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Golf
TI: With it being Masters time, you must have a
fondness for early April at Augusta, the scene of two of your
greatest triumphs.
Ben Crenshaw:
THERE’S SIMPLY NO PLACE LIKE AUGUSTA.
THE FEELING THERE IS LIKE NO OTHER PLACE.
AND IT’S A COMBINATION OF SO MANY THINGS:
BOBBY JONES, CLIFFORD ROBERTS, THE GRANDEUR AND MAJESTY, THE
CLUBHOUSE, THE PEOPLE AND THE HISTORY.
GTI: Do you
have favorite courses? We won’t ask you to rate them, but can you pick out five or
ten of your favorites. What
about them makes them special to you?
BC: CERTAINLY
AUGUSTA IS AT THE TOP OF THE LIST, BUT THERE ARE SO MANY.
PINE VALLEY, THE NATIONAL GOLF CLUB ON LONG ISLAND, WINGED
FOOT, CYPRESS POINT, CRYSTAL DOWNS, AND FOR PERSONAL REASONS TWO OF
MY FAVORITES ARE CHICAGO GOLF CLUB AND THE SAND HILLS.
WORLDWIDE, CERTAINLY ST. ANDREWS AND ROYAL MELBOURNE ARE AT
THE TOP OF MY LIST.
GTI: In
January 2002, you will qualify for the Senior Tour, is that in the
cards? How will it
affect your design business?
BC: BILL
COORE AND I WILL CONTINUE TO TAKE THE DESIGN BUSINESS AT A
REASONABLE PACE. WE
LIKE TO SPEND TIME ON EACH JOB, SO WE DON’T TAKE ON MORE THAN TWO
PROJECTS AT A TIME. I
DO PLAN ON PLAYING QUITE A BIT ON THE SENIOR TOUR BEGINNING IN
JANUARY, PROBABLY 20-22 EVENT A YEAR.
GTI: You were
one of Harvey Penick’s pupils, what affect did he have on your
game?
BC: WELL,
HAVING HARVEY AS A TEACHER HAD MORE EFFECT ON ME THAN JUST AS A
TEACHER. HE TAUGHT ME
SO MUCH ABOUT LIFE. I
DON’T THINK THERE WAS KINDER PERSON THAT I HAVE EVER MET UNLESS IT
WAS MY MOTHER. HIS
PHILOSOPHY WAS SO SIMPLE YET SO PRACTICAL.
AS A TEACHER, HE COULD MAKE ONE COMMENT AND GIVE YOU
SOMETHING TO KEY ON. SUDDENLY
THINGS WOULD COME TOGETHER. I
MISS HIM EVERY DAY.
GTI: The best
putt you ever made? Was it the sixty-foot putt in the 84 Masters?
BC: THE SIXTY
FOOT PUT ON #10 IN THE 1984 MASTERS WAS CERTAINLY THE MOST IMPORTANT
I EVER MADE. THE BEST,
WELL, THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT I’M PROUD OF, AND MANY WERE AT
AUGUSTA. THE SECOND
PUTT I HAD IN 1984 ON #14 WAS CERTAINLY THE BEST PUTT I MADE UNDER
TOUGH CIRCUMSTANCES. I
HAD LEFT MY FIRST PUTT 20 FEET SHORT RIGHT AT THE TOP OF A CREST.
I HAD ANOTHER PUTT OF 70 FEET PLUS ON THE SAME GREEN IN THE
1995 MASTERS ON SATURDAY FROM THE FRONT OF THE GREEN WITH THE PIN ON
THE RIGHT BACK. I LAGGED IT UP TO ABOUT A FOOT.
CARL JACKSON, MY CADDY, CALLED IT THE MEANEST PUTT HE HAD
EVER SEEN.
GTI: Can you
tell us about the two Masters wins?
How did the two compare?
BC: I HAD
COME SO CLOSE SO MANY TIMES BEFORE 1984.
I CAME INTO THE TOURNAMENT PLAYING PRETTY WELL.
I THINK I WAS THIRD OR FOURTH AT GREENSBORO, THE WEEK BEFORE.
I GOT OFF TO A GOOD START AND THEN MADE SEVERAL KEY PUTTS
FROM #8 ON DURING THE SUNDAY ROUND.
IN 1995, I CAME
INTO THE TOURNAMENT PLAYING VERY POORLY.
MY FOOT WAS BOTHERING ME (I EVENTUALLY HAD SURGERY), AND OF
COURSE, HARVEY HAD DIED THE PREVIOUS SUNDAY.
I HAD NO IDEA WHAT TO EXPECT.
MY CADDY CARL JACKSON GAVE ME A LITTLE TIP ON THE DRIVING
RANGE ON MONDAY, AND IT GAVE ME SOMETHING TO KEY ON.
