GS#327 Course Archetict Jeffrey Brauer joins host Fred Greene to discuss what contributing factors influence the design of a golf course, including theme, landscapes, owner/developers needs and player strategy. We focus on his design and challenges of designing the only NFL themed golf course in the USA, Cowboys Golf Club in Dallas, Texas.

This episode is brought to you by Audible.com. Sign up today and get your first audiobook for Free!

GSfMO#324 Tripp Davis returns for our Members Only episode to discuss how an understanding of golf course design can enhance your game and increase your golf IQ. Tripp makes some very interesting comments about the trend of lengthening golf courses that  include, “ In certain respects, it’s really become more about power. The game is about scoring. It’s not about how you hit the ball, it’s about how quickly you get the ball into the hole..” and “..it doesn’t makes sense…if you want to challenge the long hitting players, making the course longer does not necessarily challenge them, it plays into their hands…”

Golf Course Architect Tripp Davis has designed courses all over the world with respect for the game’s history and traditions. Two of his recent US designs are Old American and The Tribute, both in The Colony, Texas. We talk about what makes these courses unique, the current state of golf course architecture around the world, and how the success of the PGA Tour has affected the demands on new course construction.

Part 2 is a Members Only episode. Tripp returns and (more…)

GSfMO#288 Top100GolfCourses.co.uk should be your first stop when you need to find the best golf course anywhere in the world. Founder Andy Newmarch sits down with host Fred Greene in the grill before they play 18 together at Harding Park in San Francisco. Andy explains how the site aggregates the content from various sources and then averages those rankings to create his list. In your search you can narrow it down to local, national or global rankings. You can also provide your own reviews and photos.   By the way, Andy beat Fred by 2 strokes, both shooting in the upper 80s.

After 288 consecutive weeks, GOLF SMARTER is taking a 2 week vacation. Look forward to new episodes featuring Tony Manzoni and Jamie Zimron. We’ll also have video tips with them as well. Stay tuned!

(more…)

GSfMO#286 Looking at the yardage on the scorecard to determine which teebox you play may be a mistake! The better golfers always talk about course management, which is golf speak for “strategy”. Understanding an architect’s design tendencies can lower your score.  Jeff Beier is the (more…)

GSfMO#262 Robert Trent Jones, Jr is one of the most famous course architects in the world today. He’s also a member of a legendary family of course designers. In June, 2006 GOLF SMARTER host Fred Greene was hired to interview Jones for a video project about a course he was developing. The complete, nearly one hour interview has been in the vault but is now being released as a holiday gift to all GOLF SMARTER listeners. (more…)

#248
What will golf courses look like and who will be playing in 2020? 2030? Course architect Chuck Ermisch joins us for the second part of our conversation to tackle what is happening today when it comes to developing the real estate associated with courses and how cost affects design decisions for new courses.
(more…)

#247
Chuck Ermisch is a golf course architect who shares his thoughts on the state of the industry on building new courses, why tour pros are now putting their names on course design and what we should expect in the future. He shares a story of designing with Nick Faldo.

This is part 1 of a 2 part conversation. Next week we speak more about how an architect designs strategy into a course and how we can improve our round by understanding how to read the features of a course. We also talk about what’s going on around in golf architecture around the world. Join Golf Smarter for Members Only so that you don’t miss next week’s full episode.

This episode is brought to you by Audible.com. For those who’ve never opened an account, sign up to get a free audiobook of your choice. (more…)

Forrest Richardson, golf course architect sat down with me the day before Peacock Gap Golf Course in San Rafael, CA re-opened to the public after being closed for renovation for the past seven months. In episode #103 of the GOLF SMARTER podcast, we discussed the history of the course and it’s original designer, the importance of upgrading courses that were built in the 50′s and 60′s, how an architect views strategy in his designs and the future of golf in today’s society. (more…)

    1/2/07 – Episode #55.  Brian Silva is an outspoken and passionate golf course architect who discusses how being an average golfer helps when designing the layout of a hole.