Huge Upset in Sweet Sixteen! Thompson upsets Ross

Can you say CANADIAN CLUB?! Stanley Thompson ROLLED Donald Ross in the Sweet Sixteen like he was a baby seal! It was a romp...and that's WITHOUT Rob Thompson's vote. In the other match of greatest interest, Tom Doak defeated Harry S. Colt by ONE VOTE. Voting for this round continues till Sunday night at 5PM. Vote here, at the bracketmaker site, (see below), my email or for those architecture experts, vote over at "The Think Tank";)

Here are the matchups:

St. Andrews Regional Final

1 Pete Dye vs. 2 William Flynn (surprisingly, he beat Coore and Crenshaw by a comfortable margin...can you call this a mild upset despite the seedings?)

Bandon Regional Final

1. A.W. Tillinghast vs. 2 Tom Doak (watch this one...there could be an upset)

Augusta Regional Final

2. C.B. Macdonald vs. 5. Stanley Thompson

Cypress Point Regional Final

1. Alistair Mackenzie (Devries actually got a surprising number of votes. Way to go underdog...hat's off to you)

vs. 2 Seth Raynor (This looks to be a heavyweight bout going all fifteen baby...another round...I didn't hear no bell!...That's from Rocky for those of you scoring at home. Rocky rules.)

Media Guru, Hooked on Golf start "The Golf Space"

My buddy Tony K, aka the Media Guru and also aka Hooked on Golf Blog has started a new site.

It's called the Golf Space:

Here's how Tony describes it:

"A little less than 2 months ago I was driving down the street when this new web site idea hit me. The thought blew me away so bad I almost drove off the road. The idea: Build a networking site like myspace for golf. I couldn't get home fast enough to start researching URLs for the new golf/myspace site. I was fortunate enough to register http://www.thegolfspace.com - The Golf Space. For the next 6-7 weeks I burned the candles at both ends building the site, getting opinions, finding cool modules etc.

What is THE GOLF SPACE?

The Golf Space is a "networking" site geared toward golf. Networking in this sense refers to the connection of friends, businesses and business associates. This is a similar concept to many social networking sites like myspace.com, tagworld.com, friendster.com, orkut.com etc. People or businesses register accounts and fill out profile information. They then become part of a network and can find people or other businesses with similar likes or interests.

Personal profiles

Each Golf Space user has his/her own personal profile. Within the profile is a ton of information about the user such as location, interests, matchmaker info, golf information (handicap, home course, lowest score, equipment list), what they're there for (networking, friends, business, matchmaker etc), blog entries, forum posts, personal photos, visitors, connections and more."

There's alot of other stuff too, so go check it out. Here is the link. best of luck Tony...and have a really fun Masters...his favorite tournament. Here's the link for more.

I will also praise the excellent job Tony did covering the TPC, arguably my favorite tournament of the year save the Open Championship, (no not the US Open, the British). It will be great seeing the FIFTH MAJOR next year in May. Also, I plan on seeing everyone from Winged Foot this year...and from Royal Liverpool...not covering the Open Championship, but as a player in a tournament held there this October. We'll play both Hoylake (the familiar name for Rpyal Liverpool and the excellent nearby links at Wallasey.

Golf course designers, The Clash, Black Flag and Deerfield Academy

I was having an interesting discussion about real punk rock, pop-punk rock and golf design with fellow golf course architecture expert Jason Blasberg. He said the band "The Clash" was under appreciated. At first I thought "Not true...London Calling sold a hell of alot of records," but then one of the other music lawyers in the office, pointed out that back in the old days, kids got what it meant to "be punk" and now kids like the Clash merely to like the Clash and be cool and really don't understand it.

She's right. Just like that saying in the movie A Fish Called Wanda:

Otto: Apes don't read philosophy!

Wanda: Yes, they do Otto! They just don't understand it.

Anyway, I wrote back to Jason, (as a laugh)I wonder what everybody would think of Black Flag.

Black Flag was a hard-headed, hard-biting punk rock band out of New York. Among such other gems as "We don't care what you say %$#@ you!" they growled, grunted and groped their way to a reputation as one of punk's loudest bands. I had two Deerfield Academy acquaintances that were both from NYC that actually decorated their dorm rooms in brown paper shopping bag with the Black Flag logo (see above) and anarchy symbols done over in Sharpie.

