WEBVTT - Steve Wenzloff 0:00:00.080 --> 0:00:02.560 I miss a green, for example, I'm already upset. 0:00:02.680 --> 0:00:04.960 When I find my ball in the bunker, I'm really upset. 0:00:05.040 --> 0:00:07.560 And when I find my ball in arid egg Friday 0:00:07.560 --> 0:00:12.719 Egg Friday, Friday, Bride Egg Lie, I'm about ready to 0:00:12.800 --> 0:00:14.160 run off the golf course. 0:00:39.520 --> 0:00:42.519 Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another edition of the 0:00:42.520 --> 0:00:46.000 Frida Egg Podcast. Today we are live from the Players 0:00:46.080 --> 0:00:49.680 Championship and we are joined by Steve Winslav, who's the 0:00:49.800 --> 0:00:54.840 vice president of the PGA Tours Design Services and Player Liaison. 0:00:55.600 --> 0:00:56.440 Steve, welcome and. 0:00:56.480 --> 0:00:58.360 Board, thank you. It's good to be here, good to 0:00:58.400 --> 0:00:58.920 be here with you. 0:00:59.360 --> 0:01:03.720 Yeah, so big week for you, obviously with the changes 0:01:03.760 --> 0:01:07.720 that one of you know, America's most iconic and memorable 0:01:07.880 --> 0:01:12.160 golf courses. You know, the big changes are the twelfth hole, 0:01:13.600 --> 0:01:16.319 and then there's some other small subtle changes and you know, 0:01:16.400 --> 0:01:21.200 completely new greens, green surfaces. But first, I think a 0:01:21.200 --> 0:01:22.920 lot of people would love to hear a little bit 0:01:22.920 --> 0:01:23.960 about your background. 0:01:24.200 --> 0:01:28.840 Sure Landscape Architecture, University of Georgia been here with the 0:01:29.080 --> 0:01:32.720 with the PGA Tour now for twenty years. Originally started 0:01:32.760 --> 0:01:37.600 with the tpc's development of the tPCS and still still 0:01:37.600 --> 0:01:40.959 work very actively with the tPCS, but have evolved more 0:01:41.000 --> 0:01:44.560 into PGA tour side and sanctioned events and working on 0:01:44.640 --> 0:01:49.160 golf course modifications, significant golf course modifications basically any PGA 0:01:49.280 --> 0:01:53.120 tour sanction venue and then new venue assessment as well. 0:01:53.520 --> 0:01:57.200 So how did you get into the architecture world, like 0:01:57.440 --> 0:01:59.760 you know, was there a moment that said I want 0:01:59.800 --> 0:02:01.960 to I want to design golf courses? 0:02:02.000 --> 0:02:05.720 And yeah, the moment was early on actually before I 0:02:06.040 --> 0:02:09.200 before I went to college, I was doing landscape art, 0:02:09.280 --> 0:02:12.359 was always working outside, working down in South Florida in 0:02:13.040 --> 0:02:18.000 tree farms and bedding plants, horticulture, landscape design, build and 0:02:18.320 --> 0:02:21.119 always felt though I wanted to get into bigger projects 0:02:21.120 --> 0:02:23.480 who were doing more small small projects. I always wanted 0:02:23.520 --> 0:02:26.959 to get into larger scale sites at that same time 0:02:27.000 --> 0:02:28.760 as when I got introduced to the game of golf, 0:02:28.760 --> 0:02:30.639 sort of sort of late, but I got introduced to 0:02:30.639 --> 0:02:33.400 it at that point in time and started studying it 0:02:33.440 --> 0:02:37.000 more and realizing that it really tied into sort of 0:02:37.000 --> 0:02:39.799 the path that I was heading on. Once I did 0:02:39.800 --> 0:02:44.519 switch from aviation into ultimately into landscape architecture and work. 0:02:44.560 --> 0:02:46.760 When I went to University Georgia, I went specifically to 0:02:46.840 --> 0:02:48.760 them and said this is what I wanted to try 0:02:48.760 --> 0:02:51.640 to emphasize on a golf course design. They helped me 0:02:51.760 --> 0:02:55.840 cater cater classes towards towards that program and then get 0:02:55.840 --> 0:02:59.200 out did the golf design industry at that point when 0:02:59.240 --> 0:03:02.760 I graduated ninety to sort of going through a smaller 0:03:02.800 --> 0:03:06.000 