tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-188996922024-03-07T14:23:34.643-05:00On Golf ArchitectureGolf courses, their design, and the people who build themSirputtsalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710360374383269024noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18899692.post-51170996707749881062011-02-26T10:30:00.002-05:002011-02-26T10:32:18.025-05:00ReactivatePlease follow me at my authoritative web presence:<br /><br /><a href="http://kylewharris.com">http://kylewharris.com</a>Sirputtsalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710360374383269024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18899692.post-60448667414207346722007-10-01T17:48:00.001-04:002007-10-01T17:52:54.627-04:00Alive and WellAfter a bit of hiatus, I am back and well. The past few weeks have been busy, but in that business there is a lot to share. My absence was due in part to a trip back to Pennsylvania to visit the family and see Genesis in Philadelphia. The trip included a trip back to Reading CC and some time on DuPont CC's DuPont and Nemours courses.<br /><br />I've also discovered a Steve Smyers course in Lakeland called the Golf Course at Bridgewater. Having played a handful of Smyers courses, including Southern Dunes, both Royce Brooks and Old Memorial - Bridgewater is like nothing I've seen from him, and I hope this is the step he continues to make as his work matures. I am in class right now but will post more later tonight.Sirputtsalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710360374383269024noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18899692.post-22487235557312368822007-09-04T09:10:00.001-04:002007-09-04T09:43:34.762-04:00Short Hazards on the Long Par 3On the Monday Doodle, I have a long Par 3 design featuring a bunker well short of the green.<br /><br />Let's take a closer look at the hole.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I envision a hole between 220-240 yards from the back tee with the bunker being 160 yards to carry. I drew a ridge just beyond the bunker with the green below the ridge and the green<div style="text-align: left;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1408/1320508619_fb7e0a6c2e.jpg?v=1188911848"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1408/1320508619_fb7e0a6c2e.jpg?v=1188911848" alt="" border="0" /></a></div> obscured from the tee. Ideally, the upper portion of the flag is visible. The green should fall away slightly from the tee.<br /></div><br />The idea is one of controlling trajectory to best approach the green. The better player is more often able to hit higher shots with longer clubs than players with higher handicaps. This hole affords the opportunity for the higher handicap player to use a shorter club, challenge the bunker and allow the ridge to run the shot on to the green. Meanwhile, the better player is forced to precisely execute a higher trajectory shot or the fall away nature of the green can work against the ball, moving it to a less than desirable position behind the green.<br /><br />I didn't draw it, but a severe fall off or other form of trouble behind the green would be helpful in furthering this idea.<br /><br />In practice, one doesn't often encounter such a par 3, but there are a few examples. Kelly Blake Moran has designed two holes such as this: the 3rd at Morgan Hill in Easton, PA and the 5th at Lederach in Harleysville, PA.<br /><br />Pictured at the left is a view from behind the<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/20/71850957_839e6a8f60.jpg?v=0"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 328px; height: 246px;" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/20/71850957_839e6a8f60.jpg?v=0" alt="" border="0" /></a> 14th green at Penn State's White Course, another example of the idea in practice. This hole is one of the original Willie Park, Jr. holes remaining from 1922. The tee is located at the top of the hill just left of the pine trees. Each "bump" in the hillside are bunkers that appear to sit next to the green from the tee, obscuring the approach from the tee. While the hole plays 190 yards downhill (a mid-iron for better players), attempting to fly the green often proves most difficult as stopping the shot on the green can be tricky given the fall-away design. Missing long makes for a difficult up and down. Simply carrying the bunkers with a low trajectory shot (130yards) provides a much more consistently successful alternative for all calibers of players.<br /><br />Another particularly appealing feature of the idea is that on repeat play, the hole begins to outwit the golfer's mind. Now aware of the possibilities, the golfer may bring the bunkers into play through poor execution.Sirputtsalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710360374383269024noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18899692.post-420305006990610132007-09-03T14:19:00.000-04:002007-09-04T01:40:08.303-04:00Monday Doodle<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1292/1241930728_692648fb8e_b.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 396px; height: 525px;" src="http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1292/1241930728_692648fb8e_b.jpg" alt="" border="0" /></a><br />Every Monday (when I have one available) I'll post one of my sketches for discussion and perusal. Yes, it's shameless self promotion, but that's what blogs are for. Here we have 4 holes I just let flow on the paper. A short par 4, followed by a longish par 3 and then two par 5s. I am particularly fond of the middle par 5 and the bunkers that hamper the second shot. I'll be exploring this bunker arrangement as a way of forcing the golfer to really commit to an angle of attack and his approach to the green. Each option presents a variety of choices and hazards to negotiate based on the skill level and daring of the golfer.<br /><br />I like the idea of having the hazards well short of the green on a long par 3 as this allows the wily short hitting golfer a means to reach the green by challenging the hazards short while still forcing precision in the long hitter.Sirputtsalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710360374383269024noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18899692.post-19750915892212077382007-08-29T12:22:00.001-04:002007-08-29T12:52:20.837-04:00Wednesday Chip ShotsEach Wednesday, I'll post a few quick points from the week in golf architecture.