Jawing with Jack Golden Bear says superintendents need to understand payability and architects need to aim for more than just top-rated tracks BY LARRY AYLWARD, EDITOR Nicklaus says superintendents don't neces- sarily have to play a lot of golf or be decent play- f there's one thing superintendents ers to understand playability — but it helps. need to improve, says Jack Nicklaus, Nicklaus says his long-time employee Ed it's learning the playability of their golf Etchells, president of Golfturf (a division of courses. So if you're a superintendent Golden Bear International) and the company's who doesn't know how your golf head agronomist, doesn't play golf, but he course plays, Nicklaus advises you to learned how Nicklaus prefers his courses to play. learn its tendencies — from the thick- "I had to hammer it into his head," Nick- ness of the grass in the rough to the firmness of laus says of his 29-year employee. "It took a long Ithe sand in the bunkers. time for him to understand what I was inter- Many superintendents don't understand ested in." what playability should be because they don't Etchells, a former superintendent, was more play their own courses enough, Nicklaus asserts. interested in how courses appeared, says Nick- The Golden Bear is not afraid to imply that laus, who stresses that there's a difference be- many superintendents don't know how their tween agronomy and playability. "Playability is courses should play because they ain't got game. about how a course plays, not about how pretty "A lot of superintendents aren't very good play- or green it is," he adds. ers, and a lot of them don't play golf," he adds. While Nicklaus is not afraid to criticize su- Who's going to argue with a guy who won perintendents, he also recognizes their impor- 18 Majors? But don't stew if you don't agree tance to the industry. with Nicklaus' observation. He's not trying to "What did they make 25 years ago? $20,000? be antagonistic. Nicklaus realizes many super- And what do they make today?" Nicklaus asks, intendents don't have time to play their own aware of the answer. "Obviously, superinten- courses, but he also knows golfers appreciate dents are a big deal. But there aren't enough good superintendents who maintain their courses ac- superintendents to fill all the golf courses that cording to proper playability. want high-profile maintenance." Nicklaus sympathizes with superin- days, Nicklaus is garnering a lot of press start in architecture about 35 years ago. tendents who are under pressure from and prestige for his golf course design. "He called me up and said, 'Jack, I'm green committees and golfers to keep their "He has left a very large Golden Bear doing a golf course on the other side of courses in near-immaculate condition. He footprint on golf course architecture town, and I'd like you to come out and knows upscale courses must also have the around the world," says fellow architect take a look at it to see what you think.' I hefty maintenance budgets in place so su- Rees Jones. said to him, 'What would I know?' " perintendents can do their jobs effectively. Dublin, Ohio's Muirfield Village GC, The course was The Golf Club in New "What most golfers want is a good which Nicklaus designed with Desmond Albany, Ohio, one of Dye's and golf's putting surface, a good tee surface and Muirfield in 1974, is regarded as one of greatest tracks, which opened in 1967. reasonably good fairway grass," Nicklaus the nation's top modern courses. So is Nicklaus went to the site, and it's a day says. "The rest of the golf course isn't as Harbour Town Golf Links, which Nick- he remembers vividly. "It was the first time important to them." laus helped Pete Dye design in 1970 in I'd ever been on a golf course that was Until Tiger Woods unseats him, the Hilton Head, S.C. Nick- under construction," Nicklaus says. Columbus, Ohio-born Nicklaus will carry laus says Dye Nicklaus recalls standing with Dye the greatest-golfer-ever label. But these gave him his near the second hole. "There was a beautiful round green with four round bunkers around it," Nicklaus says. "Pete said to me, 'What do you think of it?' I said, 'It looks awful.' He said, 'I think it looks awful, too. What would you do?' " Of his first experience with design, Nicklaus remarks, "I had a blast." He says Dye called him a few weeks later and offered him a consulting job. "Working with Pete and Alice [Dye, Pete's wife] was one of the greatest ex- periences I've ever had," Nicklaus says. "That started something for me that has been very special." Designing golf courses enables him to leave a legacy, Nicklaus says. Muirfield Village, perhaps, will be Nicklaus greatest gift to the golf world. "It represents what I believe and love about the game," Nicklaus says. The notion to build a "spe- cial" golf course near his home- town struck Nicklaus during the 1966 Masters. He was inspired by Georgia-born Bobby Jones, who pursued his goal of building a dream course, Augusta Na- tional, in his home state in the 1930s. Jones teamed with famed architect Alister MacKenzie. Continued on page 50 Jawing with Jack Continued from page 49 and who's going to get the best award," A Who's Who of golf course architects helped "I was thinking, wouldn't it be neat to Nicklaus says, adding that architects often Jack Nicklaus celebrate his reception of the create something like this in Columbus?" conveniendy pass the prices of their lav- Donald Ross Award in May. Pictured from Nicklaus recalls. "The idea was to bring ish designs on to owners. "I'm as guilty as left to right are Arthur Hills, Pete Dye, Mike golf back to my hometown." the rest of us, but I don't think we need Hurdzan, Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer. Nicklaus went looking for a course site to be outdoing each other." in the Columbus area in the mid-'60s. Nicklaus probably was preaching to as designers, some critics say. Muirfield was eventually built on land the choir when he told fellow architects Damian Pascuzzo, president of the where Nicklaus hunted as a kid. that the far-flying golf balls used on the ASGCA, disagrees with the critics, and It was fitting that Nicklaus received PGA Tour are hurting the game. Too says Nicklaus brings a distinctive per- the American Society of Golf Course many courses have to be lengthened be- spective to design. Architects' most prestigious honor — the cause players are using balls manufactured "He has played golf all over the world, 2001 Donald Ross Award — in the din- to travel to the next town, he says. and he has played under intense, compet- ing area of Muirfield's homey clubhouse "When I first came into the ASGCA itive conditions," Pascuzzo says. "That's a on a cool spring evening in May. More about eight years ago, we had a poll in viewpoint I could never bring to a client." than 150 of Nicklaus' architectural peers, which 93 percent of you said the golf ball Pascuzzo admits that Nicklaus' name including Dye, Arnold Palmer, Tom was the biggest problem in our profes- gives him a marketing leg up. Fazio, Robert Trent Jones Jr., Rees Jones sion," Nicklaus says. "If that was the "Would we love to command his fees? and Geoffrey Cornish, were in attendance, biggest problem then, what do you think Absolutely," Pascuzzo says. "But Jack clad in their traditional red-and-black it is now?" brings a lot to the table that a lot of us plaid member jackets. Nicklaus received Nicklaus says average golfers should can't in terms of name recognition. My the award for making "significant con- be allowed to use "improve-your-distance" name does not sell real estate." tributions to the game of golf and pro- balls. But he insists a regulation ball — Nicklaus told his peers that he's a fession of golf course architecture." and not a specialized solid-core ball — be "lucky guy" to have had found success in Nicklaus addressed his colleagues can- designated for tournament golf. two careers. He advised the architects to didly and humbly. He said architects Interestingly, there is talk that Nick- work together. should stop aiming for trophies when de- laus isn't a full-fledged architect. Nicklaus "This is a cooperation, not a compe- signing golf courses. and other golfer/architects use their em- tition," he told them. "If there's anything "It's a shame, but everything seems to inent names to command big projects, I can ever do to help any of you, please be about what your golf course is rated but they aren't heavily involved in them feel free to ask." • .