downturn than than just that. We just went through and 0:03:06.120 --> 0:03:08.000 had a lot of recommendations just to go into golf 0:03:08.000 --> 0:03:11.440 courst construction and the guys I got that advice from 0:03:11.600 --> 0:03:14.959 it was very very influential advice and and today I 0:03:15.280 --> 0:03:19.720 respect that. And you know, the segment I remember to 0:03:19.760 --> 0:03:22.519 most was to be a good architect, you got to 0:03:22.600 --> 0:03:25.760 learn how to construct it and and and today I 0:03:25.760 --> 0:03:29.120 still still feel feel very strongly about that. And so 0:03:29.160 --> 0:03:32.320 I got into golf cours construction and ultimately with the 0:03:32.360 --> 0:03:34.480 mindset of getting it into golf courst design and had 0:03:34.520 --> 0:03:37.000 the opportunity to work with some of the top architects 0:03:37.040 --> 0:03:39.880 in the world at the same time working with the 0:03:39.920 --> 0:03:43.040 tour once that he evolved being able to work with 0:03:43.400 --> 0:03:46.320 a player consultant. We always had a player as a 0:03:46.360 --> 0:03:50.080 consultant involved with the with the project, so worked as 0:03:50.120 --> 0:03:53.720 a liaison basically between the developer, the architect and the 0:03:53.720 --> 0:03:56.880 player consultant. So I really had the opportunity to grasp 0:03:57.320 --> 0:04:01.240 a lot of different varieties from different architects and feedback 0:04:01.280 --> 0:04:04.480 from from a lot of great players into the role 0:04:04.520 --> 0:04:05.680 that it's evolved into today. 0:04:06.000 --> 0:04:09.360 So curious as you've worked with all these players, like 0:04:09.680 --> 0:04:13.320 who would you say is kind of like the sharpest 0:04:13.640 --> 0:04:17.440 architectural player mind that maybe doesn't do you know, isn't 0:04:17.520 --> 0:04:18.880 known for doing. 0:04:18.640 --> 0:04:20.279 Any architectural work like that. 0:04:20.400 --> 0:04:23.159 You've come across where you've like been like, wow, you know, 0:04:23.240 --> 0:04:25.400 these these thoughts are really interesting. 0:04:26.640 --> 0:04:29.800 They all had interesting aspects and they and they all 0:04:31.000 --> 0:04:33.920 got engaged in the in the project, the opportunity to 0:04:33.960 --> 0:04:37.280 work with Lanny Watkins and Myrtle Beach and Lanny was 0:04:37.320 --> 0:04:39.279 working with the FASIO group at that time, and it 0:04:39.360 --> 0:04:46.800 was really a dynamic relationship there to take Lanny's strategic 0:04:47.880 --> 0:04:52.040 mindset and the take that with the strategic and yet 0:04:52.480 --> 0:04:56.080 artful side of the of the FASIO design concept, blend 0:04:56.160 --> 0:04:58.320 that together. And that's really what you named me the 0:04:58.320 --> 0:05:01.880 most about how this how our processes have evolved into 0:05:01.920 --> 0:05:05.440 the tPCS. He's really taking that blend and and putting 0:05:05.440 --> 0:05:08.520 it together and Lady was just one of one of 0:05:08.560 --> 0:05:11.159 many of some of the some some great players that 0:05:11.200 --> 0:05:13.920 have had the opportunity to work with and that has 0:05:13.960 --> 0:05:16.920 the role evolved and more so into the player liaison. 0:05:16.960 --> 0:05:19.800 It gives me the opportunity to really meet with all 0:05:19.839 --> 0:05:23.040 our players and and go over and have discussions with 0:05:23.080 --> 0:05:27.960 them about depending golf course modifications or you know, post 0:05:28.040 --> 0:05:31.680 post tournament comments on changes that have been made to 0:05:31.880 --> 0:05:35.279 utilize that feedback into UH into the next project. However 0:05:35.320 --> 0:05:36.440 it comes about mm hmm. 0:05:36.600 --> 0:05:38.560 I think that you know, there's some younger guys that 0:05:38.600 --> 0:05:40.560 are getting into the architecture earlier. 