I STARTED HITTING IT VERY WELL.
AS THE TOURNAMENT STARTED A SORT OF CALM CAME OVER ME AND
THINGS FELL TOGETHER NICELY. I GOT A FEW GOOD BOUNCES AND NEVER ONCE THREE-PUTTED DURING
THE WEEK. CARL SAID
THERE WAS NO COMPARISON BETWEEN THE WAY I PLAYED IN 1995 AND 1984.
HE SAID 1995 WAS MUCH MORE SOLID.
GTI: What was
it like being a part of the 99 Ryder Cup?
Was that a highlight of your career?
Where does it fit in?
BC: BEING
CAPTAIN OF THE RYDER CUP TEAM WAS RIGHT UP THERE WITH WINNING THE
TWO MASTERS, BUT IT’S VERY DIFFERENT WHEN YOU ARE NOT PLAYING.
THERE ARE SO MANY DETAILS TO ‘TEND TO WHEN YOU ARE THE
CAPTAIN FROM CLOTHING TO HOTEL ARRANGEMENTS TO RULES, COURSE SETUP,
PAIRINGS AND ON AND ON. I
COULDN’T BELIEVE WE WERE ACTUALLY FOUR POINTS BEHIND GOING INTO
THE LAST DAY BECAUSE OUR GUYS WERE PLAYING VERY WELL.
JUST A BREAK HERE OR THERE AND THE MATCHES WOULD HAVE BEEN A
COUPLE OF POINTS CLOSERS. THAT’S
ONE REASON I HAD A FEELING WE WERE CAPABLE OF WINNING ON SUNDAY.
GTI: You have
a long standing relationship with Bill Coore, how did that come
about?
BC: I MET
BILL COORE IN LATE 1985 DURING A SITE VISIT IN CORPUS CHRISTI,
TEXAS. A MUTUAL FRIEND
KNEW OUR PHILOSOPHIES ON COURSE DESIGN WERE SIMILAR AND THOUGHT WE
SHOULD MEET. I SAW A
COURSE HE HAD RECENTLY DESIGNED IN ROCKPORT, TEXAS AND WAS
IMMEDIATELY IMPRESSED. WE
FORMED OUR PARTNERSHIP THE NEXT YEAR AND SET ABOUT BUILDING A
COMPANY.
GTI: As well
as devoting time to design you have undertaken some redesigns, of
big name courses, how hard is that versus a new design?
BC: WE DID
QUITE A BIT OF RENOVATION IN OUR FIRST FEW YEARS.
THE REAL ESTATE MARKET WAS BAD AND WE WERE TRYING TO BUILD A
REPUTATION. I
WOULDN’T SAY WE DID ANY REDESIGN, IT WAS MORE RENOVATION OR
RESTORATION WORK. WE
HAD VERY POSITIVE EXPERIENCES AT HOUSTON COUNTRY CLUB, BROOK HOLLOW
COUNTRY CLUB, LAKEWOOD COUNTRY CLUB (DALLAS) AND ONION CREEK COUNTRY
CLUB. THEY ARE MUCH
MORE DIFFICULT THAN NEW DESIGN BECAUSE AT TIMES THEY TEND TO GET
POLITICAL. MEMBERS GET
ATTACHED TO TREES, WHICH MIGHT NOT BE THE BEST THING FOR AGRONOMY,
THINGS LIKE THAT. WE NO
LONGER DO RENOVATION WORK BECAUSE WE ARE FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAVE
QUITE A FEW OFFERS FOR NEW WORK.
GTI: The
situation at Riviera, where you redesigned and recommended reseeding
of the greens with Crenshaw\Cato turf and they resodded, the outcome
was awful, is that an accurate account. How did you deal with that situation?
BC: NOT
NECESSARILY AWFUL, BECAUSE RIVIERA IS SUCH A SPECIAL PLACE.
I’M VERY PROUD OF THE WORK WE DID ON RESTORING THE BUNKERS.
THE LIPS HAD MAYBE 12-18 INCHES OF SAND BUILDUP FROM OVER THE YEARS
AND OUR CREW TOOK THEM DOWN AND MATCHED THE PREVIOUS CONTOURS SO
WELL THAT THE MEMBERS COULDN’T EVEN TELL WE TOUCHED THEM.
BUT IT OPENED UP SIGHT LINES INTO THE GREENS.
A FEW TREES WERE CUT BACK, AND AGAIN, HOPEFULLY THE MEMBERS
DIDN’T NOTICE. WE
ENLARGED THE GREENS TO THEIR ORIGINAL SIZE AND WHEN WE REBUILT THE
SURFACES WE MATCHED THE ORIGINAL CONTOURS.
