Dismal River Yardage Books

Dismal River Red

Here is a preview of a yardage book, IE. a "stroke saver" I have been working on for Dismal River.

Hadn't done a book like this since the Cal Club effort.  I had forgotten all the work that goes into it.  Really feeling proud and honored to be affiliated with such a cool place like Dismal.

Here is a hole layout of #2 on Red.

Below is a close up and the green detail of hole 5 on red.

A Streamsong Blue Story

Tom Doak's wonderfully rugged new course at Streamsong.


What a fantastic hole !! The photo above depicts the par three 5th hole, a mid-length one shotter with plenty going on. It will leave an indelible mark on your golfing memory bank after you see it. Left is an absolute no-no as it drops 30 feet down towards the previous hole. To me it does the best job of linking Streamsong to its ancient golfing roots. Namely, the staggered layout of the small bunkers with their peaked and tattered edges, the low profile "non framed" backdrop and the ultra random shape and undulation that the long slender green follows.


Here you see Tom walking the breadth of the 5th green again in afternoon light to show where all the unique pin locations are and their respective elevations. I had the good fortune of previewing the course on his invite, he flew me out from California in order to scout out Oil Paining possibilities for him, of which there are many. It was a dream of mine to play golf with Tom at some point and I am so thrilled that it happened in this forum. Wind will surely be a factor on this hole and with the depth of the green calling for a possible 4 club alteration in the absence of wind, one can only imagine the fun that will ensue. It may be a great hole to try to hit putter off the tee and take the wind completely out. ;) This photo may end up an oil painting coming soon. Oh yeah, this resort will open in 2012 and will also feature the Red course, a Coore and Crenshaw 18 holes interwoven with the Blue.

Yardage Book

Since visiting Old Sandwich Golf Club a couple years ago, I've looked at each golf course a little differently. The architects, Bill Coore/Ben Crenshaw and the club have done such an amazing job of turning back the clock there. From the moment you drive on site, you are overwhelmed with a timeless, throw back feel. While it was only built a few years ago, you would swear it is 100 years old. From the style of clubhouse, heirloom grassing choices, course hardware, down to the everyday maintenance, it screams Old and Wise. I left with great memories, a memory card full of photos, an OS baseball cap and probably the best yardage book ever created. While I don't have a photo of their book here, I do have photos of my first attempt at a Yardage Book.




Their yardage book was drawn by Bill Coore and features loose sketches of each hole tee to green. Each line was sketched with care as if he had designed the course... ;) ;) ;) When asked by the California Golf Club to create a yardage book of my own, my mind raced to the OS book. I asked myself how can I create something with such feel without ripping off the style completely. After sketching for a while with pencil, it became clear to me I needed to "dance with the date I brung" and oil paint the book. It would be completely original and give me a better chance to attain something special. My hope was to paint it in color and have the book produced in black and white. The Board of Directors overruled and wanted the book printed in color. Hope to be lucky enough to do another Yardage Book some day, in between Original Oil Paintings.




Cheers,

Josh Smith