way courses are preserved and finished, how he located the Sand Valley property over a decade ago and brought it to the attention of Mike Keiser , renovating a municipal course in Madison with a crew of talented designers, the power potential of adventurous practice putting greens, and his new 18-hole course, The Club at Lac La Belle outside Milwaukee. Photo, above: The par-4 5th, “Cape” at The Lido in Wisconsin. Cover photo: the wild par-3 4th at The Club at Lac La Belle. 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 . The post Episode 77: Craig Haltom appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Sep 19, 2021

Is it possible we take Whistling Straits for granted? Of all the spectacular builds in the history of golf, from The Lido to Calusa Pines , very little is spoken about how Pete Dye and Herb Kohler transformed flat farmland and an abandoned Army airfield into the wild, multilayered Irish-looking golf course gouged into the bluffs of Lake Michigan that is the 23rd ranked course on Golf Digest America’s 100 Greatest Courses ranking . How did Dye do it? Mike O’Connor can tell us. While Dye is known for beginning the careers of many current designers and course builders, very few knew him like O’Connor did, who worked as Dye’s construction manager at a multitude of courses for over 25 years, including running the job at Whistling Straits. He essentially lived on site for several years, and in this podcast he shares his insight and recollections of what it was like to build the course, and what it took to pull off one of golf’s most dramatic land transformations. He also shares stories about working side-by-side with Dye, meeting and developing a friendship with Kohler, what the virgin property was like, discovering live rounds of aerial ammunition on site, how the course evolved from conception, the origins of the out-of-character par-5 5th, and one very strange but discarded idea for the famous par-3 17th. 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 . Photo: Early days at Whistling Straits (all construction photos courtesy of Mike O’Connor). The post Episode 76: Making Whistling Straits appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Aug 27, 2021

Davis Love III needs no introduction. But just in case, he’s a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame , has logged over 20 PGA Tour victories, won the 1997 PGA Championship, was twice victorious at The Players Championship and is a two-time Ryder Cup captain. He’s also a tournament founder (the PGA Tour’s RSM Classic at Sea Island), philanthropist and golf course designer. Love Golf Design , which he operates with brother Mark Love , is a craft-oriented and highly creative design firm that has produced courses like Diamante Dunes in Cabo San Lucas, The Plantation Course at Sea Island, Atlantic Dunes at Sea Pines, and Kinderlou Forest in Georgia. They’ve recently completed projects at Birdwood Golf Club at Boar’s Head at the University of Virginia, and Belmont in Richmond in conjunction with The First Tee of Greater Richmond, consisting of the restoration of 12 original A.W. Tillinghast holes plus the conversion of six others into a dynamic short course, expanded practice area and Himalayas putting green. Powered by WP Support and Maintenance Love joins Golf Digest architecture editor Derek Duncan and golf course builder Jim Urbina to discuss: –The Ryder Cup and setting up Whistling Straits ; –What makes a great match-play course; –Preserving and fighting for the integrity of old courses; –Working with talented creatives like Forrest Fezler , Paul Cowley and Scot Sherman ; –How to balance the needs of the skilled with the desires of the everyday player; –How Pete Dye defined a golf course architect; –And what types of courses attract him personally. 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–Cover Page: The Plantation Course at Sea Island (photo: seaisland.com). Above: Dormant grass at Ricefields at Hampton Island Preserve; Below: more scenes from the abandoned Ricefields. The post Feed the Ball Salon Vol. 18, ft. Davis Love III appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Jun 28, 2021

James Duncan came to the U.S. from his native Denmark in the early 1990s to learn the craft of building golf courses. He learned from the best, working first with Tom Doak and Renaissance Golf Design , then joining with Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw to help construct courses like East Hampton , Old Sandwich , Bandon Trails , Clear Creek Tahoe , Shanquin Bay in China and many others. He has his own firm now, and he’s currently fulfilling a lifelong goal of founding and designing a new course, Brambles , in Northern California, along with Coore, Crenshaw and his own team of creative shapers. Duncan joins the podcast to talk to Golf Digest architecture editor Derek Duncan and golf course designer Jim Urbina about the Brambles site, meeting Jim and Tom Doak and Gil Hanse almost immediately upon arriving in the U.S., the value of traveling to see great architecture, architects as “editors in chief,” his attempts to have Brambles reflect the simplicity and essence of golf as he knows it, what a course would be if you had once chance in life to build it, using ground as a means of connecting to a community and beauty of keeping it simple. Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Photos: Above–copses at Brambles’ soon-to-be 10th hole; Main Page–the green at the par-4 4th at Brambles, looking back. The post Feed the Ball Salon Vol. 17, ft. James Duncan appeared first on Feed The Ball .

May 17, 2021

Designer Troy Miller worked for Landmark Land Co. for a decade, building golf courses around North America, before leaving the company to settle down in his hometown of Charleston, SC. The move put him in a unique position to do something he’d first envisioned years before: help the city rebuild the popular but dated municipal golf course he grew up playing, that happened to be in the same neighborhood where he lived. With help from an organization called “ Friends of the Muni ,” Miller got the Charleston Municipal project off the ground and reimagined the design as the third installment in a trilogy of Seth Raynor courses, the architect who built two other clubs in the city in the years before Muni first opened in 1929, the esteemed but private Yeamans Hall and Country Club of Charleston . Miller pulled many of the famous Raynor and C.B. Macdonald template hole concepts into the Muni design, giving public players at last a taste of what private club members had long experienced. Miller joins the Feed the Ball podcast to discuss the how the Muni came into being, how smartly done municipal golf projects can be financially prosperous, Raynor’s presence and influence in Charleston golf, the advantage of keeping green-speeds lower, watching The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island get built and then being present years later when Pete Dye renovated it, The Ocean Course as a “golf safari” and a potential redevelopment of the Patriot’s Point course overlooking Charleston Harbor. Photo: the par-4 13th, “Road,” at Muni. Cover photo: the “Maiden” green at the par-5 15th. Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The Redan green at Muni’s par-3 11th. The post Episode 75: Troy Miller appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Mar 28, 2021

PGA Tour and current PGA Champions tour player Tom Lehman , winner of the 1996 Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St. Anne’s , has seamlessly managed to maintain an elite game while developing a golf course design outlook that almost entirely eschews consideration of elite players. Lehman stops by the Salon to speak with Golf Digest architecture editor Derek Duncan and golf course builder Jim Urbina about: Powered by GST Suvidha Portal –The importance of hitting your line when playing links golf; –how golf is too consumed with “championship golf;” –the overuse of multiple tees; –the similarities of old-school U.S. Open setups and links golf; –the curse of construction technology; –anchoring a routing on several special natural features; –and how some players just “get it” and “see it” when it comes to architecture (and others don’t). Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Photos: The Prairie Club, courtesy lehmandesigngroup.com The post Feed the Ball Salon Vol. 16, ft. Tom Lehman appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Mar 8, 2021

In a limited amount of original work, David Kahn has proven to be one of the most creative, courageous and expressionistic golf course architects working today. Along with partner Tim Jackson , the other half of Jackson Kahn Design , he’s reimagined the shaping and visage of the historic Dunes Course at Monterey Peninsula Country Club , built an artistic and technical tour de force with The Other Course at Scottsdale National , as well as the world’s most outlandish (and fun) short nine-hole course at the same facility ( The Bad Little Nine ). What consumes him most, however, is the rapidly declining health of his twin daughters, Amelia and Makenzie, who each suffer from a fatal neurological disease known as CNL3 juvenile Batten Disease. Powered by Micro ATM David joins Derek to talk about the emotional toll of caring for his daughters as they lose the ability to speak, walk and see, the shock of their diagnosis four years ago, and how he and his wife, Karen, have created the Fore Batten Foundation to raise awareness and money to fight the disease through one of golf’s largest and most prestigious online auctions, with bidding available for rounds of golf at America’s greatest and most exclusive courses. He also discusses the grueling curriculum of a landscape architecture degree, modifying Robert Trent Jones’ work at Eugene Country Club , his interest (or lack of) in historical restoration, hiding cart paths, finding a golf course owner with means ( Bob Parsons at Scottsdale National) but also knowing what to do with the gifts of land and money, and the extreme luxury of complete creative freedom. Read more about the Kahns and the Fore Batten auction in my recent Golf Digest story here , and in Alan Shipnuck’s original story on the family from 2018, here . Listen to Derek Duncan discuss the book “The Match” by Mark Frost in the Good-Good Golf Podcast Book Club edition. Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Photos: Cover page: the par-3 3rd at Scottsdale National; above: the sensational 18,000 square foot 17th green at Scottsdale National. The post Episode 74: David Kahn appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Feb 7, 2021

Canadian designer Ian Andrew , Feed the Ball guest from Episode 14 , is back to visit with Derek Duncan and Jim Urbina . The conversation turns to topics of: –Choose Your Own Adventure golf architecture; –The satisfactions of playing “unknown” courses; –Golf as an emotional experience; –The importance of “compression and release” in design; –Creativity beginning with saying “I don’t know”; –How the best architects “fight” for contours; –and the genius of Stanley Thompson. Listen to Derek Duncan discuss the book “The Match” by Mark Frost in the Good-Good Golf Podcast Book Club edition. Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Photos: Cover page, St. Georges Golf & Country Club, 1st hole, Clive Barber; above, Knollwood Country Club, 16th hole, Evan Schiller Powered by WordPress Support Phone Number The post Feed the Ball Salon Vol. 15, ft. Ian Andrew appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Jan 11, 2021

Larry Lambrecht has been one of golf’s most prolific and talented photographers for over 30 years. He’s shot golf courses and tournaments, as well as Super Bowls, World Series and other major sporting events, for virtually ever major publication. He’s also published a number of books and club histories along with his course photography, including, in 2004, “Emerald Gems” , a lusciously photographed book dedicated to the links courses of Ireland. Lambrecht joined Derek on the podcast to discuss what initially drew him to photography, shooting courses like Augusta National , being in the NFL Hall of Fame, transitioning from film development to computer editing, how the iPhone revolutionized the field of photography, how cart paths ruin photography, the natural photographic composition of Tom Fazio holes, the unique light of Ireland, meeting Eddie Hackett and his most harrowing visits abroad. Listen to Derek Duncan discuss the book “The Match” by Mark Frost in the Good-Good Golf Podcast Book Club edition. Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Photos: Ballybunion by Larry Lambrecht (above); Cape Wickham by Larry Lambrecht (title page). The post Episode 73: Larry Lambrecht appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Dec 14, 2020

Golf course architect Forrest Richardson was elected in 2020 to be the 75th president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects , a chair that’s been held by such notable designers as Stanley Thompson , Robert Trent Jones , William Langford (twice), Rees Jones , Robert Trent Jones, Jr. , Alice Dye , Jeff Brauer and Steve Smyers . He joins Derek Duncan and golf course builder Jim Urbina in the Salon to discuss his plans for the society as well as: –Authoring a golf course design newsletter as a teenager; –making the ASGCA younger and more inclusive; –His long relationship with Desmond Muirhead ; –His idea for the “Lighthouse Hole”; –Whether golf needs to develop more different “expressions” of the game; –The feasibility of stand-alone short courses and par-3 courses in towns and cities; –And whether golf needs to innovate to continue to exist. Click here to watch Forrest Richardson mission statement video for the American Society of Golf Course Architects. Listen to Derek Duncan discuss the book “The Match” by Mark Frost in the Good-Good Golf Podcast Book Club edition. Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post Feed the Ball Salon Vol. 14, ft. Forrest Richardson appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Nov 10, 2020