<br /><ul><li><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span><a href="http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forums2/index.php?board=1"><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span></a>Mike Cirba started a good thread on Golf Club Atlas about ground level tee boxes and their seeming fall into obscurity. While not reaching pandemic levels, it seems more and more the golf is hoisted on a pedestal for each hole. Thread can be read <a href="http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forums2/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=30990">here.<span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /></a></li><li>Something I would have posted awhile ago, but Ian Andrew compiled a subjective, but very comprehensive ranking of deceased golf architects. His list, like all lists, stand some scrutiny but the discussion wrought as a result is interesting. He presented the list in a series of posts on his <a href="http://thecaddyshack.blogspot.com/">blog.</a></li><li>Perhaps out of the general ennui brought about by playing Florida golf over the summer, I've been doing a lot of sketches lately. While not terribly practical in terms of building a golf course, I feel that sketching rough concepts can help apply certain strategies in the field, especially given the correct land form. I will post some of these sketches later in the week.</li><li>In conjunction with my roundtable discussion threads on Golf Club Atlas (first two weeks found <a href="http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forums2/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=30839">here</a> and <a href="http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forums2/index.php?board=1;action=display;threadid=30944">here</a>) I will post the questions for discussion here each Sunday with my responses. As these threads seem to inspire some spin-off threads, I am going to continue with a weekly five question format. Any general topics for questions would be more than welcome.</li><li>The Castle Stuart construction videos on YouTube provide a very interesting and informative insight into some of the niches of golf course construction. Kudos to all involved with their production and to Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner for a peek into their world. Embedded below is the video on bunker construction and the "chunking" process:<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Lt7-YnG0Mhw"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Lt7-YnG0Mhw" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object></li></ul>Additionally, I've discovered through Ryan that Google's news aggregator hits on this Blog, as one of his criteria is "Doak," and yesterday's post came up. Yes, in some ways I'm doing this to see if he's still paying attention, but it's nice to know that a few buzzwords may generate some traffic.Sirputtsalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710360374383269024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18899692.post-66347193333591521462007-08-28T15:14:00.000-04:002007-08-28T15:17:50.711-04:00Change AfootSo I've neglected this for far too long.<br /><br />With my recent career happenings, I've been given a bit more time to keep things current and that's going to be the plan. Ideally, and concurrent with my participation in Golf Club Atlas's discussion group, I can offer some good content a few times per week.<br /><br />I've also decided that the addition of another author will help keep the content fresh. I've asked Golf Architect student Ryan Farrow to contribute as often as he can. Ryan is a fellow participant in the GCA Discussion Group, a Landscape Architecture student at Arizona State, and recently completed an internship with Tom Doak on a project in Montana. Ryan has taken it upon himself to complement his landscape architecture education by seeking out some of the finest golf courses on the west coast, including Riviera and Los Angelos Country Club. A fellow Pennsylvania, Ryan hails from the Pittsburgh area and worked on the grounds staff at Oakmont Country Club during the summer of 2006.<br /><br />I welcome Ryan's insight to the forum and hope we can keep things going in this "take 2" for "On Golf Architecture."Sirputtsalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710360374383269024noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18899692.post-1166756473619570082006-12-21T21:58:00.000-05:002006-12-21T22:01:13.640-05:00My Eclectic 2006As is my tradition, here's a recap of my eclectic "New Plays" for 2006. An eclectic course is comprised of a course centered around one theme (region, same architect, played in a period of time) and each hole corresponds to that hole on the course. So, essentially it is a course comprised of the best first hole, second hole, and so on.<br /><br />From this pool of newly played courses:<br />74. *Philadelphia Cricket Club - Flourtown Course(p)<br />75. *Sand Barrens Golf Club (West-North)(p)<br />76. *ShoreGate Country Club(p)<br />77. *The Club at Morgan Hill(p)<br />78. *Riverview Country Club(p)<br />79. *Bethpage State Park - Blue Course(p)<br />80. *Pine Barrens Golf Club(p)<br />81. Reading Country Club(p)<br />82. *Galen Hall Country Club(p)<br />83. *Lancaster Country Club(p)<br />84. *Woodway Country Club(p)<br />85. *Meadowlands Country Club(p)<br />86. *Neshanic Valley Golf Course(p)<br />87. *Glen Ridge Country Club(p)<br />88. *Turtle Creek Golf Course(p)<br />89. *Merion Golf Club - West Course(p)<br />90. Valley Country Club(p)<br />91. *Shadow Isle Country Club(p)<br />92. *Country Club of North Carolina - Cardinal Course(p)<br />93. Southern Dunes Country Club(p)<br />94. Mountain Lake Country Club(p)<br />95. *Diamondback Golf Club(p)<br />96. *The Claw at USF(p)<br />97. Lederach Golf Club(p)<br />98. Bethpage State Park - Green Course(p)<br /><br />This was by far my most prolific year in terms of new plays since 2002, with 22 new courses. Some were great, some were bad, but all were enlightening in some form.<br />Here goes.<br />1: 1st Hole at Valley Country Club - this long Par 5 opener has one of the most unique green complexes I've yet to play. The bunkering alone is worth the price of admission<br /><br />2: 2nd Hole at Philly Cricket - Hit my tee shot down the middle into the fog and hit a good approach into same fog to the front of the green, just as well, as the pro shop is about 5 feet behind the green.<br /><br />3: 3rd Hole at Reading Country Club - Ticklishly short uphill par 4 with US422 hard right and blind, awkward stance trouble hard left. Small green protected by neat Findlay bunkering.<br /><br />4: 4th Hole at Lederach Golf Club - Kelly Moran's road hole homage. Could never get the tee shot quite right (yet) but the green complex is amazingly good.