Maverick Bay. National Treasure-Mike Strantz
Jun 22, 2024 1:33:52 GMT -5
blueblood1995, sroel908, and 12 more like this
Post by metatropic on Jun 22, 2024 1:33:52 GMT -5
Mike Strantz, a fine artist turned golf course architect, died tragically young after completing just 8 courses. A much misunderstood designer with a reputation for wild hole layouts and shifting masses of earth, Strantz was in reality a sophisticated architect rooted in deep traditions of course design. His biggest influences included Alister MacKenzie and his mentor Tom Fazio, but perhaps above all, the links courses of the British Isles, and in particular rugged Irish links such as Royal County Down and Ballybunion. Royal New Kent, perhaps his finest course, was a very deliberate (and successful) attempt to recreate an Irish links in inland Virginia.
His design philosophy was heavily influenced by his background in fine art; the visual impact of the hole layout was everything to him. It seems to me that he saw bunkers as brush strokes to lead the eye as much as hazards. He also subscribed to Mackenzie’s approach of making shots look much more difficult than they really are, so the ordinary golfer can feel heroic. Strantz’s courses look tough but there are lots of friendly bounces.
Introducing Maverick Bay
The setting
All but one of Strantz’s courses were built in the Southeastern US (the Carolinas and Virginia), close to his home. He was a dedicated family man who wanted to see his children every night. But he planned to branch out once his family grew up. I asked myself what his dream commission would have been and the answer seemed obvious; an Irish links.
My design approach
I immersed myself in LiDAR files of all 8 of Strantz’s courses, and made full RCRS of two, Tobacco Road (since on tour in CC and TST) and Royal New Kent. I took extensive notes of all his courses and identified a number of Strantz “templates” as well as numerous recurring design features. I built a plot in the Highlands theme with rugged dune lands and some adjoining rolling hills, overlooked by a village and castle ruins. The routing was driven by the landscape whilst incorporating a number of Strantz templates.
Set-up notes
Maverick Bay features 4 manipulated teesets. These mostly vary laterally more than in length, particularly on par 3s. All are suitable for tournament play; I recommend pairing the green tees with pinset 2. All other combinations are fine. The course is designed to play at default or fast green speeds. As it’s Highland remember to set firmness manually (firm or very firm).
I’ve enjoyed building this so much and learnt an awful lot about Strantz and I hope design in general. I hope you enjoy it too!