Architect Kyle Phillips began his illustrious career as an associate working for Robert Trent Jones II in California. He gained unique design and planning expertise working on a slate of international courses for Jones, which later helped him garner major overseas jobs once he opened his own firm in the late 90s. Those include Kingsbarns in St. Andrews, Yas Links in Dubai, South Cape in South Korea, Bernardus in the Netherlands, and numerous others. He continues to be one of the major figures in golf course architecture both domestically and worldwide. (Photo above: the 14th at Cal Club, from calclub.org.) Phillips joined Derek Duncan and golf course builder Jim Urbina from his home in northern California to talk about: –The prevailing modes of golf design when he started with Jones; –His major rebuilding of the Cal Club in San Francisco; –How golf architecture lost its soul in the 70s, 80s and 90s; –The importance of outside voices to a club’s self-perception; –Creating naturalistic holes (Kingsbarns) out of unnaturalistic golf sites; –How constructions and design moves from spans of acres to feet to inches; –The concept of “turning back geologic time” in golf design; –And the difference between the European concept of healthy turf and the American impulse to always “grow grass.” Listen to Derek Duncan discuss “The World Atlas of Golf” on the Good-Good Golf Podcast . Listen to Derek Duncan discuss the book “The Match” by Mark Frost in the Good-Good Golf Podcast Book Club edition. Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Kingsbarns, 15th hole (kingsbarns.com) The post Feed the Ball Salon Vol. 13, ft. Kyle Phillips appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Oct 26, 2020

The Highland Course at Primland Resort Few people in golf have had as rich or wide-ranging life in golf as Donald Steel . He began his career as the golf reporter for London’s Sunday Telegraph in 1961, memorably covering, as a rookie writer, Arnold Palmer’s back-to-back Open Championship wins at Birkdale and Troon . A few years later, while continuing his reporting duties, he joined the architectural firm of Cotton, Pennink and Lawrie , assisting in dozens of new designs and remodels throughout the U.K. After opening his own firm in 1987, his design business flourished and he built a string of prominent new courses like the Carnegie Club at Skibo Castle in northern Scotland, the Abaco Club in the Bahamas, and Cherokee Plantation , The Vineyards on Martha’s Vineyard and the Highland Course at Primland Resort in the U.S. At 83, Steel has largely retired from golf architecture but he continues to be one of the profession’s wisest, most knowledgeable and most gentlemanly figures. Steel joined Derek Duncan via Skype from London to discuss growing up during the London Blitz, what era he thinks had the greatest balance between equipment technology and skill, playing in the President’s Putter, his recollections of Bernard Darwin , the quality of golf writing in the 60s and 70s vs golf writing today and the unique challenges of building golf in various countries and climates around the world. A video of Steel’s unique Le Tecina course at La Gomera on the Canary Islands. Listen to Derek Duncan discuss “The World Atlas of Golf” and Donald Steel’s contribution on the Good-Good Golf Podcast . Listen to Derek discuss the book “The Match” by Mark Frost in the Good-Good Golf Podcast Book Club edition . Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post Episode 72: Donald Steel appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Sep 22, 2020

Egypt Valley Country Club in Michigan Golf architect Chris Wilczynski has bridged two distinct eras–that of the course-a-day, turn and burn construction frenzy of the 1990s and 2000s, and now the current period of “slow” golf with its focus on boutique operations and club restoration. He began his career as an associate with Arthur Hills , one of the busiest designers of golf and real estate development. Since 2010 he’s operated his own Michigan-based business and conducted prominent renovations of courses like Warwick Hills in Michigan and Chautauqua Golf Club in New York, as well as several new designs including Esplanade at Azario near Sarasota, Florida, opened in 2020. Powered by wp support services Wilczynski joins the Feed the Ball podcast to talk about: –Teaching his class at Michigan State about golf construction and renovation during the time of Covid-19; –The most important factors in getting hired by clubs and clients; –Restoration vs. Renovation; –How golf course construction in the 1920s and construction today are both similar and different; –The “unifying vision” of Arthur Hills courses; and –The consequences of building small greens. Listen to Derek discuss the book “The Match” by Mark Frost in the Good-Good Golf Podcast Book Club edition . Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post Episode 71: Chris Wilczynski appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Sep 2, 2020

The Other Course–Scottsdale National After working for over a decade for Tom Fazio , Tim Jackson opened his own West Coast design firm with David Kahn , another Fazio alum. Jackson Kahn Design is known for their creative, ambitious ideas about design–as exhibited at, Monterey Peninsula Country Club’s Shore Course and The Other Course and The Bad Little Nine at Scottsdale National –and also for their decidedly artistic approach to client presentation and development with state-of-the-art graphics, renderings and animations. Powered by WordPress Customer Service Tim joins golf builder Jim Urbina and Derek Duncan to talk about: –Tom Fazio’s mandate to “make it playable and make it beautiful”; –The design motivation: “rich guys suck at golf”; –The advantage of being able to show clients realistic photo-renderings of proposed holes and renovations; –The odd discomfort of working with a client without the normal constraints of a budget; –Sand Hills vs. Shadow Creek; –And creating one of golf’s most outlandish courses, The Bad Little Nine at Scottsdale National. Listen to Derek discuss the book “The Match” by Mark Frost in the Good-Good Golf Podcast Book Club edition . Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post Feed the Ball Salon Vol. 12, ft. Tim Jackson appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Aug 18, 2020

Kinloch Golf Club Lester George was an artillery officer in the U.S. Army who rose to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. In the late 1980s, already into his 30s, he made a career switch to golf design, setting up a business in his native state of Virginia. In the mid-1990s he was introduced to a magnificent property outside Richmond that he would eventually develop, along with legendary Virginia amateur player Vinny Giles , into Kinloch Golf Club , now one of Golf Digest’s 100 Greatest Courses and the state’s number one ranked course . George has restored numerous Golden Age designs in the mid-Atlantic states and has also worked in locations from Florida to Texas to Connecticut and Japan. He later followed up the success of Kinloch with the brawny, exuberant, rough-and-tumble Ballyhack near Roanoke. George joins the podcast to talk about: –Getting jobs he was told he had no chance of getting; –Sequencing pars in a routing; –The importance of being able to read terrain; –The development of Kinloch and Ballyhack; –The forensic work used to recreate the Seth Raynor features at the Greenbrier’s Old White Course ; –Potential upcoming projects on a sand mine in Chicago, river bluffs in Virginia and a new 22-hole Raynor template-hole design. Listen to Derek discuss the book “The Match” by Mark Frost in the Good-Good Golf Podcast Book Club edition . Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post Episode 70: Lester George appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Jul 28, 2020

Calusa Pines Golf designer Dana Fry began his career learning the business as an associate for Tom Fazio , and later forged a prominent partnership with Dr. Michael Hurdzan . With Hurdzan he created such top U.S. courses as Erin Hills , site of the 2017 U.S. Open , and Calusa Pines in Florida. Today he runs his business with partner Jason Straka . He joins the Salon to talk to Derek Duncan and Jim Urbina about: –When it’s appropriate to lengthen golf holes; –The extremities of Calusa Pines; –The need to change up design looks and approaches; –Being consumed by certain jobs (Arcadia Bluffs), and –The radical site swings between south Florida, coastal New Jersey, northern Michigan and central Wisconsin. Listen to Derek discuss the book “The Match” by Mark Frost in the Good-Good Golf Podcast Book Club edition . Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post Feed the Ball Salon Vol. 11, ft. Dana Fry appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Jul 13, 2020

Kirby was instrumental in the construction of Mauna Kea. It’s not unreasonable to suggest the path of golf architecture in the second half of the 20th century can be traced through Ron Kirby . His career has been a remarkable Zelig-like whirlwind placing him in the immediate proximity of Dick Wilson , Robert Trent Jones , Gary Player , Jack Nicklaus and many others. His name is on the design of over 70 golf courses on four continents, including Old Head in Ireland on one of golf’s most spectacular sites, and, most recently, the remodel of Apes Hill in Barbados. Ron generously lends his time to discuss his remarkable career, including the terror and talent that lived inside Dick Wilson, Trent Jones’ strength as a designer, Trent Jones’ limitations as a designer, Gary Player’s role in their design partnership, what was wrong with architecture in the 1970s, Jack Nicklaus as a master strategist, pounding and grinding Old Head into shape, and his late conversion from bunkers to grass hollows. Listen to Derek discuss the book “The Match” by Mark Frost in the Good-Good Golf Podcast Book Club edition . Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball “GOLF’S BATTLING ARCHITECTS”, Sports Illustrated, August 2 1962 The post Episode 69: Ron Kirby appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Jul 2, 2020

Cascata Rees Jones ‘ design work has touched public, resort, club golf and major championship golf as much as any architect of the modern era. He enters the Salon to talk with Jim Urbina and Derek Duncan about balancing the many voices that weigh in on projects in the “remodeling era,” constructing on technically challenging sites vs finding holes, if golf designs should be allowed to evolve or if at some point they should be locked in time, the challenges of working in the shadow of Robert Trent Jones and the value of having an architectural “style.” Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Listen to Derek discuss the legendary book, “ The World Atlas of Golf ” on the Good-Good Golf Podcast . TPC Danzante Bay The post Feed the Ball Salon Vol. 10, ft. Rees Jones appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Jun 23, 2020

The short par 4 12th at Gamble Sands From the original course at Bandon Dunes to The Castle Course at St. Andrews, to Gamble Sands in Washington and then to Mammoth Dunes in Wisconsin, David McLay Kidd has been one of the most innovative and courageous course designers of this generation. He joins Derek Duncan and Jim Urbina in the Salon to discuss “setting the table” at Bandon, if the Castle Course will someday be perceived as an overlooked jewel, whether its more desirable to achieve commercial or critical success, the redundancy of template holes, the revolution of fun and playability and building golf for the masses. Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Listen to Derek discuss the legendary book, “ The World Atlas of Golf ” on the Good-Good Golf Podcast . The post Feed the Ball Salon Vol. 9, ft. David McLay Kidd appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Jun 5, 2020

Timuquana Country Club in Jacksonville, Florida Bruce Hepner and Jim Urbina both began working for Tom Doak at Renaissance Design in the early 1990s, spending many days and hours together on the road for well over a decade. Hepner opened his own business in 2012 and is now one of the most admired renovation and restoration specialists in the business. He joins Urbina and Derek Duncan to talk about the unsung heroes of golf construction, the starburst of Renaissance, how widening fairways and mowing lines can actually make a course play more challenging, the art of tree clearing and the best jobs that Renaissance golf didn’t get. Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Listen to Derek discuss the legendary book, “ The World Atlas of Golf ” on the Good-Good Golf Podcast . The post Feed the Ball Salon Vol. 8, ft. Bruce Hepner appeared first on Feed The Ball .

May 28, 2020

The par-4 10th at White Manor Few people in the golf design business knew Pete Dye better than Bobby Weed , who first interned for his mentor in the 1970s. Weed comes into the Salon with Derek Duncan and Jim Urbina to share his thoughts on how Dye continues to influence him, the overriding consideration of drainage, being courted by Jack Nicklaus , the classicism of S-shaped holes, how shaping allows the right-brain to kick in, the liberating effect of designing on a flat site like The Grove XXIII , pushing back against the trend of naturalism, working in sand versus taking on big problem sites and the value of quirkiness. Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Listen to Derek discuss the legendary book, “ The World Atlas of Golf ” on the Good-Good Golf Podcast . The Grove XXIII’s par 3 5th. The post Feed the Ball Salon Vol. 7, ft. Bobby Weed appeared first on Feed The Ball .

May 21, 2020

The par-4 17th at Ohoopee Match Club. In this volume of the Salon, architect Gil Hanse sits with Derek Duncan and Jim Urbina to discuss how he and design partner Jim Wagner build golf courses. They talk about the sanctity of being on machinery, if routing is more vital to a good course than shaping, the importance of “cooling off,” the importance of “living” the golf course through the design process, cheating evolution, giving himself permission to push the envelope, the heroic strategies of Ohoopee Match Club , developing a feel for the ground, whether or not we’re in a “Second Golden Age” of design or if it’s more a period of revivalism, and the lasting impact of the best modern architecture. Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Listen to Derek discuss the legendary book, “ The World Atlas of Golf ” on the Good-Good Golf Podcast . The post Feed the Ball Salon Vol. 6, ft. Gil Hanse appeared first on Feed The Ball .