<br /><br />5: 5th Hole at Mountain Lake - My first biarritz and a great one at that. Perhaps the most flexible par 3 I've ever played and can literally be set up to play for ALL clubs in your bag.<br /><br />6: 6th Hole at Woodway Country Club - A sweeping, reverse camber dogleg left uphill. Perhaps two of the most exacting shots I've hit all season.<br /><br />7: 7th Hole The Club at Morgan Hill - While standing on this tee, one thinks they could probably hit driver onto the quad at Lafayette College. Great par 3 with nifty left side run up option.<br /><br />8: 8th Hole at Sand Barrens - I felt dirty reaching this in two hitting driver-driver, but a great par 5 with many shot options. Sand Barrens is a treat.<br /><br />9: 9th Hole at Reading Country Club - Quirky and delicious uphill par 4 with small green and death on the right side of the fairway. Knuckle in the middle of the fairway makes one chose between a tricky 3 iron lay up off the tee or an attempt to blast one over with driver.<br /><br />10: 10th Hole at Mountain Lake - While short, Mountain Lake's back nine is a lengthy march home (Par 34 and half the 6800 total yards from the tips). Beginning on the 450 yard tenth gives one a taste of things to come.<br /><br />11: (tie) Reading Country Club and Merion West - While Merion West's 11th tee shot beats Reading, the Alpish approach to the 11th green at Reading was a definite highlight in a year of highlights. Completely blind over a rock formation to a target skinny pine tree. Small, bumpy green confounds the issue. Merion West's 11th is all-world as well, and the equal to anything down the road.<br /><br />12: Bethpage State Park - Blue Course - While standing out on the Blue Course is like being the most well-behaved prisoner in solitary confinement, this par 5 is a near propostion with a green cleft into the hillside. Simple and neat, I liked it.<br /><br />13: Mountain Lake - Perhaps my favorite hole on the course. Visual deception off the tee my force the golfer into blasting one into what should be an aiming bunker. Hit a high cut into this fall away green to nestle your ball next to the flag.<br /><br />14: Reading Country Club - Awesome par 5 (how come more isn't heard about this course!?) with a great green complex perched atop the hillside. Green falls away too and the approach is well designed for the run up shot. EVERYTHING hinges on the green/hole location all the way back to the tee. Backswing may nick a car on the road, though.<br /><br />15: Glen Ridge Country Club - Nestled on the low part of the property with OB hard right and the creek left, this iron-pitch par 4 ends with a nasty Willie Park green.<br /><br />16: Philly Cricket - CLASSIC AMERICAN DOGLEG LEFT<br /><br />17: Mountain Lake - A hole for which my fondness increases daily. This Brian Silva interpretation of a Raynor Eden is set in as perfect a place for an Eden this side of the Atlantic. With Mountain Lake providing the horizon, a great one shot proposition.<br /><br />18: (Tie) Bethpage Green and Merion West - Merion West's plays dead uphill to a severe false fronted green and Bethpage Green's has one of the most unique greens benched into a hillside this side of Huntingdon Valley's 9th. Both superlative finishes to fun, short course rounds of golf.<br /><br />Comments and your eclectic 18 always welcome.Sirputtsalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710360374383269024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18899692.post-1156182810646416802006-08-21T13:52:00.000-04:002006-08-21T13:53:30.660-04:00The Golf Course as OppoenentMost consider golf a sport. To me the notion of sport indicates that some opponent has the ability to impede the direct progress of the player in the game or action of the sport.<br /><br />I think the most fun and desirable designs put the golf course squarely in this role. Contrarily, when maintenance or design takes away the golf course's sporting chance to fight back I find the course dull and banal. This is the equivalent to the hunter fencing in his prey before the shot, or worse, tying it up.<br /><br />For the purpose of advancing good design and the concept of golf as a sport, it is imperative that at some point the golf world embraces the notion that on a certain day, the golfer may be placed in an impossible situation by simply teeing the ball up on a particular hole. This fact is not unfair or undesirable, it is sporting.<br /><br />Too often, the essence of fairness and fun are bastardized into meaning possible and easy.<br /><br />How often are the sporting advantages that the golf course possess rendered useless or non-existant by setups that fail to utilize the full design of a green or hole?<br /><br />How often do maintenance practices preclude that contours too severe should be eliminated, taking away a fundamental challenge the original design intended?<br /><br />This was most recently exemplified at Medinah this past weekend, where a similar result could have been garnered by parametrizing a scoring system based on ball striking on a driving range, and then holding a seeded match play putting contest based on the results of that score.<br /><br />We saw what happens when a golf course loses it's sporting chance. Bunkers became havens for recovery, angles of attack became nonsense with the only real penalty for firing right at a flag being a short side miss into gnarly rough. A challenge, which again, could have been simulated off the golf course.<br /><br />Golf is losing its sporting way with setups and championships like this. It's high time to take stock of our values, and just what skill sets make up a "championship golfer."Sirputtsalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710360374383269024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18899692.post-1148228904450552382006-05-21T11:22:00.000-04:002006-05-21T12:28:24.523-04:00Red and Black: First NineI love Bethpage State Park. The park could possibly be one of the greatest places on earth. I itch to get back there day by day. To those familiar with my tastes in golf courses, you may know that I firmly believe the Red Course to be every bit as good as the Black, and in some subtle ways superior. There are those who ardently disagree with me, but that's okay - that's what makes this game wonderful.<br /><br />I've always been fond of matching up two courses hole-by-hole and will probably beging to do so more often in this blog as a method of comparing, contrasting and disecting architectural features. Done right, it can be quite useful in assessment of a golf course.<br /><br />Here goes for Bethpage Black and Bethpage Red.