Month: December 2017

May River — 21st Century Lowcountry

May River — 21st Century Lowcountry

From the time the earliest links were staked out, whenever that was, golf course “design” has been in a continuous state of development. That’s not to say it’s been a smooth or straight evolution–there have always been stops and restarts. Pete Dye almost single handedly reset the direction of golf architecture in the mid-1960’s following the pre-fab boomer period…

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Episode 8: Mark Love

Episode 8: Mark Love

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…

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Ballyneal Golf Club — Gravity Rides Everything

Ballyneal Golf Club — Gravity Rides Everything

Someday we’ll be able to talk about Ballyneal in the northeastern corner of Colorado without referencing Sand Hills, as I’ve already just done. It’s kind of like how it took about 15 years for every new violent, ironic crime movie not to be viewed through the lens of Pulp Fiction. Such is the advantage of being first—you get to…

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Going Rogue at Mission Inn’s Las Colinas

Going Rogue at Mission Inn’s Las Colinas

Depending on your view, having two courses as diverse as Mission Inn’s Las Colinas and El Campeón can either mean you have variety, or that you simply have an A course and a B course. Land planning concerns (read: selling houses) dictated that Las Colinas would be nothing like its older, tightly routed sibling, but the younger course does…

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Episode 7: Steve Smyers

Episode 7: Steve Smyers

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,…

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“Remembering” Craft Farms

“Remembering” Craft Farms

Critics are typically charged with making judgments based on first or preliminary impressions. Movie critics don’t typically have the luxury of watching films over and over to absorb their intricacies. Wine critics can render reviews after rifling through dozens of glasses in one sitting. Book reviewers have to process enormous amounts of material on deadline.…

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Upcoming: Steve Smyers

Upcoming: Steve Smyers

Coming Soon: A discussion with Steve Smyers is one of the most talented, knowledgable and friendliest designers in the business. He spoke with me about his newest course, Maridoe Golf Club in Dallas, as well modern technology, the effect of spin and his experience studying the world’s great golf courses. Episode to post on Monday.

Wasted Potential — Sugarloaf Mountain (NLE)

Wasted Potential — Sugarloaf Mountain (NLE)

[Note: This course is permanently closed. The review was originally written in 2011] Sugarloaf Mountain should be the model for future golf course designs in Central Florida, particularly those built in the scrub, orchard and sand hills regions west and north of Orlando. That is if there are any future golf courses. Unfortunately the course and development…

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