May 14, 2020

The fourth at Cape Wickham (photo: capewickham.com.au) Architect Mike DeVries steps into the Salon with Jim Urbina and Derek Duncan to discuss arguably the granddaddy of all design topics, routing. The long and winding conversation touches on the exposures of Cape Wickham , sacrificing extraordinary holes for the sake of rhythm and continuity, routing around natural greensites, if routing is a skill that improves over time, laying out Kingsley Club over difficult terrain, “throwing the scorecard away,” resisting building “concepts” into course routings and opinions on the 18th hole at Whistling Straits . Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Listen to Derek discuss the legendary book, “ The World Atlas of Golf ” on the Good-Good Golf Podcast . Pacific Dunes The post Feed the Ball Salon Vol. 5, ft. Mike DeVries appeared first on Feed The Ball .

May 6, 2020

Thad Layton , principal at Arnold Palmer Design Company , enters the Salon to talk to Derek Duncan and Jim Urbina about Palmer and the rules of architecture. Specifically the discussion revolves around fundamental rules, when it’s advisable to break them, whether it’s ever permissible to design crossing holes, working within the constraints of conservative developers, straight versus irregular water lines, Palmer’s architectural principles, addition through subtraction, and how architects can artistically distinguish their work in a design culture where most practitioners feel liberated. Palmer’s Island nine at Champions Retreat in Georgia. Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Top photo: Naples Lakes (photo: napleslakesfl.com) Listen to Derek discuss the legendary book, “ The World Atlas of Golf ” on the Good-Good Golf Podcast . The post Feed the Ball Salon Vol. 4, ft. Thad Layton appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Apr 29, 2020

The Old Course (photo: hiddenlinksgolf.com) Golf course designer and renovation specialist Jeff Mingay enters the Salon to talk about St. Andrews with Jim Urbina and Derek Duncan . The central theme is, if The Old Course is so great, why aren’t there more courses that are like it? Topics include the importance of boundaries to traditional golf expectations, blind tee shots, the Old Course’s infinite variety, democratic vs. dictatorial design, St. Andrews’ ugliness, its resistance to emulation, encouraging golfers to utilize ground contour, grassing lines, whether the course is still relevant for tournament golf and the influence of the design on Old Macdonald . Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Listen to Derek discuss the legendary book, “ The World Atlas of Golf ” on the Good-Good Golf Podcast . “Hell” bunker at Old Macdonald. The post Feed the Ball Salon Vol. 3, ft. Jeff Mingay appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Apr 20, 2020

The second green at Sand Hills. Designer Bill Coore comes into the salon to discuss greens and putting surfaces with Jim Urbina and Derek Duncan . Topics include the importance of shaping greens and surrounds in relation to single holes or the entire golf course, the 14th and 2nd greens at Sand Hills , building “floating” greens and finding natural landforms, looking vs. seeing, reading a site’s guideposts, finding and fabricating greens when there aren’t great green sites, fallaway greens like the 9th at the Sheep Ranch , and the evolution of the Coore and Crenshaw greens. Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Listen to Derek discuss the legendary book, “ The World Atlas of Golf ” on the Good-Good Golf Podcast . The 14th green at Sand Hills. The post Feed the Ball Salon Vol. 2, ft. Bill Coore appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Apr 13, 2020

The contour of Wolf Point (photo: nuzzocoursedesign.com) Jim Urbina and Derek Duncan discuss George Thomas, Pete Dye’s par-5 holes, Riviera , the Ghost Tree at Old Macdonald , whether bunkers have become too sanitized, “reasonable” green speeds, Stimpmeter readings from the 1970s. Powered by cowin app download Then Don Mahaffey enters the salon to talk about the beautiful simplicity of Mike Nuzzo’s Wolf Point , the PGA Tour’s bunker sand standard, using local sand for bunkers and going bunkerless. Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Listen to Derek discuss the legendary book, “ The World Atlas of Golf ” on the Good-Good Golf Podcast . The post Feed the Ball Salon Vol. 1, ft. Don Mahaffey appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Apr 8, 2020

The 17th at Streamson Red For almost 25 years, Jeff Bradley has been known as the preeminent builder of golf course bunkers in the U.S. Working primarily for Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw , his artistic bunkering has helped define the strategies and style of places like Cuscowilla , Bandon Trails and Friars Head . In doing so, Bradley has influenced a generation of young shapers. And while he’s consulted and worked shaping projects for a number of other architects and design firms, including Michael Hurdzan , his priority and allegiance continues to lie with Coore and Crenshaw. Jeff joins the podcast to discuss recent bunker restoration projects like Talking Stick and Seminole , the story behind the bunkers at Sand Hills , the challenge of playing most minimalist courses and what would be his favorite set of bunkers. Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Listen to Derek discuss the legendary book, “ The World Atlas of Golf ” on the Good-Good Golf Podcast . The post Episode 68: Jeff Bradley appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Mar 23, 2020

Wilshire George Waters began his design career after spending a summer living and doing course maintenance in Dornoch, then getting an internship with Tom Doak’s Renaissance Golf Design . He worked construction projects for a variety of designers, including Doak, then wrote the seminal book on sand based courses, Sand and Golf: How Terrain Shapes the Game . Today he is the manager of education for the USGA Green Section . Waters joins the podcast to talk about Dornoch and links golf, the importance of presenting strategy across a range of skill levels, the beauty of inconsistent hazards, the Doak and Nicklaus approaches at Sebonack, jazzy bunkers and transitioning from builder to educator. Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Listen to Derek discuss the legendary book, “ The World Atlas of Golf ” on the Good-Good Golf Podcast . The post Episode 67: George Waters appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Mar 6, 2020

Barton Hills Country Club (Title page photo from Jon Cavalier. Above photo from tylerraedesign.com courtesy of Andy Johnson) Tyler Rae is gaining a reputation as one of the most talented up and coming golf course renovation and restoration specialists in the business. He’s worked with noted designer Ron Prichard for most of the last decade and now has embarked on his own, with an impressive client list that includes clubs like Northmoor and Skokie Country Clubs in Chicago, Atlantic Golf Club on Long Island, and Wampanoag in Connecticut. Tyler joins Derek to discuss getting to the point where the designs of Mike Strantz need to be restored, the camaraderie of early architects, the staggering number of Donald Ross courses, William Flynn’s crew at Shinnecock and deciding how loyal to a particular time period he should restore a historic club. Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Listen to Derek discuss the legendary book, “ The World Atlas of Golf ” on the Good-Good Golf Podcast . The post Episode 66: Tyler Rae appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Feb 13, 2020

The Mark Bostick Course at the University of Florida Designer Scot Sherman began his career working for the Dye family before joining Bobby Weed as an associate. He’s now the lead designer for Love Golf Design , the firm of brothers Mark Love and Davis Love III . In addition to overseeing new projects for them, he’s currently helping prep the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island for the 2021 PGA Championship. Topics in this discussion include bizarre and frightening encounters on job sites, the influence of Pete and Alice Dye , how historic architects (Raynor, Ross) seep into his work, walking the fine line between preserving and eradicating historic Tillinghast architecture at Belmont in Richmond, and the intrigue of small courses. Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post Episode 65: Scot Sherman appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Jan 24, 2020

From the upper tee at Sand Hills’ 5th hole (the 4th green in the foreground). As superintendent of Sand Hills Golf Club for the last 13 years, Kyle Hegland has one of the most unique jobs in golf. The world-renowned course is located in one of the most extreme environments for golf — an arid climate ripped by savage winds and brutal winters. Yet Hegland’s expertise in creating and maintaining a fast, dry and consistent playing surface that ideally shows off Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw’s architecture, at least when the club is open for play between the months of May and September, has made him one of the most skilled and envied professionals in the turf and greenkeeping business. Kyle joined Derek on a cold Nebraska morning to talk about adapting to life in the Sand Hills, his awe at building golf in such uncompromising conditions, the potential for new holes at Sand Hills, the necessary fear of watching grass go dormant and be on the verge of death, the difference between putting on subtle versus highly contoured greens, Sand Hills’ weakness and strengths, and finding a spiritual home in Australia’s Sand Belt. The fifth green with the subtle ridge Hegland speaks about. Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Listen to Derek, Rod Morri and Adrian Logue discuss all things golf on The Good-Good Golf Podcast , a weekly podcast at TalkinGolf.com Derek joined Tom Dunne on the McKellar Podcast , to talk about his story in Volume 2 on Dave Axland –listen here . Finally, read about some of Derek’s favorite public golf courses at UKGolfGuy.com Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball The post Episode 64: Kyle Hegland appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Dec 31, 2019

The Gunnamatta Course at The National (photo: renaissancegolf.com) Brian Schneider joined Tom Doak’s Renaissance Golf Design in 2002. For the last 17 years he’s played a vital role creating some of this generation’s greatest golf courses around the world: Ballyneal , Old Macdonald , Cape Kidnappers , Rock Creek Cattle Company and others. He was the lead design associate on Barnbougle Dunes , Dismal River Red , Grand Saint Emillionnais Golf Club in France and, recently, the Gunnamatta Course at The National in Australia. He’s also a highly respected consultant and restoration specialist for esteemed clubs like Hollywood (New Jersey) and Garden City (Long Island). Brian joins Derek to discuss highlights from 2019, the intention behind a 6,000 yard/par 68 course at Sand Valley , what makes the courses of Walter Travis so strong, the unique allure of the French designs of Colt and Simpson , when it might be more appropriate to remodel an old course instead of restore it, when it stops making sense to try to make a design appear natural, the difference between grass growers and those that present playing surfaces, how each Renaissance Design member feeds off the skills of the others and what it takes to be on a Tom Doak shaping crew. Check out photos of Llanerch (and other places) on Brian’s Instagram feed . Listen to Derek, Rod Morri and Adrian Logue discuss all things golf on The Good-Good Golf Podcast , a weekly podcast at TalkinGolf.com Derek joined Tom Dunne on the McKellar Podcast , to talk about his story in Volume 2 on Dave Axland –listen here . Finally, read about some of Derek’s favorite public golf courses at UKGolfGuy.com Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Subscribe to Feed the Ball on iTunes, Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play The post Episode 63: Brian Schneider appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Dec 20, 2019

Old Elm (photo: jdrewrogers.com) Drew Rogers hung out his own design shingle in 2010 after working 18 years with the firm of (Arthur ) Hills & (Steve) Forrest . While working for Hills he gained extensive expertise building new golf courses, albeit it to the specifications of Hills and his clients. Today, Rogers’ own architectural point of view is evident at a slew of remodel projects around the country, including at courses originally built by his former employer including The Club at Mirasol , Miromar Lakes and Quail West , all in south Florida. He’s also become a prominent restorer of historic courses, and is currently revitalizing designs by Donald Ross , Willie Park, Jr. , Tom Bendelow and Charles Alison . His work at Old Elm in Chicago, a one of a kind collaboration between Ross and Harry Colt , has been especially rewarding. Drew joins Derek to talk about the need to adapt to a social media world, the potential pitfalls of working in the Macdonald-Raynor mold, imagining doing historical restoration work in the pre-information age, discovering little-known designers like Harry Smead , what it was like to work through the monster development boom of the 1990s, finding his voice managing projects for Art Hills and revisiting past work, how the drive for 7,000-yard courses killed character and variety, and the low actual cost of creating intriguing architecture. Read Drew’s musings on the Good Doctor’s return to Augusta . Listen to Derek, Rod Morri and Adrian Logue discuss all things golf on The Good-Good Golf Podcast , a weekly podcast at TalkinGolf.com Derek joined Tom Dunne on the McKellar Podcast , to talk about his story in Volume 2 on Dave Axland –listen here . Finally, read about some of Derek’s favorite public golf courses at UKGolfGuy.com Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Subscribe to Feed the Ball on iTunes, Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Wild Harry Smead: Pine Hills A fantastic look at Pine Hills in Wisconsin, a Harry Smead course Drew Rogers will help revitalize. The post Episode 62: Drew Rogers appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Nov 27, 2019