These two guys...with the help of lots of Vodka...actually got laid and were really popular. One went to Berkeley a year early he was so smart. They sell real estate now and I do the punk rock. Go figure. Punk really has fallen;)

Personally, as far as music goes I'm not a fan and Black Flag is more an interesting but important footnote, but it does show the difference between punk in the time of real punk and watered down major label "punk." (Simple Plan anyone?)

Brad O' Sullivan and Black Flag would kick Chuck from Simple Plan's ass in two seconds flat.

Anyway, Jason and I got to thinking...who has the same "punk ethos" in the world of Golf Course design? And I don't mean who has a spiked mohawk and swears and such.

Who is so sure in his design that he does what he wants and trumpets it proudly. I'm out of time for today and really need to reflect on the nuances of it, but it's question microcosmic of a lot of issues at the center of the debate about what makes a great golf course.

To be continued...with more great musical references too. Never let it be said I don't embrace pop culture.

Sweet Sixteen for golf course architects

We have us an underdog! Mike DeVries, a 12 seed, ousts RTJ! Also I predicted at Houston's Clear Thinkers, Stanley Thompson beat Fazio. Here are the sweet sixteen matchups.

St. Andrews Regional

1 Pete Dye vs. 4 George Thomas (who survived a really close match w/Perry Maxwell)
2. William Flynn vs. 3 Coore and Crenshaw

For those of you who keep emailing me, Flynn did Merion and Shinnecock. That's why he's a 2 seed.

Bandon Regional

1. A.W. Tillinghast v. 5 Jack Nicklaus (who trounced Neville in the "pair of Jacks" game)
2. Tom Doak v. 3. Harry Colt

For those same emailers, please google "Harry Colt" and you'll see why he's seeded higher than Nicklaus and, to the same crew, uhhhh, Neville did Pebble.

Augusta Regional

1 Donald Ross v. 5. Stanley Thompson
3. Old Tom Morris v. 2 C.B.Macdonald

and finally in the Cypress Point Regional

1. Alistair Mackenzie v. 12 Mike DeVries
3. George Crump v. 2. Seth Raynor

Voting ends Thursday at 1PM

Frank Hannigan and Sabbatini v. Faldo

So Frank Hannigan writes an excellent article discussing exactly how much golf "coverage" has devolved with ESPN and NBC leading the charge. The article is here at Golf Observer. Hannigan, along with Phil Mushnick at the New York Post point out how vacuous and Tiger-philic golf commentators from ESPN through Dan Hicks and Johnny Miller have become at trying to get garbage past the listener. Phil's piece is here.

So Rory Sabbatini and Nick Faldo had a HUGE dustup at the TPC over pace of play. This one got personal, with Faldo making a brutal sexual innuendo. Basically, Sabbatini, who left Ben Crane in the lurch last year at the Booz Allen, got paired with Faldo - who hinted over the air last year that if paired with Sabbatini he would deliberately play slow.

Editorial: Bad form, Nick. Like it or not, people ape what they see on TV. You are just the direct cause of a bunch of beer swilling casual golfing lunkheads deliberately slow-playing their opponents just to stick it to them. You are also directly responsible for bad sportmanship.

So during the course of a five and a half hour round, the notoriously slow Faldo (who blamed a lost ball on ten by Camillo Villegas) and Sabbatini got "put on the clock." Mercifully, nobody got penalized.

next day, after a visit to the local mart that sells screened T-shirts, sabbatini pulls a lunkhead move and dreses his wife in a T-shirt that reads "Keep up." Not exactly sublte or classy. Apparently, something got lost intranslation from America to England...either that or Faldo is dyslexic. Faldo made a brutal swipe at sabbatini's sexuality. One wonders if "Your mother wears army boots" is forthcoming.

Of course, since Tim Finchem has no control over the players and no will to act to punish anybody with more star power than him, I'll bet Faldo won't get fined. Hats off to Tom Kirkendall at Houston's Clear Thinkers for writing the details. Here is the story.

Hats off also to Shack and Thompson who also ran stories. Hey. Finchem. This is the PGA Tour, not the bloody Durham Bulls vs. Toledo Mudhens. Bag their heads together for the good of the game.

Pictures of Lederach and Baltimore CC (West)

Here are some pix of Lederach and Baltimore CC, West Course.