0:05:40.680 --> 0:05:43.080 You know, you've got Zach Blair who's really into it. 0:05:43.360 --> 0:05:46.200 And then you know George Speet's got the nine at 0:05:46.279 --> 0:05:49.080 the par three course at ut that's going in. So 0:05:49.279 --> 0:05:52.719 it's it's refreshing seas. You know, it's some younger guys 0:05:52.720 --> 0:05:54.320 getting into the I really. 0:05:54.640 --> 0:05:56.600 Yeah, I just found out about I just read about 0:05:56.640 --> 0:05:58.680 Zach Blair. I haven't I haven't spoken to Zach yet, 0:05:58.680 --> 0:06:01.039 but I just read about his his interest in the 0:06:01.040 --> 0:06:02.960 little course that I think he's thinking about working on 0:06:03.080 --> 0:06:06.400 back home Utah. I think it was which I found 0:06:06.520 --> 0:06:08.800 very very unamoring the first time I've I've heard about that. 0:06:09.080 --> 0:06:11.080 Yeah, you got you got to talk to him. 0:06:11.080 --> 0:06:14.080 He's very passionate, he's got a lot of you know, 0:06:14.200 --> 0:06:15.400 good good ideas and. 0:06:15.440 --> 0:06:18.720 Absolutely it's uh, he's he's a he's a friend. 0:06:18.480 --> 0:06:22.200 Of the pod absolutely, and Jeff Ogilvie is also, I 0:06:22.200 --> 0:06:26.120 think a brilliant mind from a from a golf architect standpoint. Uh, 0:06:26.600 --> 0:06:29.720 Who's who's having the opportunity now to to begin expressing 0:06:29.800 --> 0:06:32.160 himself in the design world with his team. I think 0:06:32.160 --> 0:06:34.920 he's assembled a great team of of guys surrounding him 0:06:34.920 --> 0:06:38.000 as well and looking forward to seeing more of their 0:06:38.040 --> 0:06:38.680 work at some point. 0:06:38.839 --> 0:06:39.080 Yeah. 0:06:39.160 --> 0:06:42.760 Yeah, Mike Clayton, we had on He's A. 0:06:42.440 --> 0:06:45.360 He's he's one of my one of my favorite favorite 0:06:45.360 --> 0:06:46.000 guys that talk. 0:06:47.360 --> 0:06:48.920 How can you how can you not like Mike? 0:06:49.200 --> 0:06:53.359 Yeah, that perfect segue with Mike Clayton is you know, 0:06:53.520 --> 0:06:56.599 talking about technology and you know, maybe that could be 0:06:56.640 --> 0:06:59.200 some of the impetus to the changes that at Sawgrass 0:06:59.279 --> 0:07:02.880 beyond the major one being twelve, but some distance lengthening. 0:07:03.680 --> 0:07:06.839 You know, when I first walked around it, I was thinking, Hey, 0:07:06.880 --> 0:07:09.240 this golf course, like you know, it's it's lengthy and 0:07:09.320 --> 0:07:11.120 it's being a more bonders. But the more I thought 0:07:11.160 --> 0:07:13.920 about it, it's like when it originally was designed, it 0:07:13.920 --> 0:07:16.040 didn't take driver out of anybody's hands. 0:07:16.200 --> 0:07:18.360 So is that you know, some of the lengthening. 0:07:17.920 --> 0:07:21.040 Efforts kind of where you know, putting driver back in 0:07:21.120 --> 0:07:22.560 play for the longer hitters. 0:07:22.960 --> 0:07:25.160 Yeah, I mean it's it's it's an element that we 0:07:25.360 --> 0:07:28.200 that we look at, but not the emphasis. I mean 0:07:28.680 --> 0:07:31.280 the emphasis about the emphasis of this golf course in 0:07:31.320 --> 0:07:34.680 this tournament and really the elements of Pete Dye into 0:07:34.720 --> 0:07:37.160 the strategy of the golf course really is and I 0:07:37.200 --> 0:07:38.920 think you hear it from the players. Is it it 0:07:39.000 --> 0:07:42.960 forces a player really to to be on beyond with 0:07:43.040 --> 0:07:46.800 basically all elements of the game, from driving to to 0:07:46.920 --> 0:07:50.120 their approach shot proximity to you know, their scrambling ability 0:07:50.160 --> 0:07:52.640 around the greens and putting obviously get in the hole. 0:07:53.160 --> 0:07:57.280 It's and it's yes, has has driver probably has driver 0:07:57.840 --> 0:08:01.840 been you know, taken away now as the technology has 0:08:02.280 --> 0:08:05.240 changed in certain golf holes, Sure it has, but we 0:08:05.320 --> 0:08:08.520 look at that and still say, though, how has the 0:08:08.520 --> 0:08:13.920 golf hole changed? Has it changed significantly negatively due to that? 0:08:14.720 --> 0:08:16.800 And if it has, then we'll look at that further. 