Charles Joachim a mentor and friend

Charles Joachim and I first met over ten years ago when a local golf contractor asked me to GPS map their bunker work at Champions Golf Club.  Charles was the superintendent for 28 years over both courses, Cypress Creek and Jack Rabbit.  During his tenure he was responsible for a USGA Amateur Championship and five PGA Tour Championships.  He oversaw the complete remodel to Jack Rabbit, and improved the Cypress Creek course in countless ways, including resurfacing all the greens - which includes floating out and shaping the huge historic putting surfaces - they average over 10,000 square feet.

Charles office has been a breeding ground for highly successful superintendents.  One very proud accomplishment of his was how he mentored several assistants who have gone on to manage other highly regarded clubs.  He spent so much time teaching and still answers their questions when they could use great advice.

Charles gave me countless tours of Cypress Creek and Jack Rabbit.  We would talk about all the details we could improve and what was the next priority.  I acted part architect and part stenographer when compiling all of our notes over the years.

I am lucky to have had his help away from Champions over the years too, always adding great practical suggestions and lessons learned.  Fortunately we will continue to work together, as he is helping Don Mahaffey and myself on a current Greens renovation project south of Houston.

Pictured above is Charles, myself and Mr. Jackie Burke Jr., owner of Champions and the 1956 Masters Champion.  It was hard to tell where Charles ended and Mr. Burke began as they are both full of so much history, golf and business knowledge.

Charles will always be a dear friend.  Thank you.

You can find Charles here on LinkedIn if you'd like some help too:

• www.linkedin.com/pub/charles-joachim/46/a90/b58/

Golf Course 2.0

The Architect's Digest in Texas Golfer Magazine:  My most recent essay details a little of what I would recommend for a new course and how to encourage the beginning player to join us for some fun.  Click to read the pdf or the link to the entire digitial issue.

Do beginners like interesting?

Recently I read about a municipality building a six hole beginner course to compliment its main golf course.  They will be using donated funds in an effort to introduce people to golf - it will cost $10 and not take very long.  This sounds great, I'd love to have someplace to bring youngsters to play, I can think of no good place in Houston.  Hopefully they will be able to use the existing golf infrastructure to keep costs minimized.
One thing puzzled me however:

"The course would be set up as a “learning center” with flat greens, flat bunkers and holes just 60 to 120 yards long, where golfers of all ages and abilities could play."

Why build flat greens?  The most famous putting course in the world, The Himalayas at St. Andrews, is also the wildest.  All ranges of people have been playing there since 1867!  Check out these pictures. It costs $3.  And it was something I was looking forward to playing when I visited St. Andrews a few years ago.

Flat greens are boring.  If I were to introduce someone to the game, I would like them to see the fun parts first.  Golf is interesting, and complex.  Why hide its best qualities?

Pictured above is the 17th green at Wolf Point - it is filled with interest - so can every green.

Last week The Eden Green at The Old Course was one of the best in the world.

The Old Course at St. Andrews was established in 1552, and has enjoyed the recreational golfer since the early 1400's.  It is a public and publically owned golf course.  On Sundays it becomes a park for anyone to stroll the grounds - pets are welcome too!

Today a fellow player, Colin Donaldson, tweeted the above picture - he shot a 72 amongst the rubble.

The picture is of The Eden green (#11) and is roughly 10,000 square feet – not counting the adjoined 7^th green.

I’ve heard, and remember, the slope of the green is more than 4%, or it rises 1 foot for every 25 feet.

To get the slope down to "their" desired pinable level, or more fair?!?, it would have to be reduced to ~2%.

That means if the change in elevation from the front of the green to the back is 4 feet, the back would have to drop 2 feet.

To drop the back 2 feet, it would require almost the entire side to be disturbed.

That is what is happening in the above picture.

They chose a starting point for where the green would need to be cut to achieve the 2 ft drop in the back without looking like a shelf.

The area is large, it appears as if they are disturbing 2,500 sft.

The sod has been cut and removed and placed so it can be replaced and replanted when complete.

They are using a laser to help measure and ensure that the desired slopes are achieved.

It is a usually slow process.

I assume they would also need to adjust the irrigation line and lower the surrounding irrigation sprinklers.

Why does this matter?

Last week this was one of the coolest holes in the World, now it is a little less unique.

You can follow us on twitter for now and we’ll be posting more about this greatest of holes.

It is too late, but still informative: #Savetheoldcourse.

Texas Golfer Fall Issue Essay

Texas Golfer Magazine published my essay in its current fall issue.  I describe how the game should be more fun for everyone, especially women.  The short version is that I tee off from the most interesting location, and don't worry about my handicap.  Click the image to read or this link to the entire digitial issue.  Cheers and go vote!

Take your daughter to the golf course week.

The PGA of America and the National Golf Course Owners Association are encouraging everyone to introduce daughters, granddaughters and nieces to the game of golf during Take Your Daughter to the Course Week, July 9-15. More than 1,000 participating facilities across the country will offer free green fees to girls accompanied by a paying adult, with many facilities also offering free clinics for young ladies.


Great idea, but it is kind of like telling parents to validate to their kids.  Every golf course should encourage children, daughters, women, seniors regularly -- some more than others.  But in general, children aren't welcomed at most courses.  There is no appropriate course for me to take my daughters to play in Houston - a fun pitch -n- putt.  (I did blow up an un-fun one and built a cool golf center in its place: Swanson's).


Thankfully I do on occasion get to take them to a course we built on the coast. There is lots of room for them to play. It is great to see them have fun enjoying all different aspects of the experience.

An interesting putting green

In designing a pair of practice putting greens for a public course, I drew a set of green surfaces that included interesting, yet subtle contour. I was asked to redraw the green contours to be simple sloped planes to match those on the course.


It is a valid request, but these putting greens are where the new player will first meet the golf course, or maybe any golf course.  I'd rather it be an interesting meeting.


Their request inspired me to compose this quote: 


One neat element of a creative putting green is you can always find a straight or flat putt on one, but the converse is not true. 
You can never find a creative putt on a flat green. 
 -- Mike Nuzzo


The following videos, while very cool, show how predictable a flat planar surface can be:

Little Linksters!

I was visiting with Matt and his new superintendent at Swanson's Golf Center. The Little Linksters were getting a lesson and having a core training session. It looked both like a lot of fun and challenging. It would have been impossible to do this at the old facility.

Each area or piece of equipment is a separate station for a golf/fitness exercise.

Next time I'll get a picture of them all in action...

Can your facility teach the game like this?

Update:
This wasn't little linksters but the Junor Golf Academy - a combination of golf and fitness.
For the little linksters they mow one of the target greens down tight and have them play on the range as if it were a par 3 - part of our initial concept for the range.