<br /><br />First hole:<br /><br />The Black's first wins for atmosphere (especially as the first group out - I still get chills thinking about being the first to break the silence on the Black on October 14th, 2004 and splitting the fairway down the middle), however, outside of that and a decent green, the Black's opener is fairly benign. Though, to be fair, the hole does require a well aimed tee shot in order to have a shot into the green and one must execute perfectly to cut the corner, but most decent golfers will have no more than 7-iron into the hole.<br /><br />The Red's opener is a brute. 470 yards of a brute for the tips, to be precise. While bunkerless (though a sliced ball may find the bunkers that pinch the Black's 18th fairway), both shots require execution near perfection. The ideal tee shot finds the left side of the fairway which has the green view obscured by a mound about 100 yards out with the green about 40 feet above the fairway. Hitting a running, long iron into this green is the ideal play for the approach. Perhaps the most endearing part of the hole was realized this past March when I played Bethpage Blue. With the flag out of the green and the grass dormant, someone unfamiliar with Bethpage would not be able to tell a golf hole was even there - that's as natural as it gets.<br /><br />Red wins: Red 1-up<br /><br />Second Hole:<br /><br />The Black's second hole is often villified as not being up to the standard of the rest of the course. I find this to be a baseless claim mainly made by people who feel the Black should be all about bombs off the tee. While the second can easily be reduced to a 3-wood, pitching wedge proposition this is hardly an indictment. Double Bogey lurks on both shots as going through the fairway or too far left leaves an awful angle into the green. Once on the green, two putts are fairly easy to come by as the green is one of the flatter on the course, but often times, the player is over aggressive for the birdie.<br /><br />The Red's second is another villified hole and perhaps with more reason than the Black's. Like the Black's this is a dogleg left where driver may not be the best play. Unlike the Black's the hole is fairly flat and non-descript.<br /><br />Black wins: All Square<br /><br />Third Hole:<br /><br />The Black's third is a good long par 3 with a devlish fall away green. The long to mid iron approach must land short and hopefully hold the back of the green. Front right is a good bailout as any of the front left bunkers are a difficult up and down proposition.<br /><br />The Red's third is a very strong par 4 dogleg right with a dip in front of the green that can hamper the long hitter off the tee. The green has a good amount of movement in it and with the recent green expansion, holes can be tucked in corners like the days of yore.<br /><br />Hole Halved: All Square<br /><br />Fourth Hole:<br /><br />The Black's fourth is an all-world par 5 that really has no comparison. It could possibily be one of the best "second shot" par 5s in the game of golf (I put the 13th at Augusta as a Par 4.5). The glacier bunker is formidible and the green will give you nightmares with a misstruck approach.<br /><br />The Red's fourth is a decent mid-iron length par 3 that serves its purpose quite well. Don't miss left or long (on the 18th tee of the Black). Perhaps the best feature of the hole is the view of holes 15-18 of the Black course.<br /><br />Black wins: Black 1-up.<br /><br />Fifth Hole:<br /><br />The Black's fifth is another all-world hole, this time playing to a par 4. The oblique bunker that messes with the tee shot is one of the best uses of such a bunker I've seen and the method by which a golfer challenges the hazard can reap many rewards on the approach. The sheer horizontal elasticity of the hole is incredible as well, and in the two times I've played it there has been two vastly different results. The green sits like a fortress above two bunkers from the fairway and forces near perfect execution.<br /><br />The Red's fifth is an excellent par 5 with a premium placed on the angle off the tee (no line of charm on the Red, Jay? ;-)) . The golfer is forced to fight instinct and play the long way down the outside of the hole to even have a shot at the green in two. Too far right and the hillside and trees force the golfer to a bad angle from about 140 yards out on the left. Another restored green with a lot of movement awaits the golfer.<br /><br />Black wins: Black 2-up<br /><br />Sixth Hole:<br /><br />The Black's sixth invites the golfer to really wallop a hard drive down the left side as this may be the most open tee shot on the course. The green sits like a pancake wedged between two Tillinghast pastiche bunkers and is usually approached with anything from 6 iron to wedge, depending on the line off the tee. A good hole and a good breather after four and five.<br /><br />The Red's sixth is also fairly wide, but with trees lining the hole on both sides. A sharp dogleg left - the instinct is to play left, but dips, swales and the valley through which the fifth hole plays awaits the slightest hook. The best play is 3-wood to the outside of the corner which yeilds an open shot to the green. Two restored bunkers await an overly aggressive approach as the green actually feeds away from the golfer. I've speculated that at one point the trees down the left were much lower and sparse, giving the golfer a view of the green from the tee. Since the green "faces" the tee box this could have been a way for Tillie to tempt the player into biting off more than the player could chew.<br /><br />Red wins: Black 1-up.<br /><br />Seventh Hole:<br /><br />The Black's seventh is a relatively easy par 5 with a difficult tee shot compounded by a bunker similar to the fifth hole's. This hole is actually played from a forward tee for the US Open and played as a par 4. The green is one of the more undulating on the course but the second (and third) shots are some of the easiest.<br /><br />The Red's seventh is a mid length par 3 (a club or two longer than the fourth) that would probably fit well at a bunch of other Tillinghast courses. The hole follows the scheme of a lot of the par 3s at Bethpage (3rd and 14th on the Black, all four on the Blue, 11th on the Yellow, 12th and 17th on the Red) of having the tee and green on high points across a valley. This does get redundant (especially on the Blue), but is appealing on this hole.<br /><br />Hole halved: Black 1-up.<br /><br />Eighth Hole:<br /><br />The Black's eighth is a drop shot par over a pond to a severly sloping green. A bunker compounds the back left. I've hit 5-iron to the green both times from the back tee into a breeze and have parred the hole both times. It's non-descript, but effective.