Feed The Ball

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

  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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

  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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.