0:08:16.840 --> 0:08:19.040 If it hasn't, then we just still let let the 0:08:19.040 --> 0:08:21.760 golf hole play out the way it's been designed and 0:08:21.800 --> 0:08:24.600 the ways playing today versus you know, maybe the way 0:08:24.600 --> 0:08:26.560 it's playing thirty years ago. Yeah. 0:08:26.640 --> 0:08:29.600 Yeah, it's I mean, it's a it's interesting and a 0:08:29.640 --> 0:08:31.920 lot of the die I think die gets such a 0:08:31.920 --> 0:08:35.480 bad rap, but there's so much strategy in die courses. 0:08:35.520 --> 0:08:38.000 You know, a lot of people like to just say, like, oh, 0:08:38.240 --> 0:08:41.160 he's a penal architect, But I think the different in 0:08:41.920 --> 0:08:44.880 how much and you're in this role is that you know, 0:08:45.000 --> 0:08:48.960 how much different you know TPC Sawgress was built for professionals, 0:08:49.240 --> 0:08:53.400 so obviously you know, tighter fairways there could be strategy 0:08:53.440 --> 0:08:55.920 and tighter fairways as opposed to if it was a 0:08:56.280 --> 0:08:59.480 regular public like at you know, a public facility that 0:08:59.600 --> 0:09:02.160 was built for public play is built for it, so 0:09:02.559 --> 0:09:07.160 you know, the shorter, the narrower fairways can lead to strategy. 0:09:07.400 --> 0:09:12.199 You know, in terms of you know, like how when. 0:09:12.040 --> 0:09:15.200 You work with professionals, how much different is it, you know, 0:09:15.400 --> 0:09:18.680 designing a golf course and making changes for pros rather 0:09:18.760 --> 0:09:21.080 than you know, thinking them first rather than public. 0:09:21.640 --> 0:09:24.480 It's I mean, it's it's different. I mean a lot 0:09:24.520 --> 0:09:27.960 of architects don't they have a back te per se, 0:09:28.040 --> 0:09:31.400 but back to you at the respective club gets little 0:09:31.480 --> 0:09:35.360 use when in this world that that I live in, 0:09:35.800 --> 0:09:37.920 you know, it's all emphasis on the back to you. 0:09:37.960 --> 0:09:39.800 I can tell you how many times I make site 0:09:39.880 --> 0:09:41.680 visits and we start walking around with a group and 0:09:41.679 --> 0:09:43.679 we start looking at tea's and all of a sudden 0:09:43.679 --> 0:09:47.480 there's vistas or whatever you can't necessarily see because that 0:09:47.600 --> 0:09:50.520 tea hasn't really been been used a lot. So it 0:09:50.559 --> 0:09:54.880 starts there. And uh, but yeah, I mean you look 0:09:54.880 --> 0:09:58.319 at Pete Dye and what Pete dies about. He's about angles, 0:09:58.400 --> 0:10:02.680 and the angles then are emphasized by a narrowing of 0:10:02.679 --> 0:10:07.120 the fairways, not necessarily from a horizontal standpoint. Yeah, to 0:10:07.160 --> 0:10:10.719 some of you, it is horizontal because there's a smaller percentage 0:10:10.760 --> 0:10:13.600 of whatever's there is really the effective zone to take 0:10:13.640 --> 0:10:16.480 advantage on your on your second shot. You know that 0:10:16.559 --> 0:10:19.600 if you stray off to a certain other side, it's 0:10:19.600 --> 0:10:22.480 going to give you an undesired line into the into 0:10:22.520 --> 0:10:25.440 the green. And that's that's really some of the some 0:10:25.520 --> 0:10:28.800 of the basic strategy to him. So it's this was 0:10:28.840 --> 0:10:31.240 a tree line you know, this is a forested site 0:10:31.240 --> 0:10:33.599 per se, So he's used the trees, you know, in 0:10:33.640 --> 0:10:35.600 a similar manner as he used them at Harbor Town. 0:10:35.800 --> 0:10:38.600 Not as narrow and scale as Harbor Town it is, 0:10:38.679 --> 0:10:42.120 but there's some there's some you