<br /><br />The Red's eighth is a short par 4 that begins an excellent stretch of holes on the plain portion of the property. Avoiding the bunker off the tee is key and will leave the golfer with a wedge to a tiered green. It's non-descript like the Black's but fun nonetheless.<br /><br />Hole halved: Black 1-up.<br /><br />Ninth Hole:<br /><br />An interesting par 4 on the Black with a VERY exactly tee shot. The new back tee places the carry to the top of the hill to something like 295 yards (I have VERY mixed feelings on both the efficacy and decision making for this new back tee). Don't reach the top and you have about as much of a hook lie that is possible without rappelling equipment. I think the hole will be better from the old back tee (I have yet to play the new one).<br /><br />Stand on the ninth tee on the Red and let your golfer's instincts take over. Everytime I play the hole, my eyes scan for the best angle to hit my tee shot and they inch perilously close to the tree line and bunkers at the inside of the corner each time. Did I mention this hole is 440 yards from the tips? The green is something else too, pinched off by bunkers but allowing a well struck rolling shot on (unless you cut the corner, navigate the bunkers and avoid the trees effectively where you'll probably be treated with a 5-6 iron approach).<br /><br />Red wins: Match All Square<br /><br />Second Nine coming up in a bit.Sirputtsalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710360374383269024noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18899692.post-1147540797875393952006-05-13T13:07:00.000-04:002006-05-13T13:19:58.100-04:00Know Your GreensAfter a month long hiatus (greenkeeping so far has been great!) I am back.<br /><br />Today's topic revolves around greens and how certain architectural clues can help you break apart the architect's intent in designing a golf hole.<br /><br />It has been said that the greens are the "faces" of the golf course portrait. By extension of this analogy, we can surmise that green design should garner the most attention.<br /><br />At first glance, most greens appear flat and circular and for a lot of new courses this is the case. However, for most courses built before 1960, the predominant green shape was squared off - especially at the front or back. This is especially important to realize as while greens and fairways may have shrunk over time, the contouring and general idea of the hole probably has not.<br /><br />If one is particularly familiar with the golf course, it is possible to visualize the hole backwards. Assuming a squarish green with some slope, the first thing to think about is at which angle the green is best approached from. From one side of the fairway, a bunker may cover the green or the green may slope away from the player, while 20 yards to the left or right, the green may be more receptive to a running approach or controlled aerial shot.<br /><br />This is where knowing the general original shape of the green is so important. A circular green is generally more receptive to shots from different angles while a squarish green (or formerly squarish) green generally favors one angle. Determining which direction the flat edge of the green faced can be key in figuring out how to play a hole.<br /><br />Another thing about shrunken square greens is the amount of hole locations presently available. A green that has lost 4 feet of green space on each side could have lost as much as 75% of old hole locations and the ones that remain are typically the easier locations in the middle of the green pad. Since hole locations are no longer tucked in these old corners, it is rare that as much of a premium on angle is placed on the tee shot or approach. However, left over green contour can still compound a shot or help even if now part of the collar or rough.<br /><br />Summarily, the idea is to use the architecture of the green to determine the best angles into the hole for scoring. This method can be especially helpful in abnormal conditions where trajectory, distance and control may be affected from the norm. Knowing how a hole "works" can help any golfer maximize score and enjoyment.Sirputtsalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710360374383269024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18899692.post-1143816279410879862006-03-31T09:43:00.000-05:002006-03-31T09:44:39.430-05:00Trustworthy?How much trust do you place in the architect of your home golf course? Perhaps even more important, how much trust is placed in the architect at an away course? Not surprisingly, this question probably doesn't enter most golfers minds as they play their round, yet it can be a very important factor in the success of a round. Granted, there is trusting the yardages that are marked on the course, but often times blame for inaccuracy is on the maintenance staff that can't use a laser range finder correctly.<br /><br />The idea is our assumption that the architect is telling the truth as to the nature of the hazards on the course. We rationalize that bunkers are at the corner of the dogleg to give the golfer something to think about if they chose to cut the corner. We understand that contour in the green is designed to make for interesting hole locations and angles of attack into the green from the fairway and that leaving the ball below the hole will leave an easier putt. But, how do we know for sure?<br /><br />Ever cut a corner of a dogleg and find yourself with a bad angle into a green or a nastier second shot?<br /><br />Ever stand over a putt thinking you've read to little or too much break and slowly inch your aim left or right?<br /><br />Believe it or not, but architects like to play with your mind. Temptation, of course, is the most commonly known way they do this. We are tempted to carry as much of a diagonal hazard as we dare, and we are tempted to fire directly at a hole that looks benign from the fairway. Temptation, however, is not the only way architects play with you.<br /><br />Next time you play a hillier course of some repute, take a look at how the slopes around the greens and fairways compound your eyesight. Good architects will make their unnatural grading and mounding integrate with surrounding and more natural contour and sights. Built up tee boxes, or those benched into a hillside, will have their built up slope match the grade of the hill side they were built into and both lines will run parallel. This actually does to things: make the golfer comfortable and make the golfer not notice. Well-integrated slopes are hidden from our eyesight precisely because they don't stand out. We may not notice that we are reading a putt from a sidehill lie. We may think the green is flatter than it is. Our aim may shift down the natural line of our eyesight and right toward a hazard lurking in front of a well-integrated mound.