The Lederach review is here:

Above and to the left, the first fairway is a harbinger of things to come, as Kelly Blake Moran cants his fairways severely here. Above and to the right, you see from the 2d tee, the rear of the blind fairway bunker of the par-5 third. Its blind from the tee of 3 and fairway, so beware when playing the hole.

To the right, Kelly has several great cross bunkers and perpendicular hazards to play over and around. Sign up to get a tee time now, as times the opening weekend are going fast and innumerable golf nuts are already booking foursomes.

The BCC west review is here:


To the right, the excellent 8th green has a dramatic false front. If you play away from the false front, you bring the bunker into play. The safe play here is to the back...again following the doctrine of deception and hiding the actual safe spot from the player, who is left to puzzle it out for himself with out spoon feeding or dictatorial command by the GCA.

Below, the seventh green is a double green with the first and showcases good green contours with a slightly canted fairway.

First Round results of the 2006 Golf Course Architect's Tournament

Here we go. The double digit seeds that won upsets were Tom Simpson, Rick Smith and Mike DeVries. Send me emails or go to my website or the brackets to vote. The link is here - http://www.bracketmaker.com/tmenu.cfm?tid=150961&tclass=

Voting closes 9PM Sunday night:

St. Andrews Regional

1. Pete Dye v. 8 Tom Weiskopf
4. George Thomas v. 5. Perry Maxwell
3. Coore/Crenshaw v. 6. Jim Engh
2. William Flynn v. 10. Tom Simpson

Bandon Regional

1. A.W. Tillinghast v. 8. Gil Hanse
4. Jack Neville v. 5 Jack Nicklaus
3. Harry Colt v. 6. RTJ II
2. Tom Doak v. 7 Brian Silva

Augusta Regional

1. Donald Ross v. 9. Jay Morrish
4. Tom Fazio v. 5. Stanley Thompson
3 Old Tom Morris v. 6. David McKay Kidd
2. C.B. Macdonald v. 7. Mike Strantz

Pinehurst Regional

1. Alistair Mackanzie v. 8. Henry Fownes
4. RTJ v. 12. Mike DeVries
3. George Crump v. 11. Rick Smith
2. Seth Raynor v. 7 Jeff Brauer

Dont forget that if you already "filled out a bracket and missed some picks, just re-send me your votes for what games you got wrong.

E.G. Lots of people picked Baxter Spann. (That would have been a hell of a matchup 'tween he and Dye.) Just email me with your choice of dye v. weiskopf and any other misses.

Quick questions with Jim Engh

I had the chance to catch up with Jim after he returned from his annual vacation to Hawaii with Monie and the kids (Brian 10 and Bailey 8). Here are some of his thoughts. Look for a longer article soon in my column for Golf Observer.

Jay: How was the vacation?

Jim: Oh it was great. Every year in the winter, we go to Hawaii. I rarely play any golf there.

Instead it’s two tanks of scuba diving in the morning, then Mai Tais by the pool with Monie and the kids all afternoon.

Jay: What’s the most important goal for you in creating a successful design?

Jim: For me, it’s all about options. The more ways to play a hole and get a ball close to the pin, the better.

Jay: What courses of the British Isles have given you ideas for your own holes?

Jim: Both courses at Ballybunion are incredible. I love a lot of the holes at the Cashen course, especially number 15. I also love the Old Course as well. 18 is just a fantastic finishing hole. Also the Northwest of Ireland holds a special place in my heart. My design team and I go over about four times a year. Enniscrone, Carne, and Rosapenna are some of my favorite courses on Earth. I’m really grateful to have a chance to work right now on the new nine at Carne.

Jay: You had a rude introduction to golf. Tell us about your first golf experience.

Jim: I crashed my first golf cart when I was two years old. Dad was playing and I was in the cart.

I jumped in the driver’s seat and took off and overturned the cart right on top of me. It was a frightening crash. The cart crushed one of my kidneys. I was lucky though. I got up from my deathbed.

Jay: Your career as a designer had a similar rocky start. Let me read you this quote from Jeff Brauer [Author's note: with whom Jim worked in college.] I first met Jim as a summer associate for Bill Kubly. You could tell he was a “gunner” (Kubly’s term for an up and comer) back then, but he was also green as peas. He left one of Kubly’s drafting tables in a pickup truck overnight in a rainstorm ruining it!”

Jim: (laughs) I remember that! Bill was a good sport about it. I survived my growing pains.

Jay: What are some of those growing pains now?

