RESPECT FOR PAST MASTERS AT SKOKIE
Geeked on Golf
by Jason Way
3y ago
The story of the retrovation of Skokie Country Club, and the father of golf course restoration As the old saying goes, too many cooks in the kitchen spoil the broth. Typically, in design, the committee approach confirms the truth therein, with results that are watered down or lacking in continuity. As courses have evolved over the years, many have fallen into a state in which their original strengths are lost. There are exceptions, however, including Skokie. The key ingredient that has allowed the course to pass from the stewardship of one architect to another, each building upon the work of h ..read more
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THE ARRIVAL OF REINFORCEMENTS
Geeked on Golf
by Jason Way
4y ago
Part 29 of the Journey Along the Shores series explores the organic expansion of our volunteer efforts, and the community connections that have been created Building on our successful bank clearing on the 16th, we continued the work of creating vistas into the off-season. Over the winter, we made progress between 14 green and 18 tee, left of 2 green, between 3 green and 11 tee, and left of 4 tee. As always, uncovering specimen trees while revealing the character and scale of the land is tremendously rewarding. Hearty souls like Matt, Dan, Mike, Andy and Jantzen who brave the snow and chilly te ..read more
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LIVES IN BALANCE
Geeked on Golf
by Jason Way
4y ago
Three men’s connection to the Onwentsia Club, and their shared path to excellence in golf and life Deep in the hearts of many men and women is the desire to do great things, and perhaps even leave a legacy. The obvious path to achievement is characterized by singleness of purpose and the willingness to trudge along until arriving at the destination. Less intuitive is the approach of allowing the well-rounded and enthusiastic life to produce excellence organically. Renaissance men have made their mark on the game of golf in America. Macdonald, Tillinghast, Jones, Hagen, Nelson and others, each ..read more
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BLUE’S GREENS
Geeked on Golf
by Jason Way
4y ago
A look at the heart of Blue Mound Golf & Country Club, the tremendous set of Seth Raynor designed greens For a golf course to be great, its different components—land, routing, strategy, hazards, greens—should ideally work together, and have independent strength of their own. Ask a large enough group of golf geeks which of these course elements is the most important, and the answers will likely run the gamut. Such is the varied nature of the game, its playing fields and the opinions of its players. A strong case can be made that the greens are the heart and soul of any golf course. Their ..read more
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A NEW STANDARD FOR GREATNESS
Geeked on Golf
by Jason Way
4y ago
Musings on the power of kinship, on and off the course The subject of greatness is one that I have spent years now exploring in my golf travels, conversations, debates and attendant musings. What makes a golf course great? What makes one greater than another? Is it even possible to objectively evaluate a course, or are all such attempts hopelessly entangled with the individual’s experience on any given day? Previously, I set forth a personal standard for my favorite courses based on their ability to elicit a desire for endless loops, my 108 in 48ers, which has been updated to include new ..read more
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INFINITELY INTERESTING – KINGSLEY CLUB
Geeked on Golf
by Jason Way
4y ago
An in-depth look at Mike DeVries’s brilliant design at Kingsley Club Our conversation was supposed to be focused on Mike’s thoughts about Kingsley as it approaches its 20th birthday. Before I knew what had happened, he had flipped the spotlight on to me and how my experience of the course has evolved over the years of playing it regularly. We did eventually get to his perspective, and in the process, I gained further insight into what makes Mike DeVries a great architect. Like all good designers, he studies the land and draws from a mental database of feature and hole ideas to lay out a cou ..read more
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CREATIVITY WITHIN CONSTRAINTS AT LOST DUNES
Geeked on Golf
by Jason Way
4y ago
A look at the relationship between design constraints and creativity at the Tom Doak designed Lost Dunes Golf Club Spend any time on GolfClubAtlas or Twitter, and it becomes apparent that many armchair architects live in their own world. It’s a place without limits, where any tree can be cut, budgets are infinite, interpersonal politics don’t exist and government oversight agencies are on permanent holiday. In short, it is fantasyland. The real world in which the designers we revere operate is filled with a variety of constraints—timelines, boundaries, environmental regulations, budgets, cl ..read more
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COMPLICATED, BUT PERFECT
Geeked on Golf
by Jason Way
4y ago
Part 27 of the Journey Along the Shores series tells the story of the launch of a new youth golf program at Canal Shores An idea about inclusiveness and enjoyment of the game of golf was born in our community this summer. That idea was transformed into a reality at Canal Shores by an unlikely team of high school students, a former social worker, a blogger, a community leader, golf instructors, parents and 18 brave kids who had never set foot on a golf course before. Their story embodies elements—inspiration, serendipity, perseverance, caring, courage—that when mixed together among people pu ..read more
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STEAM SHOVEL SCULPTING AT MAXINKUCKEE
Geeked on Golf
by Jason Way
4y ago
The fourth edition of this season’s Upping My Dye-Q Series speculates on the influence of Langford & Moreau’s work at Maxinkuckee Country Club on the Dyes In order to truly understand and appreciate the work of an architect, it is necessary to look at their sources of inspiration. After all, there are very few (if any) completely original ideas in art or science. Contemporary practitioners are always building upon or reacting to their forebears, and their work is therefore linked to the past. Pete Dye brought to his craft several different influences which were touched on in the seco ..read more
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FROM CHRISTMAS TREES TO GREEN FEES AT CHAMPION HILL
Geeked on Golf
by Jason Way
5y ago
The story of the Stone family’s Northern Michigan journey into golf course construction and ownership at Pinecroft and Champion Hill “Are you going to play Champion Hill this time?” My golf buddy Ben knew that I was making trips to Northern Michigan and he would text me this question every time I posted a photo of Kingsley Club, Arcadia Bluffs or Crystal Downs. “It’s on my list,” I would reply. Not a lie, but a truth lacking in any sense of urgency. I was busy getting intimate with three of the best courses in the state, the region, and perhaps even America (depending on who you ask). What ..read more
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