<br /><br />Take heed and notice next time you're out slapping it around the course. You may find yourself placing too much trust in the guy who was hired to make your score higher.Sirputtsalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710360374383269024noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18899692.post-1143307746681624642006-03-25T12:21:00.000-05:002006-03-25T12:29:06.726-05:00A Treatise on EquipmentI received a comment regarding my blog and the lack of equipment opinions and their influence on architecture. I've decided to state my feelings regarding technology.<br /><br />I believe that they ball needs to be rolled back. I would like to see a return to either the Titleiest Professional-era of technology, or the first version of the Titleist Pro V1. This feeling is probably no coincidence in that it corresponds to the time when I turned professional.<br /><br />It may well take a nuerotic to pay $100 and use $1500 of equipment in order to spend 5+ hours on a golf course that takes up real estate to the tune of 200+ acres. Economics drive any pasttime, and golf is no different. Golf has a problem - a serious problem. These aren't appealing numbers. Granted, these numbers are probably indicative of a limited percentage of those that actually play the game, but indeed, this higher end is the ultimate cost driver. As such, a simple solution must be found if the game is to continue retaining players (forget growth, let's worry about people STAYING in the game - since when is turnover a good thing?).<br /><br />However, I also feel that architecture (the field) cannot make a living by demanding that the ball be rolled back. Simply stretching golf courses to 7500+ yards and whining about how high and far the ball is going is not going to help this game. Architects must be more creative, because frankly, the game is getting too big. I feel there are architectural solutions that are both cost effective and land effecient (the two main drivers that the architect controls) and that are fun and challenging to play (the purpose of hiring an architect in the beginning). I've proposed some of these solutions on this blog, and will continue to do so.Sirputtsalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710360374383269024noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18899692.post-1142874522525814092006-03-20T11:40:00.000-05:002006-03-20T12:08:42.850-05:00The JeffI had the distinct pleasure of playing Jeffersonville GC yesterday with fellow GolfClubAtlas mate Mike Cirba. This course is the crown jewel of the West Norriton Township, PA taxpayer (that's a muni for those taking notes ;-)) and is also a crown jewel (of many) for Philadelphia golf.<br /><br />The course is your prototypical Donald Ross/JB McGovern 1931 design that, to me at least, gets better with each subsequent play. My first experience with the course was in a High School match back in 1999, right before a Ron Prichard restoration was undertaken. I returned 3 years later after I turned pro and the difference was night and day. The course as I first encountered it was a pitiable maintenance nightmare. I am not sure if this was before or just after they discovered the Ross pedigree, but I would have never even imagined the sophistication of the design then.<br /><br />The main affects of the restoration were much better (and integrated) bunkering and larger, more integrated green sites. These greens are a superb test of iron play, and as we experienced yesterday can be quite the challenge when fast. The routing also offers the golfer different angles through which the wind will affect play, and with one exception, no two consecutive holes play in the same direction.<br /><br />While the first nine has many highlights (the short par 4 2nd, par 5 6th and long downhill par 3 8th among them), the second nine is as fine a test of golf mettle as I've encountered in my, albiet limited, experience. The 11th and 12th holes (formerly 17 and 18) are an interesting pair. The first is a long, uphill par 4. The green dictates play of the rest of the hole and its situation is as near to a "redan" style as I've ever seen on a Ross course. The front right shoulder helps feed a low, running approach.<br /><br />As was our luck, the hole played dead into the wind - placing a premium on this feature. I was able to successfully punch a 3-iron from about 185 out up the hill and feeding toward the hole location on the left side just over the greenside bunker. I should note that Mike hit a wonderful approach right at the hole that nestled abotu 10 feet away, so while this hole has some features of a redan, it's not a true one as the green does not slope away from the golfer.<br /><br />17 and 18 are a great finish, and the evolution of the 17th hole is of particular interest to me. 17 is a true dogleg where angles are gained by playing out away from the green near the bunkers at the corner. Playing down 18 is an option, but no true advantage is gained as the hole is both sufficiently long with a green angled in a certain way that the small distance advantage gained is not worth the shot due to the poor angle. Interestingly, this hole may have played much straighter or even as a dead-straight on shot. I'll follow up when I do the necessary research.<br /><br />Jeffersonville is a sure treat, and the price can't be beat (I'm a poet, and the realization has yet to strike me). It's a worthy trip to anyone taking a Philadelphia golf tour as an accessible, playable, and fun sampling of later Ross.Sirputtsalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710360374383269024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18899692.post-1142696600924694842006-03-18T10:30:00.000-05:002006-03-18T10:43:20.946-05:00The Directional Hazard: Messing with ComfortOne of my latest ponderances regarding golf architecture has been that of what I am beginning to call the "directional" hazard. I am beginning to notice more and more that architects may force a player to aim toward a less favorable area in more ways than one.<br /><br />The first example of this is noticed at Morgan Hill, a Kelly Blake Moran course in Easton, PA. Kelly's bunkering and green complexes may be considered avante garde by a lot of the Philadelphia school pastiche, and some even have a Raynor/Banks-ish quality to them. They resemble a cat scratch across the landscape, and the depth and direction of the "scratch" confound the next shot by forcing the player to aim in a certain direction simply to advance the ball more than a deep explosion shot would do.