Pros as architects
In theory, I have no problem with a professional golfer being an architect. I don’t think they make the best architects, in general. Now, they typically have seen the best courses in the world - they have a knowledge base to draw on of what works well and doesn’t work well when playing a course.
I think they usually have a difficult time relating to the mid- to high-handicap player and zero idea what a senior, lady or beginner golfer sees on a golf course. They typically look at a golf course from a pro’s point of view - as in, what’s going to be in play where a professional hits his ball.
A good example of this was in a recent interview with Nick Faldo - who is getting into everything these days it seems and golf course architecture is one of them.
“You see what works and what doesn’t work. I know what the players like, especially the professionals.
“I always try to make it more difficult for them to really annoy them,” he said with a smile.
However, there are cases in which a professional is simply lending his name to be stuck on a course and his input borders on absurdly minimal. An excellent example of this is Vijay Singh. This press release touts Vijay’s first American “design”.
The 6,500-yard course will be Singh’s first golf course design project to debut in the United States. It is scheduled to open to the public in late 2009. Singh will work with his design partner Brit Stenson. Both men have previously developed two courses together- one in China and the other in Dubai. They are currently working on another course to be constructed in Fiji, Singh’s native homeland.
“We couldn’t be happier that Vijay chose to have The Lexington at Hudson Valley Resort be home to his first and currently only USA signature course,” said Steve Belmonte, President, CEO and Partner of Vantage Hospitality’s Lexington Collection and investor in the current property. “His expertise in golf and identifying the characteristics of what makes a great and challenging course will be reflected in this championship project.”
The key to this press release is Singh’s “design partner” - Brit Stenson. Stenson is IMG’s - the huge sports agent corporation - in house golf course designer. Stenson, much like a ghost writer as Ron Whitten points out, is the ghost designer for a number of pros including Singh, Mark O’Meara, Curtis Strange and at least 12 other professionals. Stenson is an accomplished architect - you’ve probably never (or rarely) heard of him because a pro who shows up 4 times at a course gets the credit. (Two of those trips are the opening sales job to get the design work and the ceremonial appearance to hit the “first” tee shot on the course.)
It’s sad commentary on a number of levels. The Stenson course - were it only designed by him, would likely cost in the neighborhood of hundereds of thousands of dollars less to build. But an owner likely sells millions of dollars more real estate on a Curtis Strange golf course than he would a Brit Stenson course - even if the courses would be virtually identical to each other. Sad commentary on many levels.