THE DISASTER CAME WITH THE SOD.
UNFORTUNATELY, SODDING THE GREENS WAS NOT AS SUCCESSFUL AS
SEEDING MIGHT HAVE BEEN. IT
HAS TAKEN A FEW YEARS AND LOT OF WORK TO GET THE GRASS HEALTHY.
CERTAINLY WE REGRET THE SITUATION, BUT MANAGEMENT OVERRULED
US TO SOD RATHER THAN SEED. THEY
WERE TRYING TO LOOK OUT FOR THEIR MEMBERS AND GET THEM BACK ON THE
COURSE SOONER, BUT IT BACKFIRED.
GTI: You new
book which is released April 3rd, is titled “A Feel For
the Game – To Brookline and Back”, does the title refer to your
trip to Brookline as a sixteen year old?
How did that trip influence your design company?
BC: IT WAS
THE FIRST TIME I HAD BEEN UP EAST AND SEEN BENT GRASS FAIRWAYS.
I WAS AFRAID TO TAKE A DIVOT.
THE SMALL GREENS AND ROCK OUTCROPPINGS AT THE COUNTRY CLUB
WERE UNIQUE, AND I STARTED TO REALIZE THAT THERE WAS A TREMENDOUS
DIFFERENCE IN GOLF DESIGN AND HOW DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE COUNTRY HAD
DIFFERENT LOOKS ON THE COURSES.
IT BECAME A FASCINATION WITH ME AND STARTED MY INTEREST IN
GOLF COURSE ARCHITECTURE.
GTI: Speaking
of your design company, you have not created mass numbers of
courses. Would it be
fair to say you have taken a one at a time approach?
BC: AGAIN,
BECAUSE UNTIL RECENTLY I PLAYED A LOT OF TOUR GOLF (AND I WILL AGAIN
AS A SENIOR), BILL AND I DECIDED TO ONLY BUILD TWO COURSES AT A
TIME. WE HAVE A GREAT
CREW OF SHAPERS AND PREFER TO GIVE EACH COURSE AT LOT OF PERSONAL
ATTENTION.
GTI: As much
as designers do not like to choose favorites, obviously Sand Hills
has garnered you a great deal of attention.
It is rumored that you only moved 5,000 cubic yards building
the entire course, most designers move that to make one tee complex.
Is that the genius of Sand Hills?
BC: THE SAND
HILLS WAS JUST SITTING THERE. ALL
WE HAD TO DO WAS ROUTE THE HOLES AND BUILD THE GREENS.
WE MOVED SO LITTLE DIRT THAT IT WAS AMAZING.
GTI:
How do you outdo a course (Sand Hills),
which has been ranked the best modern course in the United States? Can you take a minimalist approach on all designs, or does it
depend on the parcel of land?
BC: WE WILL
NEVER FIND ANOTHER PIECE OF LAND LIKE THE SAND HILLS.
IT WAS A ONCE-IN-A-LIFETIME PROJECT.
THAT’S NOT TO SAY WE HAVEN’T DONE OTHER WORK THAT WE ARE
PROUD OF ON VERY GOOD PIECES OF LAND.
BUT THAT’S THE WAY WE DECIDE IF WE WILL DO A PROJECT.
EVERYTHING IS LAND DRIVEN.
WE HAVE BEEN FORTUNATE TO WORK FOR SOME FINE PEOPLE WITH
VISION THAT HAVE GIVEN US A GREAT DEAL OF LATITUDE TO DO OUR WORK.
GTI: With
four courses opening in 2000, is that a trend that Crenshaw-Coore is
going in the coming years?
BC: IT WAS
JUST A COINCIDENCE THAT FOUR COURSES OF OURS OPENED THROUGHOUT 2000.
WE WERE STILL JUST WORKING ON TWO AT A TIME, BUT THE PLANTING
AND GROW IN PERIODS WERE DIFFERENT AND TWO OPENED EARLY IN THE YEAR
AND TWO LATE IN THE YEAR. WE
MAY NOT HAVE ANY OPEN IN 2001.
GTI: What
projects do you have that we should be aware of coming soon?
BC: WE ARE
CURRENTLY WORKING ON PROJECTS IN RIVERHEAD, NEW YORK (LONG ISLAND)
AND IN EGG HARBOR, NEW JERSEY, JUST OUTSIDE OF ATLANTIC CITY.
BOTH ARE ON NICE PIECES OF PROPERTY AND WE ARE VERY EXCITED
WITH THE WORK THAT HAS TAKEN PLACE THUS FAR.
WE SHOULD BE PLANTING BOTH IN THE SUMMER, SO THEY WILL OPEN
IN 2002. AFTER THAT WE
WILL BE DOING PROJECTS IN LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY AND IN EAST TEXAS.
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