<br /><br />To me, this is a very effective hazard, especially in a day and age where the bunker shot has been rendered "ho-hum" by the better player.<br /><br />I've also noticed some visual deception in regard to direction. The Par 5, 13th Hole, on PSU White (Park, Jr.) has a large bunker guarding the right side of a blind tee shot. Since the bunker is roughly 200 yards out, the better player has little concern for actually ending up in bunker, however, carrying it renders an extremely difficult decision the next shot. Upon getting to the bunker (and looking down the hole for the first time) the player is confounded by attempting to hug the treeline (and OB) right or playing out to the left for a less-than-ideal angle to the green and a fairway area that falls into two cavernous bunkers. It is a very uncomfortable shot regardless of the aim or choice and the premium on concentration and execution is high.<br /><br />Interestingly, these sort of features tend to force play to the edges, adding a certain amount of "internal yardage." Indeed, a player forced to zig-zag down a 490 yard par 5 is actually playing the hole at a 530 yard par 5.<br /><br />I like the idea of simple golf features messing with the golfer's comfort level in an effort to "defend par."Sirputtsalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710360374383269024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18899692.post-1140798655370449542006-02-24T11:30:00.000-05:002006-02-24T11:35:11.266-05:00A Corollary to Ian<a href="http://thecaddyshack.blogspot.com/2006/02/why-blog-about-being-golf-course.html#links">The Caddy Shack: Why a blog about being a golf course architect?</a><br /><br />The above is the latest blog entry by fellow GCAer and Canadian Golf Architect Ian Andrew. I was struck by his thoughts on his role in architecture, namely:<br /><br />"I believe a golf course architect's job is not to define a series of difficult tasks, but to make the game as interesting and fun as he can."<br /><br />I like that, and I feel it draws a neat parallel to my own definition of the golf architect's purpose. The golf architect is charged with posing a series of questions which the golfer can answer. The course's challenge comes not in asking impossible questions, but asking questions which engaged the golfer's abilities to their maximum level. To me, this leaves golfers of all abilities with something to "contribute" to the answer.<br /><br />A cape hole, for example, may pose the question, "How much of me can you challenge?" Every golfer has a different answer to the question, and each answer yeilds a different question on the next shot.Sirputtsalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710360374383269024noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18899692.post-1139926097913437122006-02-14T08:41:00.000-05:002006-02-14T09:21:13.246-05:00Why are tees always built up?Why do tees get put up on pedestals of ground?<br /><br />Not only does this look unnatural to me, it also plays unnaturally. Sure, I can understand a little bit of elevation to keep the tee above surface water flow, but is 4 feet of elevation change really necessary for that? Also, since it IS a teeing ground, and the golfer is given the option of improving his lie with a tee or by picking the best spot of ground, I would imagine the tee can afford to be in less-than-optimum condition.<br /><br />Tee boxes seem to be in one of two locations: flat ground, or benched from a hillside. For the latter example, we often see the box built up on one end so it can match grade with some aspect of the slope.<br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2874/1860/1600/DSCN0130.jpg"><img style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; CURSOR: hand" alt="" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2874/1860/320/DSCN0130.jpg" border="0" /></a><br />For example: The tee box on the Par 3 4th at Manufacturers' Golf and Country Club, Oreland, PA shown to the left. This is the response to a tee box being built on severely sloping ground, and the green and hole in general dictated the placement of the tee box here. While it may not be the most natural look thing (let's not fool ourselves, random flat shelves of land don't protrude naturally from rolling Pennsylvania hillsides) it is an example of the architecture following the function of the hole. Also note (click on the image for a larger view) how the slope built up to the left MATCHES the grade in front of the tee.<br /><br />In the more egregious category comes the new tee box on the 13th hole of PSU's White Course. The tee shot on the hole from the old tee (now the back tee) is blind. The 13th being a long downhill par 5 with the crest of the hill positioned in just the right distance from the back tee to make the landing area blind. A new forward tee was built that puts the golfer on a 5 foot high stage, laying the hole out in front of the player - no more blindness, at least I'm assuming that to be the purpose for the height of the new tee box. Functionally, I find this less-than-ideal - as the blind tee shot was used to set up strategic decisions later on in the hole. Aesthetically, the rectangularly symmetric pimple of a tee box looks awful. While I recognize the need and desire for a larger teeing ground, I don't quite understand why several cubic yards of dirt were wasted on this enterprise just for the sake of sight lines down the hole.<br /><br />While this may be a greater indictment of the growing golf culture for "everything right out in front of you" golf courses, and as such, the natural "form follows function" progression from there - I would think that simple aesthetic taste would ultimately win the day. Both my examples certainly aren't natural in appearance, but there is a limit between elegant and over-the-top.<br /><br />As a corollary to all this, I just started a thread on <a href="http://www.golfclubatlas.com">www.golfclubatlas.com</a> about the conditioning of tee boxes and their ultimate importance on the game. Is the sacrifice of tee conditioning worth the more playable and elegant grade level tee?Sirputtsalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710360374383269024noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18899692.post-1137616559345380192006-01-18T15:33:00.000-05:002006-01-18T15:40:23.840-05:00Throw 'em a Bone"Bulls make money, bears make money, pigs get slaughtered."