Sebonack When the story is at last written about the current era of neoclassical architecture, Jim Urbina is certain to be featured as a star character. He represents a distinct branch of the Dye architectural tree having begun his career working on projects for Pete and Perry Dye . Later, Tom Doak hired Urbina at Renaissance Design , where he played a major role creating blockbusters like Pacific Dunes , Old Macdonald and Sebonack . And for the last decade Urbina has been one of the profession’s leading historical restoration specialists with ties to some of America’s greatest courses, and he may yet have a few more spectacular new courses up his sleeve. Jim joined Derek from his home in Colorado to talk about the effect instant feedback can have on the creation of art, how a golf course achieves an essence of timelessness, the thought of someone other than Coore & Crenshaw getting the Sand Hills site, architectural design as a “brand,” the post-War shift toward streamlining and “framing,” how Dye “explained” how he wanted his greens shaped, the potential dangers of designing in the Instagram era, the desire of modern consumers to foresee their experiences and whether or not the vibrancy of Golden Age designs should be enhanced and made “better.” Watch Jim and Connor Lewis discuss the lost Lido Course on Long Island in this Golf Channel feature . They also discuss it in greater detail on the Talkingolf History podcast . Riverdale Dunes — creativity + ground contour = fun (and a packed golf course). Listen to Derek, Rod Morri and Adrian Logue discuss all things golf on The Good-Good Golf Podcast , a weekly new podcast at TalkinGolf.com Derek joined Tom Dunne on the McKellar Podcast , to talk about his story in Volume 2 on Dave Axland –listen here and here . Finally, read about some of Derek’s favorite public golf courses at UKGolfGuy.com Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Subscribe to Feed the Ball on iTunes, Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play The post Episode 61: Jim Urbina appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Nov 12, 2019

Rockwind Community Links Over the last 15 years, Andy Staples has created his own space in the field of golf design by pioneering sustainability and efficiency in course construction and operation. He’s also helped create and popularize the concept of “ Community Links ,” a way to better integrate public golf into the lifestyle of the surrounding communities. His practice is hitting a perfect groove between working with municipalities to revive public golf in creative, inclusionary ways and orchestrating impressive remodeling and restoration programs at historic clubs like Meadowbrook Country Club in Michigan and Olympia Fields near Chicago. Andy and Derek get together to talk about having a “voice” in architecture and the copycat nature of the business, the benefit and detriment of having a design “brand,” carving out a niche by emphasizing the sustainability aspects of golf design, the popular romanticism of the “design/build” method of construction, finding ways to bring Willie Park Jr. back to Olympia Fields, whether or not the idea of a renaissance of community golf is gaining traction, creating a national legacy fund to support municipal golf and what single thought he would beam into the brains of every American is he had the power. Sand Hollow in southwest Utah, which Staples designed and built with architect John Fought. Listen to Derek, Rod Morri and Adrian Logue discuss all things golf on The Good-Good Golf Podcast , a weekly new podcast at TalkinGolf.com Derek joined Tom Dunne on the McKellar Podcast , to talk about his story in Volume 2 on Dave Axland –listen here and here . Finally, read about some of Derek’s favorite public golf courses at UKGolfGuy.com Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Subscribe to Feed the Ball on iTunes, Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play The post Episode 60: Andy Staples appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Nov 1, 2019

Giants Ridge Quarry Course Jeff Brauer began his career in 1977 working for Dick Nugent and Ken Killian in Chicago and represents a vital link to a previous generation of architecture. Since opening his own design firm in Dallas in 1984, he’s specialized in building public and resort courses in all parts of the country. In the last 20 years Brauer has found particular success in the central states, from Texas to the upper midwest, including Giants Ridge and Superior National in Minnesota, Colbert Hills and Sand Creek Station in Kansas, Cowboys Golf Club between Dallas and Fort Worth, and the new Tempest Golf Club about two hours east of Dallas. Jeff joins the podcast to discuss the merits of the “old” way of building courses — the design/contractor bid method — versus design/build, the usefulness of engineering formulas, how ultra-wide fairways place too much emphasis on the driver, giving the green light to bulldoze your own work, the influence of mid-century land planners and landscape architects on golf design, the technical proficiency of “Dark Ages” designers, how architecture can unwittingly change or evolve to fit advances in technology and the necessity of architects to strike out and do something different than the status quo. Listen to Derek, Rod Morri and Adrian Logue discuss all things golf on The Good-Good Golf Podcast , a weekly new podcast at TalkinGolf.com Derek joined Tom Dunne on the McKellar Podcast , to talk about his story in Volume 2 on Dave Axland –listen here and here . Finally, read about some of Derek’s favorite public golf courses at UKGolfGuy.com Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Subscribe to Feed the Ball on iTunes, Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play The post Episode 59: Jeff Brauer appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Oct 18, 2019

The smooth surface of Kingsbarns. Dave Wilber , aka the Turfgrass Zealot , is one of the world’s foremost authorities on golf grasses and soils. Agronomist to the stars, Wilber has consulted with and been instrumental in developing grassing plans for some of the world’s greatest courses, including places like Kingsbarns in Scotland and Friars Head . He’s also been a pioneer in the development and usage of modern fescue-based surfaces at Pacific Dunes , Ballyneal , Barnbougle Dunes and elsewhere. Recently he was profiled in a Golf Digest feature story detailing the anxiety, depression and mental health issues that afflict many people, including him, inside the golf agronomic business. Dave talks to the podcast about how greenkeepers either have “it” — a green thumb — or not, what was going through his mind as he sat with Ron Whitten to discuss his struggle with depression for the Golf Digest story, the stress and anxiety inherent in the superintendent position, how Sand Hills ignited a new phase of fescue turf discovery and experimentation, wannabe architecture wizards, being a golf archeologist on older courses, how turfs and grasses evolve over time, how “heirloom” grasses saved his ass at Cal Club and how spiritual connection can override pure architectural analysis. Listen to Dave on his own Turfgrass Zealot podcast . Listen to Derek, Rod Morri and Adrian Logue discuss all things golf on The Good-Good Golf Podcast , a weekly new podcast at TalkinGolf.com Derek joined Tom Dunne on the McKellar Podcast , to talk about his story in Volume 2 on Dave Axland –listen here and here . Finally, read about some of Derek’s favorite public golf courses at UKGolfGuy.com Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Subscribe to Feed the Ball on iTunes, Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play The post Episode 58: Dave Wilber appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Sep 30, 2019

Tripp Davis is arguably the most skilled amateur player among active architects. He helped the University of Oklahoma win a National Championship in the 1980s and has been a ranked amateur for most of his adult life, even reaching the quarter finals of the 2009 U.S Mid-Amateur. Fluent in both original design, remodels and historic restoration, Davis has created notable new courses ( Grand Elk Ranch and Club , Colorado; Old American , Texas) and continues to revive important historic courses like Oklahoma City Golf & Country Club ( Maxwell/MacKenzie ), Spring Lake ( Thomas/Tillinghast ), Engineers ( Herbert Strong ) and Deepdale and Meadow Brook ( Dick Wilson ). Tripp and Derek talk about how the “belief” mentality is vital for aspiring architects, the role of self-confidence in designing golf courses, whether having an innate artistic sense (the “eye”) is paramount, the inversion of the Dye-Fazio “difficulty” quotient, the way Dye and Coore use ground slopes differently, the difference between copying versus finding inspiration in others’ work, the relevance (or non-relevance) of strategic thinking to modern professionals, the possibility of the PGA TOUR losing its entertainment value and his thoughts on how the days of building new courses on new sites has essentially ended for most architects. Listen to Derek, Rod Morri and Adrian Logue discuss all things golf on The Good-Good Golf Podcast , a weekly/bi-weekly new podcast at TalkinGolf.com Derek joined Tom Dunne on the McKellar Podcast , to talk about his story in Volume 2 on Dave Axland –listen here and here . Finally, read about some of Derek’s favorite public golf courses at UKGolfGuy.com Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play The post Episode 57: Tripp Davis appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Sep 3, 2019

Paul Cowley has worn many hats in his golf career: land and landscape planner, structural architect, superintendent and construction engineer. The majority of his golf architecture career, however, was spent running projects and designing courses for Mark and Davis Love III . Known inside the industry as one of the most creative and original thinkers, Cowley helped the Loves build some of the most interesting and inventive courses in the Southeast, as well as Diamante Dunes in Cabo, where he now lives and works. Cowley managed the construction of Tiger Woods ‘ and Beau Welling’s El Cardonal course at Diamante, and he currently runs all aspects of design, planning and construction for the resort. The putting course at Diamante. Some wild fun on some wild slopes. Paul joins the podcast to talk about how Davis Love III took design inspiration from Seth Raynor and Donald Ross (“Rossnor”), the need for everyday “common man” golf, his tangled up in blue voyage as a young man from New York to New Orleans to Pebble Beach, the architectural petri dish that was Barefoot Landing , feeling like an explorer on his first visit to Diamante, the tragically unfulfilled possibilities of Fezler-Cowley Design , “high concept” architecture born of necessity, the role of land planning in modern architecture and the possibility of an original Shangri La design. Derek also joined Tom Dunne on the McKellar Podcast , to talk about his story in Volume 2 on Dave Axland –listen here and here . Listen to Derek discuss the future of golf design with Rod Morri and Adrian Logue on the iSeekGolf podcast , Episode 111 . Finally, read about some of Derek’s favorite public golf courses at UKGolfGuy.com Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Cowley’s office at Diamante in Cabo — part Alister MacKenzie, part Louis Leakey. The post Episode 56: Paul Cowley appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Aug 19, 2019

Bandon Trails Tom Dunne founded the independent golf journal McKellar in 2017. Featuring alluring artwork with a playful point of view and stories from the best writers in the business, McKellar has become one of the brightest stars of a much welcomed revival of boutique publishing. In the course of traveling extensively to explore different courses and cultures, Dunne has cultivated an original, incredibly researched outlook on golf and the many ways it’s presented and enjoyed around the world. Tom and Derek get together to discuss and debate the merits of Atlanta’s new 9-hole reversible Bobby Jones Golf Course , whether the positives of community golf outweigh flawed architecture, the motivation to found McKellar Magazine, the fundamental satisfaction of possessing things that others don’t have, the mystifying allure of Veblen good courses, how highly cultured service can often be distasteful, the “commercial imperative behind a lot of subcultural activities,” the value of first-look criticism, the need for architecture to modulate excitement and the famous Mucklemouth Meg bunker. Derek also joined Tom Dunne on the McKellar Podcast , to talk about his story in Volume 2 on Dave Axland –listen here and here . Listen to Derek discuss the future of golf design with Rod Morri and Adrian Logue on the iSeekGolf podcast , Episode 111 . Finally, read about some of Derek’s favorite public golf courses at UKGolfGuy.com Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Outro: “How to Rent A Room,” Silver Jews Bobby Jones Golf Course in Atlanta The post Episode 55: Tom Dunne appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Aug 5, 2019

