Post by InThisStyle on Oct 1, 2021 8:47:08 GMT -5
I did a deep dive on Emmet, spent several days gathering as much information as I could and ended up with this:
Devereux Emmet was, along with Seth Raynor, CB Macdonald’s primary partner during the design of NGLA. At the time of his death, most sources attribute in excess of 150 golf courses to Emmet, primarily in the northeast of the United States.
In contrast to some of his contemporaries, Emmet was a staunch naturalist, practicing the credo ‘integrate, don’t decimate’. With this in mind, it's no surprise that Emmet didn't shy away from blind and/or obstructed shots. His fairways were very often described as wild, free-flowing, and in some cases "in the mold of tidal waves". He never went out of his way to dig ponds or lakes to bring water into play, yet he used natural brooks with great sensitivity at many of his courses.
While still influenced by template design, having on many occasions used templates such as bottle and sahara, in his own words, “We firmly chose to avoid classic holes like Redan and Eden because they have been overdone in the United States.” Emmet emphasized angles and player choice in the route of play.
Generally speaking, Emmet employed mounding and elevated green sites to add difficulty, as well as a variety of bunkering schemes that could easily be defined as “quirky” or unusual. In fact, by the end of his career, his bunkering was often described as "artistic"—employing (modified) church pew layouts, E and S-shaped bunkers, as well as abstract swirls/shapes with grass mounds left in them to further outline unique shapes.
Emmet is also known for his peculiar routing strategy—'less is more' on finishing holes—he often closed his courses with consecutive short par fours or a combination of a short four and a three. He often routed his courses over 3 hole loops ensuring players experienced all wind and contour cardinality.
It would be impossible to pin Emmet to a single style, instead, his layouts evolved and changed as his career progressed.
While still credited as the original designer of Congressional, what exists today contains almost nothing of the original layout. Many of his courses do of course still exist, a few of the more notables are Bethpage State Park (Green), Huntington CC, St. George’s, and Garden City Golf Club.
Six of Emmet's courses have hosted national championships.
Devereux Emmet was, along with Seth Raynor, CB Macdonald’s primary partner during the design of NGLA. At the time of his death, most sources attribute in excess of 150 golf courses to Emmet, primarily in the northeast of the United States.
In contrast to some of his contemporaries, Emmet was a staunch naturalist, practicing the credo ‘integrate, don’t decimate’. With this in mind, it's no surprise that Emmet didn't shy away from blind and/or obstructed shots. His fairways were very often described as wild, free-flowing, and in some cases "in the mold of tidal waves". He never went out of his way to dig ponds or lakes to bring water into play, yet he used natural brooks with great sensitivity at many of his courses.
While still influenced by template design, having on many occasions used templates such as bottle and sahara, in his own words, “We firmly chose to avoid classic holes like Redan and Eden because they have been overdone in the United States.” Emmet emphasized angles and player choice in the route of play.
Generally speaking, Emmet employed mounding and elevated green sites to add difficulty, as well as a variety of bunkering schemes that could easily be defined as “quirky” or unusual. In fact, by the end of his career, his bunkering was often described as "artistic"—employing (modified) church pew layouts, E and S-shaped bunkers, as well as abstract swirls/shapes with grass mounds left in them to further outline unique shapes.
Emmet is also known for his peculiar routing strategy—'less is more' on finishing holes—he often closed his courses with consecutive short par fours or a combination of a short four and a three. He often routed his courses over 3 hole loops ensuring players experienced all wind and contour cardinality.
It would be impossible to pin Emmet to a single style, instead, his layouts evolved and changed as his career progressed.
While still credited as the original designer of Congressional, what exists today contains almost nothing of the original layout. Many of his courses do of course still exist, a few of the more notables are Bethpage State Park (Green), Huntington CC, St. George’s, and Garden City Golf Club.
Six of Emmet's courses have hosted national championships.