Jim: Well I still feel bad when my work gets misunderstood. I really try to take into account everything in a property to maximize the golf holes, yet make it a player friendly experience.

Jay: Like trying to add some walking paths at Lakota Canyon.

Jim: Yeah. I try to start by making the best hole I possibly can. The most interesting and strategic. Sometimes a hole is not as easy a walk as others, but I'm a walker. I have a small ping bag and boots or sneakers. I spend so much time in the UK where its almost all walking and I want to recreate that old time, authentic experience whenever I can. Sure, sometimes my hills are pretty tough, like 16 at Pradera which is 200 feet in the air, but the payoff when you get up there is incredible.

Jay: What's in your CD player?

Jim: Well I'm a huge Van Morrison fan. I see concerts of his all over the world, Ireland, San Franscisco, anywhere I can. Van Mo is my guy.

What the bracket looks like

Golf Architect's Madness

(Click on the links in the bracket for more details.) Pete Dye Game 1 Details Kelly Blake Moran Donald Ross Game 17 Details Ellis Maples Winner of 1 Game 33 Details Winner of 2 Winner of 17 Game 41 Details Winner of 18 Winner of 33 Game 49 Details Winner of 34 Winner of 41 Game 53 Details Winner of 42 Tom Weiskopf Game 2 Details Baxter Spann Mike Hurdzan Game 18 Details Jay Morrish Peery Maxwell Game 3 Details John Low Stanley Thompson Game 19 Details Robert Von Hagge Winner of 3 Game 34 Details Winner of 4 Winner of 19 Game 42 Details Winner of 20 Forrest richardson Game 4 Details George Thomas Palmer/Seay Game 20 Details Tom Fazio Winner of 49 Game 57 Details Winner of 50 Winner of 53 Game 59 Details Winner of 54 Coore/Crenshaw Game 5 Details Arthur Hills Old Tom Morris Game 21 Details Ted Robinson Winner of 5 Game 35 Details Winner of 6 Winner of 21 Game 43 Details Winner of 22 Winner of 35 Game 50 Details Winner of 36 Winner of 43 Game 54 Details Winner of 44 Jim Engh Game 6 Details Press Maxwell David McKay Kidd Game 22 Details Dick Wilson Scott Miler Game 7 Details Tom Simpson Ken Dye Game 23 Details Mike Strantz Winner of 7 Game 36 Details Winner of 8 Winner of 23 Game 44 Details Winner of 24 P.B. Dye Game 8 Details William Flynn Joe Finger Game 24 Details C.B. Macdonald Winner of 57 Game 61 Details Winner of 58 Winner of 61 Game 63 Details Winner of 62 Winner of 59 Game 62 Details Winner of 60 A.W. Tillinghast Game 9 Details Davis Love III Alistair Mackenzie Game 25 Details Mark Mungeum Winner of 9 Game 37 Details Winner of 10 Winner of 25 Game 45 Details Winner of 26 Winner of 37 Game 51 Details Winner of 38 Winner of 45 Game 55 Details Winner of 46 Gil Hanse Game 10 Details Max Behr Henry Fownes Game 26 Details Greg Norman Jack Nicklaus Game 11 Details Gary Panks Hugh Wilson Game 27 Details Mike DeVries Winner of 11 Game 38 Details Winner of 12 Winner of 27 Game 46 Details Winner of 28 Gary Player Game 12 Details Jack Neville Cupp/Kite Game 28 Details Robert Trent Jones Winner of 51 Game 58 Details Winner of 52 Winner of 55 Game 60 Details Winner of 56 Harry S. Colt Game 13 Details Dan Maples George Crump Game 29 Details Dick Nugent Winner of 13 Game 39 Details Winner of 14 Winner of 29 Game 47 Details Winner of 30 Winner of 39 Game 52 Details Winner of 40 Winner of 47 Game 56 Details Winner of 48 RTJ II Game 14 Details Joe Lee Rees Jones Game 30 Details Rick Smith Desmond Muirhead Game 15 Details Brian Silva Jeff Brauer Game 31 Details Geoffrey Cornish Winner of 15 Game 40 Details Winner of 16 Winner of 31 Game 48 Details Winner of 32 Jim Fazio Tom Doak Ron Garl Game 32 Details Seth Raynor Early leads to Mackenzie, Doak, strantz, tillie. Close matches = Spann/Weiskopf, Hurdzan/Morrish, maxwell/low, richardson/thomas.

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