Dutch architect Frank Pont made a dramatic jump from the diverse worlds of engineering, corporate banking and mergers into golf course design in the mid-2000s. Since that time he’s become one of Europe’s most active and respected practitioners in historical restoration and remodeling. Through his work at some of the most prominent old courses on the continent and in the UK he’s become intimately familiar with the designs and tendencies of Harry Colt , Charles Alison , Alister MacKenzie , Herbert Fowler and Tom Simpson . He’s also done exceptional original work — see: Swinkelsche . In this podcast Frank talks about the benevolent neglect many historic courses experienced, recreating the distinct greens and bunkers of Simpson, the need in historic restoration to leave ego at the door, the obstacle of “invincible ignorance” of club members, the “3-percent” problem of tree growth, the benefit of the robotization of maintenance, triangulation in routings, “jam session” golf design, the consistent craftsmanship of Colt, whether (and in what ways) the old architects would have used heavy machinery and his suggestions for two of the greatest golf trips in the world. Listen to Derek discuss the future of golf design with Rod Morri and Adrian Logue on the iSeekGolf podcast , Episode 111 . Derek also joined Tom Dunne , publisher of McKellar Magazine , to talk about his story in Volume 2 on Dave Axland –listen here and here . Finally, read about some of Derek’s favorite public golf courses at UKGolfGuy.com Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Above Photo: Golf d’Hardelot, Le Pins Course, Hole 5 (Frank Pont) Blackwell’s 6th hole (photo: Frank Pont) The post Episode 54: Frank Pont appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Jul 22, 2019

Eric Iverson has worked with Tom Doak at Renaissance Golf Design since 2001. He’s widely viewed by his peers as one of the business’s most skilled and creative shapers and construction specialists. He helped craft such instant classics like Ballyneal , Cape Kidnappers , Barnbougle Dunes and Streamsong Blue . He also ran the Stone Eagle , Rock Creek Cattle Company and CommonGround projects, among others. He continues to work globally on projects for Renaissance, and will be spending much of the next year at Rosapenna in Northwest Ireland coaxing the new St. Patricks Course out of stunning seaside dunes. Iverson joined Derek to discuss the difference between minimalism and naturalism in golf architecture, the effect phones and digital cameras have had on design, the obligation of marrying a design to soil type, considering how a golf course will be viewed by both spectators and on television, the satisfaction of the Rock Creek project, golf on the Front Range of Colorado, the easy 85-percent of work that would improve almost every golf course, setting reasonable goals for public course revitalization and the keys to creating compelling par-5’s. Listen to Derek discuss the future of golf design with Rod Morri and Adrian Logue on the iSeekGolf podcast , Episode 111 . Derek also joined Tom Dunne , publisher of McKellar Magazine , to talk about his story in Volume 2 on Dave Axland –listen here and here . Finally, read about some of Derek’s favorite public golf courses at UKGolfGuy.com Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play “Shrink the Game” by Ken Kearney “Language Matters” by Jason Way (geekedongolf.com) Above Photo : Rock Creek Cattle Company The third at CommonGround with these sneaky bunkers hidden to the left behind a line of raised mounds. The post Episode 53: Eric Iverson appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Jul 3, 2019

Canadian Trevor Dormer has been in the golf construction business since the early 2000’s and has become a prominent member of the industry’s talented “under-40” (for now) group of construction specialists and shapers. He’s worked around the globe with, among others, Nicklaus Design , Rod Whitman , Ron Prichard , Bill Coore , and Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner . Dormer has spent the majority of the last year and a half in Thailand, working on Hanse Golf Design’s new Ballyshear course at the Ban Rakat Club , an homage to the lost C.B. Macdonald “Lido” course on Long Island. Trevor and Derek spoke about the unnaturalism of Donald Ross , the “tells” that shapers often leave behind in their work, how an artist’s raw early work is often their best, the collaboration gene that his generation of designers share, the pressure to produce with limited opportunities, the Christmas card from Mike Keiser , whether naturalism in architecture is what golfers always want, how architects may be pre-wired toward creating naturalistic landscapes, building the Lido in gumbo clay and the robust culture of international insect cuisine. Listen to Derek discuss the future of golf design with Rod Morri and Adrian Logue on the iSeekGolf podcast , Episode 111 . Derek also joined Tom Dunne , publisher of McKellar Magazine , to talk about his story in Volume 2 about Dave Axland –listen here and here . Finally, read about some of Derek’s favorite public golf courses at UKGolfGuy.com Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play The post Episode 52: Trevor Dormer appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Jun 21, 2019

Bruce Charlton joined Robert Trent Jones II in 1981 and the two have been building courses across the globe for nearly 40 years. The firm has earned considerable acclaim for their entire body of work, but their undisputed masterpiece is Chambers Bay near Seattle, site of the 2015 U.S. Open (won by Jordan Speith ). Built on an abandoned sand and gravel mine on the shore of Puget Sound, the course is an eccentric ode to links golf with bouncy fescue fairways, heavy undulation and grass covered sand dunes. Charlton joined the podcast to talk extensively about the creation of Chambers Bay, how the design team transformed the messy and derelict site into a U.S. Open-worthy venue, the importance of mining permits, the balance between working with existing landforms and creating original golf features, how the firm has carried forth the lessons of Chambers Bay into their subsequent work and how golf architecture lost its way in the 80s and 90s. Listen to Derek discuss the future of golf design with Rod Morri and Adrian Logue on the iSeekGolf podcast , Episode 111 . Derek joined Tom Dunne , publisher of McKellar Magazine , to talk about his story in Volume 2 about Dave Axland –listen here and here . Finally, read about some of Derek’s favorite public golf courses at UKGolfGuy.com Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play The old Steilacoom Mine, the future Chambers Bay. The post Episode 51: Bruce Charlton appeared first on Feed The Ball .

May 24, 2019

Dave Axland and Rod Whitman , two of modern golf’s most skilled and admired construction men, met in the 1980s through Bill Coore . Axland has been an associate and project manager for numerous Coore-Crenshaw courses since the mid-1990s including Sand Hills , Talking Stick , Friars Head , Old Sandwich , Chechessee Creek plus numerous others, and has designed Wild Horse and three more courses alongside Dan Proctor . The Canadian Whitman, a protégé of Pete Dye as well as Coore, is the architect behind Cabot Links in Nova Scotia, considered one of the world’s best seaside courses. The two architects joined the podcast from on location at Cabot to talk about their work on the resort’s new 10-hole short course, how Rod first put Dave to work at Wolf Creek when he showed up with Proctor, the early days of the design-build movement, the art and freedom of building short courses, the art of collaborating in the field, the secrets of Friars Head , the push and pull between drawing from precedent and designing authentically, and their picks for the most strategic holes they’ve designed. Derek joined Tom Dunne , publisher of McKellar Magazine , to talk about his story in Volume 2 about Dave Axland –listen here and here . Derek also recently joined Ricky Lee Potts on The Wednesday Match Play Podcast, Episode 131 Finally, read about some of Derek’s favorite public golf courses at UKGolfGuy.com Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Outro: The Sundogs, “Up to the Sky” The post Episode 50: Dave Axland and Rod Whitman appeared first on Feed The Ball .

May 1, 2019

Rees Jones has spent nearly 35 years preparing, modifying and remodeling golf courses for major championship events. In addition to the 100 original courses and dozens of renovations he’s orchestrated, he’s infused his vision into such venerable American tournament courses as Pinehurst No. 2 , Oakland Hills , Medinah No. 3 and The Country Club for the staging of nearly 25 U.S. Opens and PGA Championships. He’s also overhauled a number of his father Robert Trent Jones’ most noteworthy major championship courses including the Atlanta Athletic Club , Hazeltine and Bellerive . Jones joins the podcast to discuss Bethpage Black (site of this year’s PGA Championship) as a tournament course and how the setups for the PGA and an upcoming Ryder Cup will differ, how equipment and swing technology have altered his approach to renovations, his opinion about the use of a tournament golf ball, the necessity of rough for the professional game, why Tiger Woods has had so much success on his re-designs, how Robert Trent Jones’ aesthetic evolved and the importance of trees on golf courses. Photo: Bethpage Black (reesjonesinc.com) Derek joined Tom Dunne , publisher of McKellar Magazine , to talk about his story in Volume 2 about Dave Axland –listen here and here . Derek also recently joined Ricky Lee Potts on The Wednesday Match Play Podcast, Episode 131 Finally, read about some of Derek’s favorite public golf courses at UKGolfGuy.com Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Outro Music: “Keep Together,” Wasted Potential Brass Band The par-3 17th at Danzante Bay The post Episode 49: Rees Jones appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Apr 18, 2019

Kye Goalby , one of the most accomplished design and shaping specialists in the construction business, is at the top of the call list of just about every A-list golf architect when exceptional feature work is needed. For the last 20 years he’s worked on some of the world’s most unique projects alongside Gil Hanse , Brian Silva , Tim Liddy , Dan Hixson and Tom Doak , with whom he’s helped build over a dozen courses (including Ballyneal , Old Macdonald , Tara Iti and Rock Creek Cattle Co. ). He also operates his own full-service design and renovation business, working with clients and clubs across the country. Kye takes a moment from his hectic schedule to talk about syringes of bull juice and other tales from the road, dealing with The Shark at Abiko Golf Club , getting inside the concepts and methodology of historic bunker building, the urge (or non-urge) of golf architecture to break free from the past, true minimalism, his father Bob Goalby’s influence in creating the modern Champions Tour, tales from the Masters, his thoughts on the evolution of Augusta National and what his most memorable Doak project has been. Subscribe to Feed the Ball on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Listen to Derek discuss the legendary book, “ The World Atlas of Golf ” on the Good-Good Golf Podcast . Desmond Muirhead’s Oak Village course in Japan. Photo above: West Bend Country Club (westbendcc.com) Main page photo: Ballyneal Golf & Hunt Club, Hole 3 Outro Music: The Clean, “Anything Can Happen” The post Episode 48: Kye Goalby appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Apr 5, 2019

David Marcucilli’s first passion is his hometown of Newtown, CT, where he’s attempting to orchestrate the funding and design of a new all-season public green space that will include his conception of innovative, non-traditional golf. He hopes it will become a place of sociability, togetherness and pride for a town that is still suffering from the unspeakable trauma and loss of the Sandy Hook shootings six years ago. Though still in his 30’s, Marcucilli already has experience in almost every aspect of the golf business. He holds a degree in agronomy and turfgrass management, was an assistant superintendent at one of the country’s largest private clubs and is currently Design Coordinator at Nicklaus Design . David talks to Derek about how he got into the golf business, his vision for the community golf project tentatively called Pootatuck Meadows , the need to sell the idea not as golf but as a parks and recreation amenity with substantial environmental benefits, the importance of creating recreational opportunities for the families and children of his hometown, exploring the concept of paying green fees by time or number of holes played, introducing cool season grasses into certain desert environments and some new/old inspirations at Nicklaus Design. Derek joined Tom Dunne , publisher of McKellar Magazine , to talk about his story in Volume 2 about Dave Axland –listen here and here . Derek also recently joined Ricky Lee Potts on The Wednesday Match Play Podcast, Episode 131 Finally, read about some of Derek’s favorite public golf courses at UKGolfGuy.com Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Main page photo: Renegade Course at Desert Mountian (nicklaus.com) The post Episode 47: David Marcucilli appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Mar 20, 2019

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 Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play The post Episode 46: Matt Dusenberry appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Mar 5, 2019

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 Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Outro: The Sundogs, “Recreation” The post Episode 45: Keith Cutten 2 appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Feb 18, 2019

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” Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play The post Episode 44: Jim Wagner appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Feb 7, 2019

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 Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play The post Episode 43: Brian Silva appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Jan 29, 2019

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 — Jay Blasi (@jayblasi) August 20, 2018 Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play The post Episode 42: Jay Blasi appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Jan 18, 2019

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 Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play The post Episode 41: Mike Clayton appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Jan 1, 2019

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” Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play The post Episode 40: David McLay Kidd appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Dec 23, 2018

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. Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play 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” The post Episode 39: Best of 2018 appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Dec 17, 2018

The par-3 3rd at Ballyneal. 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 Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play 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” The post Episode 38: Bruce Hepner appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Dec 3, 2018

Dalu Dunes (photo: farrowgolf.com) 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 . Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play 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 The post Episode 37: Brian Curley appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Nov 12, 2018