know similarities between between 0:10:42.160 --> 0:10:45.040 here and and Harbor Town and the use of the trees, 0:10:46.080 --> 0:10:47.960 and you know, you see some of the set up. 0:10:47.960 --> 0:10:50.560 This year, we tried to emphasize a little bit more 0:10:50.600 --> 0:10:53.760 of the use of the trees by having less primary 0:10:53.840 --> 0:10:56.960 rough and having some cases no primary rough between between 0:10:57.000 --> 0:11:00.880 faaraway and groups of trees. For instance, side of one 0:11:01.000 --> 0:11:04.480 and right side of eleven. The right side of six, 0:11:04.520 --> 0:11:07.040 you'll see there's no primary rough now between fair away 0:11:07.720 --> 0:11:11.040 and pine stronger and groups of trees, to help try 0:11:11.040 --> 0:11:14.120 to utilize that in the ground contours, you know, to 0:11:14.600 --> 0:11:16.000 emphasize some of that strategy. 0:11:16.280 --> 0:11:20.520 Yeah, Eleven's is like forty six yards wide that I mean, 0:11:20.800 --> 0:11:24.680 it's got some really good width. I mean, I grew 0:11:24.800 --> 0:11:28.959 up playing a really strategic Pete Die course in South Florida, 0:11:29.520 --> 0:11:32.680 and something I have learned over like you know, hundreds 0:11:32.720 --> 0:11:35.360 of rounds playing there was that you know, if you 0:11:35.480 --> 0:11:38.640 take that aggressive line and take on the risk your 0:11:38.720 --> 0:11:42.360 reward and you have a much but every notch you 0:11:42.440 --> 0:11:45.720 go away from the that that line he wants you 0:11:45.800 --> 0:11:49.120 to take on. Every notch you go away, that second 0:11:49.160 --> 0:11:50.760 shot becomes so much tougher. 0:11:51.160 --> 0:11:53.240 But I think one of the unique things is that 0:11:53.440 --> 0:11:55.160 with designing. 0:11:54.679 --> 0:11:58.480 For professional players, the ego and the mentality of like, 0:11:58.520 --> 0:12:00.320 if I have a clear shot in the fair way, 0:12:00.360 --> 0:12:03.360 like the shot it's right there, and I think I 0:12:03.400 --> 0:12:06.240 can hit it, but your margin for error just is 0:12:06.320 --> 0:12:07.120 so small. 0:12:07.360 --> 0:12:09.240 And I think that's one. 0:12:09.120 --> 0:12:12.119 Of the beauties of Stackgrass is that it's it's a constant, 0:12:12.600 --> 0:12:15.200 you know, kind of battle and getting you know, a 0:12:15.200 --> 0:12:18.680 professional to aim, you know, twenty yards left of the 0:12:18.720 --> 0:12:21.199 flag with when he's right in the middle of the 0:12:21.200 --> 0:12:22.360 fairway is a tough thing. 0:12:22.640 --> 0:12:24.560 Yeah, it is. And that's and that's what they've learned 0:12:24.559 --> 0:12:27.680 about the nuances of this place. And I listened to 0:12:27.720 --> 0:12:29.760 some of the questions Q and A with some of 0:12:29.760 --> 0:12:33.360 our players about you know, some of the younger players 0:12:33.360 --> 0:12:35.960 come out here and playing this for the first time 0:12:36.080 --> 0:12:38.240 or second or third time, and how much of a 0:12:38.320 --> 0:12:40.199 chance did they have out here. There's a lot of 0:12:40.280 --> 0:12:44.440 nuances to it. They come in with game obviously, but 0:12:44.520 --> 0:12:46.520 there's a lot of nuances to this golf course to 0:12:46.520 --> 0:12:49.640 be learned, you know, when whether they learn it the 0:12:49.880 --> 0:12:51.959 first go around or whether it takes them a few 0:12:52.000 --> 0:12:55.040 more go arounds to understand the nuances, they're definitely out there. 0:12:55.760 --> 0:12:57.559 You know, we tried to do something. You know, that's 0:12:57.640 --> 0:12:59.360 some of what we ultimately tried to do into the 0:12:59.440 --> 0:13:01.120 end of the readis onto the twelfth hole as well. 0:13:01.160 --> 0:13:02.520 There's a lot of what you just talked about. 