Golf’s bad boy is at it again. Tom Doak has just released volume two of his Confidential Guide to Golf Courses – The Americas (Winter Destinations) and true to his nature he doesn’t hold back when it comes to some of the iconic courses golf fans have grown to revere.
Doak’s first volume of the revamped Guide addressed Great Britain and Ireland and he plans on releasing a total of five books over the next few years each addressing another part of the world.
In his first book he gave the Old Course a perfect 10 in his 0-10 rating system but created some controversy when he gave David McLay Kidd’s St. Andrews Castle Course a big fat zero.
In the very small and exclusive fraternity of golf course architects Doak is the rare architect that isn’t shy about his opinions, be they positive or negative. His whole life has been course architecture and he certainly feels that his opinions are the gospel.
Doak spearheaded the minimalist trend in architecture that has become so popular today and has little regard for most courses built with a real estate development included. Doak’s favorite courses are of the old school, links-style brand and he gives those architects kudos.
Josh Sens of Golf.com offers us a review of Doak’s latest volume.
While Augusta National is usually ranked among the top two courses in America by the golf magazines, Doak sees flaws at the home of The Masters and awards Augusta a 9.
“Augusta has been getting narrower while modern course have been getting wider … The plantings at holes like the 11th and the 15th have turned exciting holes into punishing ones, so that in unfortunate years the tournament starts to resemble a U.S. Open-style war of attrition. Eagle roars have been replaced by gasps; I suspect that’s the main reason that none of us could award it a perfect ten.”
Doak is one of the big boys in course design. He’s in demand, commands big dollars, can pick his projects and has an ego that matches his reputation. And with that Sens questions his “people skills.”
“Over the years, among his peers, Doak has inspired a mix of respect and resentment. While his design expertise is unquestioned, some have scratched their heads at the comportment of a man who was once described in print as having “the people skills of an ostrich.”
Doak even shows little respect for his former collaborator, Jack Nicklaus who he co-designed Sebonack with.
And just because a number of big-name Tour pros make their home at the Bear’s Club in Jupiter, Fla., doesn’t mean the course is all that special. “It is certainly a difficult test of golf, if that’s what you seek,” Doak writes. “But my only tour of the course was with a friend who wanted to show me how bad its set of greens was. Unfortunately, he was so right that I have a hard time remembering any of the rest of it.”
Doak stays true to his reputation and calls them as he sees them. Cypress Point earns a 10 and Renaissance Golf Club a zero. But he calls this volume a “travelers companion” and with so many courses being private it is highly unlikely most readers will ever have a chance to test his reviews.
Being a bit of a golf geek I bought his first volume and will probably spring for the next few also and I acknowledge that anyone that puts their opinion in print is open for criticism.
Doak’s willingness to put his opinions in print makes him a target and only adds to his fame. But I will say this, over the past two seasons I had a chance to chat with three of the biggest names in the minimalist school: Doak, Gil Hanse and Ben Crenshaw. Now, these weren’t long interviews but rather short chats in an off the record atmosphere.
Hanse seemed personable and willing to talk to a nobody like he was John Feinstein. He was genuinely nice.
Crenshaw needed little encouragement to talk for long while about starting his career in architecture and actually got emotional speaking about it. He was like a grandfather talking to his grand-kids.
Doak was by far the least personable and only responded to questions with short comments and appeared more guarded than the others. And I can understand that, after all he didn’t know me from Adam. But then again neither did the others.
From all accounts, Doak’s people skills won’t win him any Mr. Congeniality awards. But he’s a golf course architect and a good one. And he’s willing to share his opinions no matter what the fallout.
So he’s got that going for him. And he probably loves it.
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