Peter Kessler — the Voice of Golf, historian and one of the most outspoken commentators in the game — returns to the podcast to talk to Derek about his recent social media dustups with Brandel Chamblee and the fans of No Laying Up , about being provocative on Twitter , the skills required to be great on camera, the consequences of the shift in the way consumers view golf content, elevating and creating a new standard in golf media, his upcoming re-emergence on the small screen, the importance of legislating the golf ball, USGA Open set-up malfeasance, what the new standard should be to get into the World Golf Hall of Fame , jamming with Dennis Wilson and frankly too many other tasty bits to cover here. Just listen. Outro: “Roll Me Away,” Bob Seger Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast . The post Episode 36: Peter Kessler 3 appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Nov 1, 2018

The 11th at Atlanta National P.B. Dye began working on his father Pete Dye’s construction sites when he was a boy. Along with his brother, Perry, he’s had the closest and longest view of how Dye conceived of and built golf courses and was a primary assistant during several of his father’s touchstone courses, including Long Cove on Hilton Head Island and The Honors Course near Chattanooga. In the 1980’s, P.B. branched out on his own and has subsequently built courses all over the world, including Atlanta National , Golf de Barbareaux (France), Old Quarry (Curaçao), La Cana at Punta Cana (Dominican Republic) and the P.B. Dye Golf Club in Maryland. No matter how far he’s traveled, however, he’s always remained close to his family and the Dye design philosophy. P.B. talks to Derek about taking marching orders from his 94-year old grandmother, designing with passion vs. ego, developing courses in the field the Dye way, canoeing around the raw TPC Sawgrass site, the importance of horses to the development of early 20th century golf (not just in construction), Ron Whitten’s moving Golf Digest piece about his father, creating doubt and deception for elite players, being hired to build difficult golf courses, humorist Lewis Grizzard’s suggestion regarding P.B. and Atlanta National and the integrated beauty and relationships of the extended Dye family. Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast . The post Episode 35: P.B. Dye appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Oct 18, 2018

The Saticoy Club Thad Layton began working for Arnold Palmer Course Design in the late 1990’s and now, as Senior Architect and Vice President, leads the company along with fellow designer Brandon Johnson . Since 1972, the firm has been known for producing a massive number of courses worldwide, mostly associated with real estate. Over the last five years, however, Layton and Johnson have been recalibrating the business model, narrowing their output and moving toward a more artisan, hands on approach to design. Rather than using large contractors as was once de rigueur , Layton now handles much of his own shaping and also enlists some of the business’s best independent shapers on his projects. Layton joins the podcast to talk about taking Palmer Design Company toward the design-build mold, creating small golf landscapes in public and community spaces, the positive impact of Top Golf , creating golf courses that simply are what they are, transitioning away from contractor-oriented construction, the heyday of Palmer Course Design and its corporate jets, the challenge of changing entrenched perceptions, the future of Bay Hill , how he can become a better architect in the eyes of Jason Day and the sincerity of the “brown is beautiful” movement. Watch a gorgeous flyover of Naples Lakes Country Club here . Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast . The post Episode 34: Thad Layton appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Oct 9, 2018

Tom Mackenzie joined with Martin Ebert to form the golf architectural firm of Mackenzie & Ebert in 2005. They each began their careers designing golf courses for Donald Steel , and their business is very much a continuation of the elder architect’s practice. Like Steel, Mackenzie prefers to design naturally, altering landscapes as little as possible while identifying intrinsic queues in the ground. Mackenzie and Ebert have garnered wide acclaim for their original work, and they’ve also been lead consulting architects for seven of the 10 Open Championship rota courses. Their new and remodeled holes at Royal Portrush will be on display at the 2019 Open, and their magnificent revival of Old Tom Morris’s lost Askernish links on the islands of the Outer Hebrides has introduced fanatical golfers to the way the game was played over 100 years ago. Tom joins Derek to talk about the Ryder Cup, Le Golf National as Sawgrass on steroids, whether it’s more difficult to transform a horrible site into a good golf course or to turn a great site into a greater golf course, his spiritual home of Dornoch , helping to crack Ebert into the profession, the bad economics of residential golf development, the joy of belonging to a club with institutionalized quick play, being part of the Tom Simpson lineage, whether pure restoration is always the right approach, golf as it once was (150 years ago) at Askernish and whether golf design has rid itself from harmful past practices. Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play 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 credit: Gov’t Mule, “Helter Skelter” The post Episode 33: Tom Mackenzie appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Sep 30, 2018

Cross bunkers at the Army Navy Club Richard Mandell’s golf design practice has taken off over the last 10 years. He entered the business in the early 1990’s and paid his dues for over a decade working singular jobs while learning how to build and renovate courses with a minimal amount of of unnecessary inputs or accessorization. As a result he gained a reputation as a conscientious, hands-on designer who works practically and economically. In addition to new course designs and comprehensive remodelings of other struggling venues, Mandell, who lives in Pinehurst , has delved deep into the writings and drawings of Donald Ross and is a specialist in restoring features of Ross and other Golden Age architects. Mandell took time out to share his thoughts and opinions on a variety of topics including getting his heart broken by the Philadelphia Flyers, growing up playing golf in Westchester County, the art of removing trees, the potential and cost saving power of lawnmowers, the “trend” of fun and enjoyment in golf, his concept of tee shot distance equity, researching early Robert Trent Jones , breaking through at Raleigh Country Club , being passed over for work in his own backyard, the tasty vanilla of current high end architecture and when Pinehurst No. 2 became La Costa . Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast . The post Episode 32: Richard Mandell appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Sep 5, 2018

Ron Forse was an engineer who made a jump into golf course architecture in 1989, working on a project in West Virginia in conjunction with Dr. Michael Hurdzan . Though not necessarily his intent, he began taking jobs consulting with a number of historic club, guiding them through the process of renovating their old courses. Since that time he’s become one of the business’s most respected course historians and authoritative restoration specialists , working with clubs across the U.S. and Canada to revive and recapture the playability, features and architectural intent lost in the courses of Donald Ross , William Flynn , William Langford and many others. Forse joins the Feed the Ball podcast to talk about the perils — and benefits — of life on the road in the early 1900’s, the insecurity of golf course architects, the influence of Jethro Tull , if the best contemporary architects are demonstrating a progression of their art, Willie Park Jr.’s greens, design that de-emphasizes putting, developing classical architectural themes on non-historic properties, the surprisingly varied topography of Florida , the true cost of remodeling public courses with great site potential and whether it’s time to begin restoring Robert Trent Jones courses. Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast . The “Pulpit” hole at the Country Club of Buffalo. The post Episode 31: Ron Forse appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Aug 21, 2018

South Carolina native Beau Welling played college golf at Brown University and earned a landscape architecture degree from the Rhode Island School of Design. After exploring career opportunities in several diverse fields, he committed to golf course architecture joining Tom Fazio’s staff in the late 1990’s. In 2007 he opened his own firm in Greenville, and became senior design consultant for Tiger Woods’ TGR Design . Having now built several courses both with Woods (including Bluejack National ) and on his own at places like Quinto do Lago in Portugal and The 27 Club in China, Welling has developed one of the most eclectic and interesting resumes in golf. Welling joined the Feed the Ball podcast while on a visit to California to discuss the paradox of Pebble Beach being one of the world’s greatest courses yet somehow falling short of its potential, the importance of designing human spaces for people to connect and gather, the holistic relationship between golf and development, New Urbanism applied to golf, whether or not Tom Fazio is misunderstood, the hope that the Jackson Park/Sourth Shore renovation project can revitalize the South Side of Chicago, Tiger Woods as golf course architect, the future of the player-architect and his favorite Irish dramatist. Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast . The post Episode 30: Beau Welling appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Aug 1, 2018

Tom Coyne’s fourth book is “A Course Called Scotland,” a funny and poignant tale of his journey playing over 100 links courses in Scotland, England and Wales in less than 60 days. His goal was twofold: to find out the meaning of golf, which must exist somewhere in those sacred links soils; and to hone his game enough to pass through a qualifier at the end of his trip and gain entry into the Open Championship. With this, his previous books and vast magazine filings, Coyne has become one of golf’s most entertaining and knowledgable man of letters, a go-to scribe for conveying the joy and adventure of traveling with sticks. He joined Derek Duncan to talk about how media has changed since the release of his last book, being one of the few people in the world to play virtually every links course in the UK and Ireland, how to write distinctively about dozens of courses that are essentially very similar, how American golf enables technical golf swings while links golf demands creativity, the irony of Americans taking a British game and making it snobby, the importance of resurrecting caddie programs, links courses being critic-resistant, the tragedy of Trump International in Aberdeen and whether the Bandon Dunes courses are true links. (photo: crudenbaygolfclub.co.uk) Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Spotify , Stitcher Radio and Google Play Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast . The post Episode 29: Tom Coyne appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Jul 23, 2018

Oregon native Dan Hixson began his golf career as a tour pro and later became a club professional, but his real desire was to be a golf course architect. Despite no formal training, he slowly learned the profession and soon was hired to build Bandon Crossings , a public course just south of Bandon Dunes . That led to new commissions for the remarkable Wine Valley in southeast Washington and a near decade-long project at The Retreat & Links at Silvies Valley Ranch where he designed one of the world’s few fully reversible 18-hole courses on a vast, stunning high country property in eastern Oregon. Dan joins the podcast to talk about his early exposure to Robert Trent Jones , cigars and wine, the conception and creation of the newest golf destination in the West, taking advantage of the movements of a vast and intricate property, his longtime fascination with reversible courses, being a self-taught architect, the unappealing nature of perfectly presented golf holes, goat caddies, vanity construction expenditures of the early 2000’s, Wine Valley vs. Gamble Sands, the recipe for a truly challenging 6,300-yard course and his dream collaboration. Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and Google Play Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast . The post Episode 28: Dan Hixson appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Jul 2, 2018

Ron Whitten has been one of the most prominent and influential voices in golf course architecture since the mid-1980’s when he became Golf Digest’s architecture editor. He created the current criteria for the magazine’s popular (or, depending, notorious) Top 100 U.S & World Courses lists, has written various books including the essential compendium, “The Architects of Golf,” and has co-designed golf courses, including Erin Hills , site of the 2017 U.S. Open. Ron visits with Derek Duncan to talk about the influence he’s had on our age of design, Charlie Rose , early prophesies shared between him and Bill Coore , the inherent drawbacks of the magazine rating system, left- vs. right-brained architects, searching for the next creative burst in design, convincing Dick Youngscap to build in the Sand Hills , the lost art of cross bunkers, the dire absence of workable entry-level courses, the possibility of another update to “The Architects of Golf” and on what course his ashes will be spread. (photo: Erin Hills) Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and Google Play Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast . The post Episode 27: Ron Whitten appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Jun 18, 2018

The first project Kyle Franz ever worked on was Tom Doak’s masterpiece, Pacific Dunes , a course now recognized as one of the best in the world . That fortuitous turn launched his design/build career where he amassed one of the business’s strongest pedigrees shaping courses for Bill Coore , Tim Liddy , Gil Hanse and others. His big solo break came with the commission to re-establish the original Donald Ross character of Mid-Pines near Pinehurst , NC, and later to its sister property, Pine Needles , which will host the U.S. Women’s Open for the third time in 2022. The runaway success of these renovations and his work at other places, especially Seth Raynor’s gorgeous Lowcountry design at the Country Club of Charleston (host of the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open), Minikahda Club in Minneapolis and even the Kohr Golf Practice Facility , has allowed Franz to become one of the first architects of his generation to achieve design independence. In part 2 ( part 1 here ), Derek and Kyle pick up their discussion about the leap forward represented by Sand Hills and Pacific Dunes , how those two courses are not alike, Tom Doak as Orson Welles, reversible architecture, bunkering down in the wilds of Rio to build Gil Hanse’s Olympic Course, finding his own vision and voice, taking artistic risks in design, the future of ground-game architecture and whether or not there’s one more great course to be built in the Nebraska sand hills. (photo: countryclubofcharleston.com) Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and Google Play Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast . The post Episode 26: Kyle Franz Part 2 appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Jun 13, 2018