0:13:03.160 --> 0:13:06.360 So let's let's talk about twelve. It's the it's like 0:13:06.400 --> 0:13:10.079 the star of the show. So you took a you know, 0:13:10.120 --> 0:13:12.560 a hole they felt a lot of people felt was 0:13:12.640 --> 0:13:15.280 just kind of a you know, it was a lapse 0:13:15.320 --> 0:13:18.120 in the in the tournament and you you know, everybody 0:13:18.160 --> 0:13:21.240 loves these short driveable par fours and you've. 0:13:21.080 --> 0:13:21.560 Turned it in. 0:13:22.000 --> 0:13:25.160 It's got a lot of different yardages that can play 0:13:25.679 --> 0:13:28.480 and you know, they we'll put a we'll put some 0:13:28.520 --> 0:13:31.440 photos of the twelfth in the into the podcast bio. 0:13:31.520 --> 0:13:34.360 But you know, the narrow layup area if you're gonna 0:13:34.440 --> 0:13:36.600 lay up, and then a green that's got a lot 0:13:36.640 --> 0:13:39.600 of contour, a lot of different pins, and you know 0:13:39.640 --> 0:13:42.240 there's water down the left side of a bunk a 0:13:42.280 --> 0:13:46.360 waste like bunker down the left and then uh, there's 0:13:46.400 --> 0:13:50.240 nothing good right if you bail. So tell tell us 0:13:50.280 --> 0:13:53.160 a little bit about, you know what, how you kind 0:13:53.160 --> 0:13:55.920 of went about, you know, building the hole. 0:13:56.160 --> 0:14:00.920 Sure, it started several years ago, as we we always do, 0:14:01.040 --> 0:14:04.120 and we just we always evaluate as many aspects of 0:14:04.440 --> 0:14:07.160 the tournament as we can, and in this case here 0:14:07.200 --> 0:14:10.120 looking at the competitive aspect and looking at the twelfth hole, 0:14:11.080 --> 0:14:14.439 it's just from what it was, you know, thirty five 0:14:14.520 --> 0:14:17.360 years ago to what it is today. There isn't really 0:14:17.400 --> 0:14:22.000 a lot of thought and or intimidation per se on 0:14:22.120 --> 0:14:25.760 the t shot as there was originally. At the same time, 0:14:25.800 --> 0:14:31.240 we were looking for opportunities to increase the scoring mobility 0:14:32.000 --> 0:14:35.520 some fan excitement earlier into the back nine sequence. We 0:14:35.560 --> 0:14:38.840 already have it, you know, sixteen seventeen eighteen, it's there. 0:14:39.480 --> 0:14:41.680 So we looked at for ways was there an opportunity 0:14:41.880 --> 0:14:43.920 earlier on the back nine, and we gravitated to the 0:14:44.000 --> 0:14:48.240 twelfth hole. So what you see today out there as 0:14:48.280 --> 0:14:51.640 a product of there's a lot more fan enhancement opportunities 0:14:51.680 --> 0:14:54.320 out there is there's a one hundred and eighty degree 0:14:54.400 --> 0:14:57.440 amphitheater now around the twelfth green. You know there's a 0:14:57.520 --> 0:15:00.720 spectator now now right of twelve green. You have viewing 0:15:00.720 --> 0:15:04.640 now for the thirteenth hole as well. The tea box 0:15:04.640 --> 0:15:07.040 selection where we were put side of the tee took 0:15:07.080 --> 0:15:10.280 advantage of an existing spectator mound along the fourteenth hole 0:15:10.280 --> 0:15:12.320 on the right side of fourteen that really wasn't taking 0:15:12.360 --> 0:15:15.560 advantage of before. So now we've got plenty of viewing 0:15:15.640 --> 0:15:20.200 room behind the twelve tee. But strategically, as you said, 0:15:20.200 --> 0:15:26.040 it is a fairly narrow fairway. It's about a twenty 0:15:26.080 --> 0:15:29.520 eight yard wide fairway. It slopes left to right, fairway 0:15:29.560 --> 0:15:34.280 bunker left, trees to the right, and that slope then 0:15:34.480 --> 0:15:39.920 is just magnified by a landform, a tribute to the 0:15:40.320 --> 0:15:42.000 old landform that was here. It used to be a 0:15:42.080 --> 0:15:44.600 large landform on the left side of the golf hole 0:15:45.240 --> 0:15:47.440 that was between the tea and the green. That landform 0:15:47.440 --> 0:15:49.880 went down that's now where the fairway bunker is. But 0:15:49.960 --> 0:15:52.840 we took that element