December 2011 - January 2012 / Issue 206
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es in golf, but also a keen devotee of golf course architecture, which has s, aimed at revitalising some of the UK’s old layouts. Nick Bayly spent playing and watching golf at the highest level
at Doonbeg definitely in my top 10 courses in the world.” In keeping with his style of commentary, during which he is known for throwing the odd brickbat at players, Murray is not scared to point his arrow at a few sacred cows in terms of courses. “Augusta is a lovely place to play, but I don’t think it’s as great as people think,” he says. “It wouldn’t be in my top 10.” Moving on to his design dislikes, he is adamant on his No.1 enemy. “My pet hate is greens with lots of humps. It’s true there are humps on the links, but links greens are generally not very quick, so they can generally take it. Having said that, the greens at Kingsbarns in Scotland are way too undulating. I have never seen another links course with greens that sloping. I think it’s a phenomenal place, brilliantly laid out. But the second it gets windy, the greens become impossible.” Murray is equally vocal on the golfing authorities’ lack of response to advancements in equipment technology, which has had such a massive impact on modern course design. “I don’t think we can stop equipment development, because we were too slow noticing what it was doing,” he explains. “The authorities should have taken heed of what Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer were saying a few years ago.” Rather than curtailing technological progress, he reckons, the answer must come from course changes. “The solution is quite simple – if you have bunkers at 300-340 yards that are properly placed, and angled so that a really good driver of the ball can still place his drive, then you can defend the course. But the bunkers need to be a real hazard. Nobody builds real bunkers anymore. I don’t mean ones that are so
deep no amateur can get out of them, but ones that are not so big – not these Gobi Desert bunkers that are the same level as the fairway. I hate that look, and I hate even more that we are trying to copy them everywhere else.” One course that has seen more than its fair share of bunkers moved and remodeled is the West Course at Wentworth, a venue that seems to have become the Marmite of the golfing world. Once again, Murray is quick to highlight where he thinks the changes have worked, and where they haven’t been quite so successful. “I think the first seven holes are wonderful. Yes, they have been renovated, but they are in keeping with the Harry Colt design of days gone by. The first talking point is the eighth green. It is a little too raised, and that is not in keeping with Wentworth. Nine, 10 and 11 are good, but the 12th green is arguably too small a target for such a long par four. The entrance to 15 is also too narrow, given the tough par four it is, and I don’t like the front bunker at 16, because it takes the view of the green away from the player.” In full flow now, Murray saves his best until last. “The 17th is one of England’s iconic par fives. I like the fall-off area by the right of the green, but I don’t agree with the one to the left. I would prefer the bank to be restored, so that a shot hit towards the out of bounds would roll back to the target. Doing that would bring back the chance of an eagle, which has been missing from the last two PGA Championships. “The 18th is nearly right. The green is a huge improvement from last year, but I’ve always believed that the dip at the corner should be filled in and the fairway shaped from left to right. This is a made-for par four and today’s green is designed to receive a five or a six-iron from a flat lie. “Any revamp will need the odd change here and there, but the changes needed are minor and they would make the West Course what it deserves to be – one of the world’s finest.” With all this knowledge in the bank, Murray’s decision to launch himself into the commercial world of course design is a challenge that the man himself is looking forward to immensely. “I
have a real passion for design, and believe I have the expertise to pass this on to golf clubs that are looking to enhance the playing experience for their members. I would like to be able to come into a club and undertake a complete overview of where I see that cost-effective improvements can be made – ideally by the club’s own greenkeeping team – and that can really make a difference to the enjoyment of the course. This could be anything from relocating bunkers, changing the angle of tees, shape of the fairways and approaches to greens, to enlarging putting surfaces to create a greater variety of pin positions.” Speed of play is another of Murray’s passions, and it’s an issue that relates back as much to course design, as it does to golfers’ willingness to get a shift on. “So much of slow play is down to poor course design, whether it be caused by tricked up greens, silly pin positions, thick rough close to the fairways, or overgrown areas of trees,” he says. “The way to speed up play, without making the course too easy, is to widen the fairways and make the challenge increasingly more testing as you reach the green. That way, higher handicappers don’t spend hours looking for balls off the tee, but good players have to be accurate with their approaches. This type of design is perhaps best seen at Castle Stuart, home of the Scottish Open, where wide fairways are the norm, but the closer you get to the putting surface the more
challenging it becomes, with run-offs, swales, grass bunkers and pot bunkers requiring the player to think before pulling out a wedge.” Murray is adamant that length is not the answer when it comes to modernising an established course. “Improving the strategic element of every shot is the key to renovating a course, and bringing it into the modern age. Too many courses allow players to simply stand on the tee and hit driver. I’d like to bring back a bit of course management into the equation, where a 3-wood or even an iron off the tee might be the better option. Clubs also need to look at their greens, and see whether they can enlarge the putting surface and increase the number of possible pin positions. This not only reduces wear and tear on greens, but also allows for some extra strategic pin placement, which can often completely change the way a hole can be played. They are little things, which don’t cost a lot of money to do.” In these testing economic times, where many clubs are struggling to hold on to their members, investing in the course is often the last thing on the agenda, but for Murray the course is everything. “It’s no use having a stunning clubhouse and lovely changing rooms if the very thing that keeps golfers coming back is tired and out of step with the way golf is played today,” he says. Please see overleaf for a case study of Pyecombe Golf Club.
Ewen Murray lists Les Bordes (below) as one of his favourite layouts, although he finds the greens at Kingsbarns (bottom) too tricked up for his liking