Drew's Blog
Subtle Touches in the Fall
September signifies the beginning of late season renovation work in northern climates. There's always the challenge for Club's with such plans to squeeze in those last few golf events before things get dug up and messy time is precious with colder weather only weeks away. The mad dash has begun!
What to Make of a Golf Course Restoration
A number of years ago, Brad Klein invited me to speak at Golfweek's Restoration Conference in Williamsburg, Virginia. So as I prepared for my talk, I thought it might be high time to explore just what we all refer to as a "restoration" and how that differs from a "renovation"...
Back Again to Bandon
Surely by now the word is out.there is a world class golf resort on the coast of southern Oregon. It's called Bandon Dunes. There are four 18-hole courses on the property and they're all ranked among the Top 100 in the US.
Reflections on Long Island Part Four of Four
Our final day of golf took us into New Jersey and to Baltusrol Golf Club, named for "Baltus Roll", who was murdered in his house on the premises in 1831.
Reflections on Long Island Part Three of Four
Day three found us at Maidstone Club, again on the east end of Long Island. Maidstone opened in 1891 as a tennis and swimming club and then added a three-hole golf course in 1894.
Why is Golf Fun?
I'm not attempting to be trite here! The subject of "fun" has become a trendy topic of late and, in all seriousness, fun is something that has frankly been overlooked in our fine game for some time. Not because of lack of interest, but because the game became perhaps a bit too serious on the business front.
The Value of an Architect
After reading a well-penned piece recently from Adam Lawrence, called "Growing Together", I felt compelled to jot down a few key thoughts that bear highlighting. "“ Adam, please accept my apologies for any plagiarisms "“ but your message is very well put and worthy of repeat!
Can't See the Course for the Trees
Donald Ross, architect of over 400 notable golf courses, said once of trees, "As beautiful as trees are, and as fond as you and I are of them, we still must not lose sight of the fact that there is a limited place for them in golf."
My Fifteen Most Enjoyable Courses to Play (for the fun of it)
For me, this is a fun list "“ not to be taken too seriously. So, it's not up for debate or for comparison with the Top 100 lists. It is simply a mentioning of some courses that offer up a good day on the course "“ for me at least, and maybe for you as well.
A Lengthy Discussion
Long has been the debate over the perceived push for longer courses or the accommodation thereof in the game. Frankly, this turns into a much broader topic than should be attempted in one post, but let's take a shot and see where this goes.