The first project Kyle Franz ever worked on was Tom Doak’s masterpiece, Pacific Dunes , a course now recognized as one of the best in the world . That fortuitous turn launched his design/build career where he amassed one of the business’s strongest pedigrees shaping courses for Bill Coore , Tim Liddy , Gil Hanse and others. His big solo break came with the commission to re-establish the original Donald Ross character to Mid-Pines near Pinehurst , NC, and later to its sister property, Pine Needles , which will host the U.S. Women’s Open for the third time in 2022. The runaway success of these renovations and his work at other places, especially Seth Raynor’s gorgeous Lowcountry design at the Country Club of Charleston (host of the 2019 U.S. Women’s Open), Minikahda Club in Minneapolis and even the Kohr Golf Practice Facility , has allowed Franz to become one of the first architects of his generation to achieve design independence. In part 1 of this podcast episode, Franz discusses the Pinehurst area’s total commitment to golf as a lifestyle, the early ball-busting version of Mid-Pines, the alteration of historic courses through good intentions, the evolution of Ross’s bunker style, walking the walk in the technology debate, becoming the “Open Doctor” for women’s championship golf, the “religious experience” of Pacific Dunes, some unique geological history of Oregon and Washington state and being a teenage architectural junkie. Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and Google Play Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast . The post Episode 25: Kyle Franz Part 1 appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Jun 7, 2018

Mike Nuzzo seemed to have struck gold when he was hired by a wealthy Texas businessman and rancher to build an ultra-exclusive golf course intended only for the client’s personal use. For almost three years, Nuzzo, a first-time architect, and Don Mahaffey , a turf and irrigation specialist, coaxed out a wide, bouncy and fascinating 18-hole creation that became Wolf Point Ranch , one of the most acclaimed and secretive courses in the U.S. The experience has given Nuzzo a unique perspective on golf design as he finishes his next project, the equally creative Grand Oaks Reserve outside of Houston featuring a full 9-hole course, a 1,000-yard 9-hole short course and an innovative putting course. In Part 2 , ( Part 1 here )Mike describes how he lured Mahaffey to coastal Texas, the true cost of building Wolf Point, the mystery of the secret prohibited Golfweek rater, how the luckiest person in golf is a guy named Dale, the current fate of Wolf Point, the new Nine Grand course at Grand Oaks Reserve, the concept of tailoring courses to available time to play and making it into the Confidential Guide . Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and Google Play Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast . The post Episode 24: Mike Nuzzo Part 2 appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Jun 6, 2018

Mike Nuzzo seemed to have struck gold when he was hired by a wealthy Texas businessman and rancher to build an ultra-exclusive golf course intended only for the client’s personal use. For almost three years, Nuzzo, a first-time architect, and Don Mahaffey , a turf and irrigation specialist, coaxed out a wide, bouncy and fascinating 18-hole creation that became Wolf Point Ranch , one of the most acclaimed and secretive courses in the U.S. The experience has given Nuzzo a unique perspective on golf design as he finishes his next project, the equally creative Grand Oaks Reserve outside of Houston featuring a full 9-hole course, a 1,000-yard 9-hole short course and an innovative putting course. In Part 1 ( part 2 here ) Mike talks about how he left his career in aerospace engineering to pursue golf course architecture, identifying with the music of your children, tips on getting the best golf course photos, transitioning from New Jersey to Houston, learning architecture through great public courses, how CAD applies and doesn’t apply to golf design, the long and difficult juggling act required to maintain clients and the benefits of not being perceived as “fancy.” Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and Google Play Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast . The post Episode 23: Mike Nuzzo Part 1 appeared first on Feed The Ball .

May 28, 2018

Architect Jeff Mingay broke into golf course architecture working projects for his mentor and fellow Canadian Rod Whitman . In 2009, after completing a trio of Canada’s most exceptional modern golf courses — Blackhawk , Sagebrush and Cabot Links — he opened his own design business and found immediate success renovating and restoring courses in British Columbia and Washington state. Through that work he’s helped re-establish the reputation of Vernon Macan , a lesser known Golden Age master whose work exists almost exclusively in the Pacific Northwest, and Mingay continues to work on courses across Canada and the northern U.S. Jeff and Derek discuss how music influences his work, how his career began with a not-so-small fib, making the jump from golf architecture fan to excavating dirt, finding A.V. Macan and turning luck into jobs, explaining the “restoration” conundrum, the depressing absence of relevant mid-20th century architecture, the refreshing absence of “difficulty” intent in Sand Hills and Pacific Dunes , the incremental sameness creep of of today’s best architecture and his ideal dream course. Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and Google Play Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast . Fircrest’s “Volcano” hole, original. Mingay’s restored version. The post Episode 22: Jeff Mingay appeared first on Feed The Ball .

May 17, 2018

Sweetens Cove has captured the hearts and minds of the architecture world. Rob Collins and design partner Tad King began building the 9-hole course, 30 minutes west of Chattanooga, in 2012 and have watched it become an impassioned touchstone for a vocal, hardcore group of golf course fanatics as it marches steadily up the golf course rankings lists. The course, which Collins purchased from the original owners during the grow-in phase, is meant to be dynamic and ever-changing, but it can also be punishing and unrewarding in certain circumstances. This, and the chance to play a variety of unconventional shots around the massive greens, is what so many believers love about it. Collins graciously joins the podcast to discuss Derek Duncan’s reservations about the extremity and balance of the features at Sweetens Cove, where the architectural line is between acceptance and repellence of approach shots, the role of luck and the difference between a good shot and a good result, the cost and control advantages of the design/build model, capitalizing on the success of Sweetens Cove and selling the King-Collins product against the major architectural firms, the art of not giving a shit and which rival team this devoted SEC man is least hostile toward. (photo: sweetenscovegolfclub.com) Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and Google Play Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast . The post Episode 21: Rob Collins appeared first on Feed The Ball .

May 4, 2018

Mike Young has seen the golf course design business from all sides, starting as a rep for maintenance and turf companies before establishing himself as one of the state of Georgia’s most prominent and prolific architects. Young builds his courses the old fashioned way — himself — and his years as designer, builder and also golf course owner have taught him how to cut unnecessary costs and cut through the industry bloat. He joins Derek Duncan on the Feed the Ball podcast to talk about giving public players an experience commensurate with an affordable green fee, entitled superintendents vs. real grass guys, “carving the statue,” the backscratching relationship between many architects and general contracting firms, the fearful protectionism of the American Society of Golf Course Architects , spending an evening at a table with Robert Trent Jones , working in red clay, how his new renovation work at Bowden Golf Course in Macon could be one of the country’s next best new public golf transformations and how the new generation of shapers and builders represent the hope of golf design. (photo: haciendapinilla.com) Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and Google Play Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast . The post Episode 20: Mike Young appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Apr 16, 2018

Tim Liddy began his career working closely with Pete Dye in 1993, transitioning into golf course design following a career in landscape architecture. The two men have enjoyed a close collaboration for a quarter century, with Liddy becoming fluent in the Dye vernacular while also establishing his own independent firm responsible for highly acclaimed original courses and redesigns. Libby joins the Feed the Ball podcast to talk about everything you wanted to know about Pete Dye , the Midwestern sense of humor, the connotation of Amos Jones, the influence of MacKenzie’s camouflaging and force perspective, the multiple levels of the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass , bulldozer lines vs. the angle of repose, Herb Kohler as a client, assembling the A Team of shapers for the Dukes Course at St. Andrews , the business of golf vs. the game of golf, the true value of the American Society of Golf Course Architects and the benefits of re-discovering a match play mentality. (photo: timliddy.com) Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and Google Play Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast . The post Episode 19: Tim Liddy appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Apr 9, 2018

Peter Kessler was the face and voice of the Golf Channel when the station first went live in 1995. Over the next seven years he commanded the show, mastering ceremonies and interviewing virtually every important figure in golf and instruction. In the course of that time period, and for years following hosting his show on Sirius XM’s PGA TOUR channel, Kessler has intersected with virtually everyone in the game of golf, old and new. In part 2 ( listen to part 1 here ), Peter discusses what years the Augusta National course was at its best, how the course has changed aesthetically and in regard to shot values, Tiger Woods’s “tune-up” prior to the 2000 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach , the 1999 Masters and the fatalistic psychology of Greg Norman , a chipping contest between Seve Ballesteros and Jose Maria-Olazabal and meeting Arnold Palmer for the first time on his own turf. [ Note : this talk took place the Friday prior to Masters week.] (photo: Stephen Mundy/Getty Images) Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and Google Play Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast . The post Episode 18: Peter Kessler, Part 2 appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Apr 4, 2018

Peter Kessler was the face and voice of the Golf Channel when the station first went live in 1995. Over the next seven years he commanded the show, mastering ceremonies and interviewing virtually every important figure in golf and instruction. In the course of that time period, and for years following hosting his show on Sirius XM’s PGA TOUR channel, Kessler has intersected with virtually everyone in the game of golf, old and new. In part 1 , he joins the podcast for an entertaining discussion leading into the Masters about how to project a winner, what happened during the infamous interview with Arnold Palmer over the non-conforming Callaway ERC II driver , trying to understand the bewildering argument behind the resistance to bifurcation, how ad dollars influence the way the media addresses the distance and technology debate, and a question about why golf can’t limit the ball flight the way tennis slowed its ball. [ Note : this talk took place the Friday prior to Masters week.] (photo: Stephen Szurlej) Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and Google Play Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast . The post Episode 17: Peter Kessler, Part 1 appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Mar 26, 2018

Wintonbury Hills (photo: timliddy.com) Brad Klein has been one of the media’s foremost authorities on golf course architecture since he began writing for Golfweek Magazine in 1988. He created that publication’s highly influential ranking of America’s 100 greatest modern and classic courses, and he recently, after 30 years, moved on to a new position with Golf Advisor and the Golf Channel. Klein joined Derek Duncan on the podcast to share his thoughts on the sadness of sitting in airports on Saturday nights, life as a college activist in the ’70’s, life as a part-time caddie on the PGA Tour, having an outsider’s view on the calamitous overbuilding of the 1990’s and the insidious nature of the game of golf being run as a business, the absence of frank commentary in the media, loop golf courses, the honor of being threatened by Donald Trump , the short and ugly lives of Golden Age courses and what the next decade or so realistically looks like for golf design. Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast . Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and Google Play The post Episode 16: Bradley Klein appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Mar 19, 2018

Sagebrush in British Columbia Keith Cutten is an integral player in golf design’s next generation who has worked alongside a variety of architects including Bill Coore , Jeff Mingay , Doug Carrick and, most importantly, his mentor Rod Whitman shaping features, drafting plans, developing budgets and running job sites. He’s also one of the leading young historians on golf course design and expects to publish a book, “The Evolution of Golf Course Architecture” later this year. He joins Derek Duncan to talk about the kinds of things Bill Coore might like as a gift, Canadian architects, the Dark Ages of architecture, why design styles changed after World War II and how architecture moved from the field into the office, the continual effort to combat technology with design, the effect of television on the increased presence of water hazards, the deleterious effect of advanced irrigation, Horace Hutchinson and the influence of the British Arts & Craft movement on Golden Age architecture and the possibility of Mammoth Dunes being the apotheosis (and final chapter) in the width/minimalist movement as we know it. Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast . Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and Google Play The post Episode 15: Keith Cutten appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Mar 8, 2018