<br />-As related by Jim Cramer<br /><br />I've always been a fan of throwing the conservative, pedantic and plodding golfer a bone here and there and let them earn an uninspired par. It especially works on a shortish-mid length par 5 (in the neighborhood of 500 yards). I like the idea that just executing three simple shots and nailing two putts will give someone a par, but making the hole just wide enough and just short enough to lead to temptation.<br /><br />The hole design below would be best suited for rolling terrain (even dunescape) since there are some rolling features around the green (including dunes over the back and a bunker cut in one of them to cover the approach from the right).<br /><br />The green has a deep swale running through the middle along the minor axis and is more accepting of a shot from the left side. I am also a fan of bunkers gaurding a chipping area that lies along the ideal approach to the green. Any golfer going for the green in two is subject to the terrain around the green, whereas a more conservative golfer is given room to pluck easier shots from the landscape - earning a fairly benign par.<br /><br />I give you all the Jim Cramer Hole:<br /><br /><a href="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2874/1860/1600/Par%205%20Idea.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/2874/1860/400/Par%205%20Idea.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a>Sirputtsalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710360374383269024noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18899692.post-1136002127898442692005-12-30T23:07:00.000-05:002005-12-30T23:08:47.910-05:00The Greatest Joy in GolfThis is from a blog I kept a few years ago. Detailing an experience I had in 2003 regarding my finding a "hidden" but neglected gem in Central PA.<br /><br />To me, experiences like this are the greatest joy in golf.<br /><br />I was just in the most hell forsaken place on the planet I think.<br />After work today, I decided I wanted to play golf. Since the PSUGC is closed for a three day tournament I had to go to a different course.<br />For some reason, I wasn't feeling Toftrees so I did some searching. I decided on a course about 30 miles southwest of here called Standing Stone. I knew the architect of the club and I like his work so I figured I would give it a try.<br />The drive down was beautiful, over and through mountains and valleys and what not. The course is off the beaten path some, and unless you are paying attention you would probably miss it. The entrance was narrow and was only one lane. The road gave a good view of the course and I was moderately optimistic at my choice.<br />The gentleman in the pro shop let me out after I showed him my PGA card. One notable thing about him was his business card, which he gave me. He apparently teaches and does trick shot shows. The golf shop itself was a small hut that was no bigger than a back yard shed and was completely seperate from a larger building used as the club house and restaurant.<br />The course looks like it was once a really good course. Walking down the first fairway I noticed signs of painstaking and futile effort to put the course back together. It saddened me that I saw half completeled projects with the shovels and other tools still lying around. The fairways were long, and very wet considering the rain we've been getting.<br />The thing is, the design is there. The holes are routed logically, the greens located on good spots and the bunkering, while overgrown somewhat, follows a path that could be challenging.<br />I only survived four holes before I couldn't take any more. I made a mental note of the ground, and the basic routing from the score card and left. It is very hard for me to see a remnant of what once was. This was obviously a course conceived by a genius at design (Geoffrey Cornish, for those keeping notes) and it wasn't meant to be this neglected.<br />To most people, it may be just another course. To me... it's a waste of very good effort.Sirputtsalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710360374383269024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18899692.post-1133029878713931472005-11-26T13:20:00.000-05:002005-11-26T13:31:18.716-05:00The Logical Flaw of Modern Architecture"I also believe to some degree we made this golf course a little bit more accommodating even for the member because we took out the trees, so it's easier -- they have a little more latitude than they did prior to our work."<br /><br />-Rees Jones, during the press conference for the changes for the 2006 PGA Championship to Medinah Country Club's No. 3 Course<br /><br />Mr. Jones,<br /><br />I read with interest your comments regarding changes you made to Medinah's No. 3 course in light of the 2006 PGA Championship. The above statement immediately piqued my interest and I believe it can be categorized as the logical flaw of modern architecture.<br /><br />Your statement implies that wider is easier. While this may certainly hold true for golf courses you design and build I feel this may be used as an indictment to your architectural ability (from a design standpoint, at least). The underlying premise of the statement is that the more lateral room a golfer has to play with, the easier a course will be - since the less skilled golfer will need more width to "stay out of trouble."<br /><br />However, that premise ignores a basic tenet of architecture that his been practiced since formal architecture came into being. Width provides golfers with options. When a golfer is presented with options, he immediately has to make a choice as to how to play the shot. The golf course should be designed and laid out in such a way that some of the options provide the golfer with an easier next shot, and other options allow the golfer to make his own difficulty. This set of choices is the chief challenge presented by the golf architect to the golfer.<br /><br />It is paramount to keep this in mind when designing a golf course, especially around the green. For example, Donald Ross rarely bunkered the outside of a dogleg, since he felt that an golfer hitting a shot there made his own trouble by making the hole longer. Similarly, Ross's Greens are known for the heavy use of contour and their premium on well-placed longer shots.<br /><br />Ross, therefore, allowed the golfer to proceed around the golf course as he saw fit; allowing him to pick a path from tee to green that suited his game. However, he also rewarded the golfer by giving him ways to still score, despite choosing a less-than-optimum route.<br /><br />I feel that your statement above sets two poor precedents. That tree removal will make a course easier, and that wider golf corridors will make a golf course easier. