News and Updates

To the Membership-

Those of you who know me well, know that I am passionate about all aspects of the game of golf. When I am not at Overbrook, I enjoy visiting other golf courses, sometimes to play, but often just to tour and learn about the facilities. Most nights, I read at least a few chapters of a book about golf. This could range from anything to the evolution of groundskeeping to a biography on a specific player or an account of a certain championship. When I moved here to take this job, one of the first things I did was read Mr. James Finegan’s—whom many of you knew—Centennial Tribute to Golf in Philadelphia to familiarize myself with the area. However, my favorite subject by far is golf course architecture.

As we approach our bunker renovation this fall, there will undoubtably be talks about the changes and the new architecture on the course. Many of you will love it, some of you will not, and a lot of you won’t care that much. Regardless of where you fall on that scale, you will be affected by it. So, before these conversations start (most happen without me present), I do want the membership to be aware that a great deal of thought was given to each change on the golf course.

My good friend Eric Kennedy once said to me, “The great thing about golf course architecture is that no matter what your feelings are, no one is right, and no one is wrong”. People all have different opinions about what makes a golf course great. For some it is difficulty, for others it is variation, and for still others it is playability. Some people would prefer that the architecture dictates the shot while others would prefer to have options.

Our architect, Andrew Green, as well as I, are heavily influenced by the “Golden Age” of golf course architecture—the period of golf design and construction that took place in the early 1900’s until the Great Depression. This is when architects such as William Flynn, Donald Ross, CB McDonald, Alister MacKenzie, George Thomas, Seth Raynor, and H.S. Colt were designing and building golf courses at a blistering pace. In 1916, there were around 750 courses in America and that number grew to nearly 6,000 by 1930. Not only were there a lot of courses being built, but the quality and timelessness of these golf courses is staggering. Currently, nine of the top 10 golf courses in the U.S., and 62 of the top 100, are from the Golden Age.

This year’s major season provided a great example of the longevity of these men’s work. Xander Schauffle won the Open Championship with a score of -9 at Royal Troon, a course that was laid out in nearly its current state by James Braid in 1923. Bryson DeChambeau, won at Pinehurst with a score of -6, the home of Donald Ross from 1900-1948 that was expertly restored by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw in 2011. On the contrary, Valhalla, design by Jack Nicklaus in 1986, yielded a score of -21 to Schauffle in what was the lowest score ever in a major championship.

When one reads the writings of both the men that designed in the Golden Age, as well as the people that have studied their work, they are some commonalities in their ideas about golf and their design philosophies. When the new plan for Overbrook was being authored, Andrew and our construction committee were very intentional about incorporating these principles into our golf course. Some of are as follows:

1. Variation in the green surrounds- Our green complexes are currently a collection of rounded putting surfaces (some of this is by design but other areas have shrunken over time) with a bunker on either side. During the design phase, a major emphasis was placed on creating more variety and more setup options.

2. Short grass around putting surfaces- Tall rough around putting greens limits player’s options and favors players who are better chippers of the golf ball. Adding more short grass around greens allows players to make a choice in how to play the shot (ie-putt, bump and run, low check, high flop, etc.). This design principle gives the advantage to the golfer who is more skilled and can play a wider array of shots.

3. Width and angles- More width will be given to several fairways which will accomplish multiple goals. The first, and most obvious, is it gives a high handicap player a better chance of hitting the fairway. However, it also adds an element of strategy that we do not currently have. In general, a tee shot played to the correct side of the fairway, if executed well, will give a golfer a more advantageous approach to the green.

4. Proportional hazards- Due to the rapid advancement of equipment technology, some of our most penalizing hazards are only affecting higher handicap golfers. More penal bunkers will be pushed farther down the hole, bringing them in play for the more skilled, longer players. Replacing these will be less penal hazards, such as flatter bunkers and ground features like hummocks and ditches. They will still punish a wayward shot, however, not nearly as severely.

5. The ground game- Someone once pointed out to me that golf is more fun the longer the ball stays in motion on the ground. Some of the most exhilarating moments in golf history are a product of the ground game. Using just the Masters as an example, think about Larry Mize’s chip-in on 11 to beat Greg Norman, Louis Oosthuizen’s albatross on 2, or Tiger’s iconic shot on 16. Each of these moments was borne not from the ball flying directly at the hole and stopping, but rather players using the contours of the ground to execute their shots. Wherever possible, we will be looking for opportunities to add areas like this that our members can use to make golf more interesting and enjoyable.

It is important to note that the principles above were guidelines for the project and not steadfast rules. To stay true to our goal of variation, there will still be greens surrounded in deep rough, some narrow fairways (especially in longer landing areas), a few penal short hazards, and holes where the best play is still to fly the ball directly to the hole. The best golf courses in the world consist of a mix of all these elements in the correct proportions. The goal of this project has ultimately been to find that right recipe for Overbrook.

I realize that everyone who reads this will not share my passion for course architecture and the game it can produce but I’m sure a few of you will. In the event you would like to dive deeper into the subject, here are few books that you may enjoy:
 

1. Anatomy of Golf Course-Tom Doak (this was written very early in his career and is a great modern take on classical architecture)
2. Golf Architecture in America-George C Thomas (my personal favorite)
3. The Links-Robert Hunter
4. Golf Architecture-Dr. Alistair MacKenzie
5. The Architectural Side of Golf-H.N. Wethered and Tom Simpson

These five books provide a look into what can be accomplished with proper course design and construction as well as the challenges that Golf Course Architects face. It is amazing to read how the men that shaped golf over 100 years ago faced similar issues that we do today!

In closing, I cannot overstate my enthusiasm and excitement for the opportunity to execute this project. I appreciate the trust that you put in myself and my team as the stewards of your golf course and I am confident that we are going to produce a product that you will be proud to call your golfing home for decades to come.

Fairways and Greens,

Brandon Collins
Golf Course Superintendent