Warren Buffet writing about Ben Graham (1894-1976), Financial Analysts Journal, 1976.
The founders of modern golf course architecture, those men that took golf from the seashores and and brought it inland created a host of tremendous golf courses still stand as giants.
With all the modern advantages of grasses, heavy equipment, and planning the old courses still dominate the Top 100 lists.
OK, they had some tremendous properties, and the power of being first in the market, but with all our seeming advantages, modern golf architecture lacks adventure and mystery of the old courses.
Why?
They couldn't move tons of dirt so they had creative design solutions using the land... where we today would bulldoze it away.
Their construction tools (shovels and horse drawn scoops) were far more intricate than the wide blade of a bulldozer.
Construction was far slower, so they had more time to evaluate work being done. What took weeks in the old days can take a few hours today.
All together it is more important for the architect to lead construction, but that rarely occurs. When it does... excellence and courses different from the norm evolve. Courses that may not "eclipse" the great oldies, but certainly reflect their values and are in their class.
Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
agolfarchitect@yahoo.com
+49 (0)173 450 4552
+1(909) 581 0080
