By: Golf.com | Duration: 00:26:44
Video Description
You don’t hang with Tom Doak looking for party-time chit-chat about the loveliness of a certain Donald Ross tabletop green you played on a golfing holiday. Doak doesn’t do chit-chat, or cocktails parties for that matter. And while he understands the concept of vacation, it’s not his thing. A vacation for him is looking at golf courses he has not seen before. He has seen thousands.
Doak is a golf-course architect who doesn’t romanticize his profession. All good course architects are, at some level artists, just as all good hair stylists and magazine designers are. But if you really pay attention to his words — in his books, at his course openings, in the video we present here — what you realize is that he’s a builder, a soup-to-nuts builder, seeing a big picture but getting there one obsessive detail at a time.
The tools of his trade are topo maps, bulldozers, shovels, golf carts suitable for a safari, grass seed in its many varieties and an understanding of hydrology. As a golf-course architect, Doak says often and in this new GOLF Originals presentation, he claims he is overrated and that the people he works with — his “band” — are underrated. “They almost don’t need me,” he says. This Tom Doak is not an ordinary guy.
So, who is Tom Doak? Get to know him in the second installment of our new monthly series, GOLF Originals with Michael Bamberger.
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Sheep Ranch is not a Doak course, Coore/Crenshaw.
The clipping on Tom's audio is killing me. Damn
Go Badgers!!! Let me know when you see it.
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I have a question, if you’re questioning whether the green should be higher or lower from a specific point shouldn’t you know how far the tees are to get the players to that point? No reason to question the height of the green if it’s a blind approach, but who likes those anyway.
Volume difference between Doak and the narrator is bad.
Michael: I loved this interview and appreciate your efforts to bring Tom Doak’s personality out in the open. I personally enjoy his courses, particularly The Loop at Forest Dunes GC in Roscommon, Michigan. Well done!
No mention of Barnbougle Dunes? Perhaps his best work.
Superb – such a creative mind to go from canvas to creation to finished product. The vision is a real gift.
fantastic content
Another Doak course is West Texas???? Awesome!
Yea, the game is changing, but unfortunately not necessarily for the better. And that is why I seldom watch the tour these days. I watched The Memorial because it's Jack's tournament and I have walked the course twice and I live within 100 miles. I watched the US Open because it's the US Open. Golf has lost its appeal since LIV and in all honesty because of what Phil turned out to be. Use to be a HUGE fan of his, now I could care less.
Awesome look at what really happens before we get to play on some of the most beautiful realestate in the world. im very lucky to grow up and live on long island, about 5 minutes from Bethpage golf courses, ive always wondered what it took to, first of all persevere that land fof golf way back when. its open to the public and theres 5 courses right on top of each other , the tee boxes for the first holes on all 5 course i can walk to within 5 minutes, just a beautiful piece of land, its very special that someone had the imagination to put it aside for a such a great sport. what most golfers say about playing golf is that were always out in some beautiful setting , sometimes i would just rather walk the course then play the course, take my time and really look around without distractions,, idk i find such beauty in golf architecture. Thanks guys.