St. George’s in Toronto. Ian Andrew is one of golf’s most respected restoration and preservation specialists, working principally on Golden Age courses in Canada. He has few peers when it comes to observation and the analysis of golf course architecture, and he rarely shies from expressing candid opinions on the state of the game. His writings can be found in numerous magazines as well as online ( ianandrewsgolfdesignblog.blogspot.com and thecaddyshack.blogspot.com ) and a book on five of Stanley Thompson’s greatest courses is expected later this year. Andrew joins the Feed the Ball podcast to talk about whether we’re taking the correct view of the “Second Golden Age” of architecture, how it’s difficult to find surprises in modern design, the trap of the “ Prairie Dunes ” aesthetic, the need for complete conviction in art, his idea for a third course at Sand Valley , the chase to design a sub-par-70 course, whether we’ve reached the end of the age of restoration, who he would choose to grass a golf course over anybody else in the business and who his Spidey-sense tells him might be the next great architect. Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast . Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and Google Play The post Episode 14: Ian Andrew appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Feb 28, 2018

Mike DeVries belongs to an elite class of golf architects working today who have been fortunate to work on properties that qualify as some of the best sites golf has seen since the 1920’s. His jaw-dropping design at Cape Wichkam Links on Kings Island in Tasmania, with wide holes rolling along the rocky ocean shore, stretching along high headlands and rumbling through interior sand dunes has rocketed into the world top 100 since opening in 2015. DeVries sits down with Feed the Ball to discuss the wonderful provocations of Pete Dye , the devastating effect of higher green speeds, working long summer days at Crystal Downs , the “billion” holes that existed on the Cape Wickham property, which hole at Wickham he thinks is one of the coolest in the world, working with a young Tom Doak , the skills of Tom Fazio , not being a member of the ASGCA , owning one of the rare original Sand Hills t-shirts, and the person to whom he’s passing the crown of “most underrated architect.” Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast . Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes and Stitcher Radio The post Episode 13: Mike DeVries appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Feb 12, 2018

Shelter Harbor (photo: Larry Lambrecht) Dr. Michael Hurdzan was on golf’s center stage the summer of 2017 during the U.S. Open, contested at Erin Hills , the giant, rambling meadow course he designed with then partner Dana Fry and Ron Whitten . It was a well-deserved moment for the architect known as much for building some of the most artistically voluptuous courses in the U.S. as for his nearly bottomless knowledge of golf, its history, equipment, construction methods and turf science. Hurdzan joins the Feed the Ball podcast for a discussion that touches on his career, the future of golf design in China (Chinese architects?), the surprising sophistication of building courses with horses, how military tanks influenced golf design, serving in the chemical corps during the Vietnam War, how an architect can game the rating systems, how Erin Hills was intended to be a $50 “poor man’s Whistling Straits ,” growing up in Columbus in the time of Jack Nicklaus , having Jack as a collaborator at Scioto and the virtues of being a golf course “plumber.” (Photo, Shelter Harbor by Larry Lambrecht) Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast . Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and Google Play The post Episode 12: Dr. Michael Hurdzan appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Feb 5, 2018

Do you love Donald Ross and the idea of experiencing accurate expressions of his designs? Then this podcast is for you. Architect Kris Spence made the jump from golf superintendent to the design and build world when a club in North Carolina hired him to help restore the lost features of its Donald Ross course. 20 years later he’s become one of the country’s most passionate and dedicated practitioners of golf course restoration and an authority on Ross designs in particular. Spence spends some time with Feed the Ball to talk about sand greens, following Ross’s career path from greenkeeper to architect, how his first restoration project came about because other architects turned down the job, his revelation at Pinehurst No. 2 , pure restoration vs. “intent” restoration, the frustration of dealing with the PGA TOUR ‘s tendency toward timid and destructive course set-ups, Ross’s philosophy of angles, restoring Ellis Maples, occasionally getting out of the Ross “box” and who Tom Fazio’s wife thinks is the one of the game’s greatest architects. Plus: a breakdown of Streamsong’s Red and Blue courses! (photo: Roaring Gap Club, NC, by krisspence.com) Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast . Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and Google Play The post Episode 11: Kris Spence appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Jan 19, 2018

Hogs Head Golf Club on the western coast of Ireland near Waterville. Nobody’s roots stretch deeper into the field of golf architecture than Robert Trent Jones II’s . Oldest son of Robert Trent Jones and now in his sixth decade of design, he’s been literally almost everywhere, seen everything and been a prominent voice the industry his entire life. After some light banter about fatalism and nuclear bombs, Jones joins the Feed the Ball podcast and discusses his new course on the west coast of Ireland ( Hogs Head ), the concept of the “High Art” of architecture, his early pioneering spirit of exploring far flung golf markets (including ’80’s-era Soviet Union), why Chambers Bay needs no defense or excuses, the competing ideologies of Dick Wilson (dogleg) and his father (straight), the similarities of Spanish Bay (v.1) and Chambers Bay (v.2), the romanticism of — and problem with — pure restoration, “fresco” architecture and a little known course in Colorado that has some important fans. Plus: Bob reads a poem! Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast . Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and Google Play The post Episode 10: Robert Trent Jones II appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Jan 12, 2018

Cabot Links Rod Whitman has been one of golf’s masters of construction for nearly 40 years and has designed a number of courses on his own. In 2010 he got the call every architect dreams of — an offer to design and build a course on one of the world’s great new seaside properties, in this case at Cabot Links , a golf dreamscape of humps, hollows and bunkers overlooking an endless expanse of the St. Lawrence River in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia. Rod visits the Feed the Ball podcast to talk about Cabot Links and how he finally landed this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, gaining Mike Keiser’s trust, learning the craft from Pete Dye and Bill Coore , the difficulty of getting design jobs, the art of turning potato fields into top 100 courses, and who would be on his dream team of golf course shapers. Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast . Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and Google Play The old potato field at Friars Head on Long Island (photo: planetgolf.com) Whitman’s design at Sagebrush in British Columbia. The post Episode 9: Rod Whitman appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Dec 19, 2017

Atlantic Dunes at Sea Pines Resort Following the economic crash of 2008, Love Golf Design , founded by brothers Mark Love and Davis Love III , decided to step back. Now, after a hiatus, the company has resumed business with several new renovations in the works following last year’s completion of Atlantic Dunes , a total remodel of one of the Lowcountry’s original golf courses at Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head Island. Mark Love recently visited Feed the Ball for a round-the-world discussion about geeking out on golf architecture, how he and Davis got into the business, their “old world” inspirations and favorite courses, the “lost” course designed by his father Davis Love, Jr. , jumping holes at Pinehurst courses No.’s 1-4 as a kid, building at one of the world’s best coastal golf sites, why we don’t want to see Vijay Singh get into golf design and what makes Winged Foot so good. Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast . Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and Google Play The vertical dyke features at Ricefield’s par-5 13th. The Club at Irish Creek in North Carolina The post Episode 8: Mark Love appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Dec 11, 2017

Old Memorial Few living architects are better than Steve Smyers at combining an understanding of golf shots and strategy with holes that possess immense visual flourish. Based in Florida, he’s designed courses and played in top-level amateur tournaments all over the globe. He joins Derek Duncan on the Feed the Ball podcast to discuss how he’s always evolving as a designer, being the king of bad sites, what piece of equipment he’d change for TOUR players (it’s not the ball), the contrast between Dallas’s two newest golf clubs ( Maridoe and Trinity Forest ), how player fitness and athleticism has changed the game, what the increase in average shoe size of TOUR pros tells us and what fellow designer he’d pick as his partner in an architectural two-ball match. Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast . Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and Google Play The post Episode 7: Steve Smyers appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Nov 30, 2017

Winter Park Keith Rhebb is one of the leaders of a new generation of golf course architects who have learned the trade shaping courses for design-build luminaries like Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw , Tom Doak , and Gil Hanse . He’s worked for Coore and Crenshaw at places like Lost Farm at Barnbougle Dunes , Cabot Cliffs and Streamsong Red , and last year, along with another young shaper and artist, Riley Johns , he remodeled the old Winter Park Golf Course , his first independent design. In this episode Rhebb visits Derek Duncan to discuss Winter Park and the importance of community golf, pickin’ rocks with a 5-gallon bucket, the fury of Bill Coore, who he thinks is the world’s greatest shaper, how he’s not a fan of the “Shark Experience,” and building golf courses with Daft Punk. Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast . Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and Google Play The post Episode 6: Keith Rhebb appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Nov 16, 2017

Skokie Country Club To renovate or restore. That is the question many historic clubs must decide when their courses are in need of repair. Just as many would view it a tragedy to deface a pristine Colonial- or antebellum-era house with modern accoutrements, prominent golf voices believe the features of classic era courses, and the architectural intent behind them, should be preserved and returned to original form. For over 30 years, Ron Prichard has been one of the most respected advocates and practitioners of golf course restoration and has worked with some of the country’s finest clubs to help restore their courses to lost Golden Age glory, often using sketches and plans from the founding architects as guidance. In this episode, Prichard takes host Derek Duncan into the world of restorations and shares his thoughts on, among other things: — architects who wear ascots, –mingling with Robert Frost and Norman Rockwell as a young student, –the athletic prowess that once flowed through Middlebury College , –constructing a hole that Dustin Johnson annihilated , –his recent work at Charlotte Country Club and Portland Country Club in Maine, — how USGA setups = #sad!, –the boring greens of contemporary architects and the misguided ubiquity of MacKenzie-style bunkers, –what he thinks is one of the 5 best sets of Ross greens in the country (or maybe not), –and the destructive legacy of Geoffrey Cornish . Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast . Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and Google Play The post Episode 5: Ron Prichard appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Oct 31, 2017

Dunwoody Country Club In this episode, architect Bill Bergin and Derek Duncan catch up and discuss a wide array of subjects including Bill’s recent and upcoming re-workings of several historic clubs, WWSRD (what would Seth Raynor do?), keeping pace with Bob Tway and the northwest Atlanta high school golf scene, going low at St. Andrews , Bill’s top 3 Atlanta area courses, hitting it longer today than he did in his TOUR-playing prime, the Allen Doyle intimidation factor and who the best (and worst) sticks are in the American Society of Golf Course Architects . Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast . Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and Google Play The post Episode 4: Bill Bergin appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Oct 12, 2017

In this episode of Feed the Ball , Derek Duncan speaks to Bill Coore , who along with design partner Ben Crenshaw and their team of shapers has built a collection of what are considered to be some of the greatest golf courses of the last 60 or 70 years. Bill shares his thoughts on life and death situations in the field, working on some of the most spectacular golf settings to come online since the 1920 or ’30’s, the pressure he feels to maximize the potential of landscapes like Sand Hills and Sand Valley , dogsitting for Pete and Alice Dye , the gift of a mother’s encouragement, a spectacular new opportunity in the linksland of Scotland and what you can offer him if you happen to encounter him poolside at a resort. Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast . Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and Google Play The post Episode 3: Bill Coore appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Sep 28, 2017

Bobby Weed joins Derek Duncan on the latest edition of the Feed the Ball podcast. Join us as Bobby talks about how he learned from Pete Dye that all good golf courses are built in the field, the joy of getting back on the bulldozer, his recent work at The Medalist Club in South Florida (home of Tiger Woods , Dustin Johnson , Rickie Fowler and others), how he’s continually imagining ways to challenge the TOUR players who practice and play there and elsewhere, designing on less than spectacular sites and the key ingredient to a successful golf design project. And please stay tuned to the end to listen to Bobby share a personal matter that’s had a profound effect on him and his family, and a special foundation he’s set up to help. Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast . Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and Google Play The post Episode 2: Bobby Weed appeared first on Feed The Ball .

Sep 1, 2017

Noted golf course architect and past winner of Golf Digest’s Architect of the Year Award Jim Engh calls in to talk to Derek Duncan about the concept of image creation, pushing the envelop in his designs, the eureka moment that led him to pursue his bold style of golf holes, chasing an endorphine rush on the golf course and why it pays to be patient when playing his courses…or listening to music. Listen here to Derek Duncan discuss Tom Coyne’s “A Course Called Ireland” with hosts Rod Morri and Adrian Logue of the iSeekGolf Podcast . Twitter: @feedtheball Instagram: @feedtheball Feed the Ball on iTunes, Stitcher Radio and Google Play The post Episode 1: Jim Engh appeared first on Feed The Ball .