and repositioned it on the right 0:15:52.880 --> 0:15:56.840 side through the fairway. So as a as a person 0:15:56.920 --> 0:16:00.400 choosing to not go for the grain in two excuse me, 0:16:00.400 --> 0:16:04.240 a green on their drive is laying up. They're hitting 0:16:04.320 --> 0:16:07.960 roughly two and twenty yard tee shot. What we tried 0:16:07.960 --> 0:16:12.520 to do was narrow the fairway effectively by having really 0:16:12.560 --> 0:16:15.680 the emphasis of the of that layup be on the 0:16:15.760 --> 0:16:19.360 left half of the fairway. As the landform that I'm 0:16:19.400 --> 0:16:22.960 referring to is every yard you go right of center, 0:16:23.640 --> 0:16:26.200 the right a yard of the right part of the 0:16:26.240 --> 0:16:28.000 green basically becomes hidden. 0:16:28.080 --> 0:16:28.320 Yep. 0:16:28.600 --> 0:16:30.840 And so the further right your tee shot drifts on 0:16:30.840 --> 0:16:33.520 that layup, you could be totally obscured into the green 0:16:33.560 --> 0:16:36.120 and see no surface. You see flag or flagstick, but 0:16:36.280 --> 0:16:39.240 may not see any surface with water left and a 0:16:39.280 --> 0:16:40.520 green sloping right to left. 0:16:40.640 --> 0:16:42.440 Yeah, that's I was walking it. 0:16:42.480 --> 0:16:45.360 And if you if you bail right in the pins 0:16:45.440 --> 0:16:48.840 back right, I mean you've got no angle, You've got 0:16:49.240 --> 0:16:52.440 the tree that kind of on the right edge of 0:16:52.440 --> 0:16:55.080 the green, and then you and then you can't see anything. 0:16:55.240 --> 0:16:59.800 So it really, you know, it asks for the valiant 0:17:00.040 --> 0:17:03.800 a row of play. So so let's let's hear where 0:17:04.359 --> 0:17:05.240 where are you bailing? 0:17:05.640 --> 0:17:08.240 If you if you're if you're a pro and and 0:17:08.280 --> 0:17:11.800 you you you're you need to bail, Like, what what's 0:17:11.840 --> 0:17:12.280 your play? 0:17:12.640 --> 0:17:14.880 Well, that's what they're that's what they're still figuring out 0:17:14.920 --> 0:17:18.200 out there right now, you know, you know they're looking 0:17:18.200 --> 0:17:20.240 at the right side of the green. There's there's twelve 0:17:20.280 --> 0:17:23.520 yards right of the green of closely own area. It's 0:17:23.520 --> 0:17:25.959 got some contour to it. There's a pop bunker right 0:17:26.000 --> 0:17:29.120 of the green, two more further right of the green. 0:17:30.520 --> 0:17:33.280 But you know, the the guys are trying to figure 0:17:33.280 --> 0:17:37.359 out that that nuance. You know, the the challenge that 0:17:37.400 --> 0:17:40.960 we try to place and is designing a green complex 0:17:41.080 --> 0:17:44.760 that's that can defend as much as possible a wedge 0:17:44.800 --> 0:17:46.800 from eighty to one hundred yards of the guy not 0:17:46.880 --> 0:17:49.119 going for it, but at the same time trying to 0:17:49.119 --> 0:17:52.399 make it receptive enough for player choosing to go for 0:17:52.480 --> 0:17:54.840 it with whether it's driver or a three wood or 0:17:54.880 --> 0:17:58.520 whatever club that that may be. That's that's really one 0:17:58.520 --> 0:18:02.119 of the biggest challenges. And finding a balance between that 0:18:02.480 --> 0:18:05.359 those elements is we'll see where we see where we 0:18:05.440 --> 0:18:09.840 landed in that in that balance. But yeah, the the guys, 0:18:10.160 --> 0:18:12.480 guys don't want to be far right because far right 0:18:12.520 --> 0:18:15.240 there they're up on landforms up above the green and 0:18:15.400 --> 0:18:18.440 rough grass pitching to a green running away from them. 0:18:18.960 --> 0:18:22.080 So they know, you know, where's the miss, Well, there 0:18:22.160 --> 0:18:24.520 is miss area to the right. They gotta be they 0:18:24.600 --> 0:18:27.600 gotta know that there's certain pins that they can probably 0:18:27.600 --> 0:18:30.160 get to, and there's certain pins are gonna be challenging 0:18:30.200 --> 0:18:33.000 to get to from that right hand side. Or do 0:18:33.119 --> 0:18:35.480 I stay short and just end up out try to 0:18:35.480 --> 0:18:37.120 stay up out in the approach and then try to 0:18:37.359 --> 0:18:40.199 pitch your chip into various whole locations, or would I 0:18:40.240 --> 0:18:44.320 go further back so money options for them to take on. 0:18:44.680 --> 0:18:48.280 Uh So the left side falls off and you know 0:18:48.480 --> 0:18:50.360 if you if you're a little too far left, it's 0:18:50.520 --> 0:18:53.199 you're you're gonna probably get wet, which I think. You know, 0:18:53.240 --> 0:18:55.600 it's a short hole. You gotta it's got to have 0:18:55.720 --> 0:18:57.600 some spice to it. You know, there's got to be 0:18:58.200 --> 0:19:02.800 And uh, I'm curious, you know, if you know, like 0:19:02.840 --> 0:19:06.200 how much area in that fair away? Would you say 0:19:06.520 --> 0:19:10.520 you have to like what you know, if it's firm 0:19:10.560 --> 0:19:13.120 and fast, like what half of that fair away if 0:19:13.160 --> 0:19:16.080 you hit is there a distinct fall off point? 0:19:16.600 --> 0:19:19.280 Yeah? I mean it. You know, the approach slopes right 0:19:19.320 --> 0:19:20.880 to left. There's a lot of right to left going 0:19:20.920 --> 0:19:22.600 on out there. There's a little portion in the green 0:19:22.640 --> 0:19:25.280 that does slope to the right to help to set 0:19:25.359 --> 0:19:28.600 up the back right hole location and even defend the 0:19:28.760 --> 0:19:33.560 front right hole location. But the right half of the approach, 0:19:34.000 --> 0:19:36.120 whatever that wid is, the right half of that approach 0:19:36.880 --> 0:19:41.920 is usable for a player hitting a draw in there. 0:19:42.040 --> 0:19:45.040 It depends on the really depends on the trajectory of 0:19:45.080 --> 0:19:47.040 that draw and you know, and how much spin there 0:19:47.119 --> 0:19:49.320 is to it. But you gotta favor the right half 0:19:49.320 --> 0:19:52.359 of the approach. The more that ball drifts to the left, 0:19:53.480 --> 0:19:56.240 the more that shot should have more of a cut 0:19:56.280 --> 0:19:58.800 to it to try to hold the slope because it 0:19:58.800 --> 0:20:02.399 does start moving moving to the left. But part of 0:20:02.440 --> 0:20:05.119 the feedback that we got them going back to the 0:20:05.119 --> 0:20:07.199 water hazard from a minute, you know, Pete Die has 0:20:07.200 --> 0:20:09.520 been consulted throughout this entire process. I've spent a lot 0:20:09.520 --> 0:20:11.840 of time with him here on property a few years 0:20:11.840 --> 0:20:15.160 ago when we were going through the initial conceptual phases 0:20:15.560 --> 0:20:18.360 and then a lot just through a lot of personal 0:20:18.359 --> 0:20:23.000 consultation with them and the keeping them updating where we 0:20:23.000 --> 0:20:25.919 are throughout this construction process. The first element really was 0:20:26.000 --> 0:20:28.760 the addition of the water hazard, and and that was 0:20:29.119 --> 0:20:31.000 how does the water relate to the green? You know, 0:20:31.160 --> 0:20:33.040 does is it right on the green or or is 0:20:33.040 --> 0:20:35.600 it offset from the green, which right now we're seven 0:20:35.680 --> 0:20:39.080 eight yards offset left of the green. But then when 0:20:39.119 --> 0:20:42.679 we started engaging our our players, our player directors that 0:20:42.760 --> 0:20:46.240 are on our board and are some past champions, you know, 0:20:46.240 --> 0:20:50.159 we got some feedback about drop. You know, if a 0:20:50.240 --> 0:20:53.160 player enters the water hazard, well where they get where 0:20:53.160 --> 0:20:54.840 they where are you gonna be able to drop from them? 0:20:55.359 --> 0:20:58.160 And so we oriented the water hazard as it as 0:20:58.200 --> 0:21:01.000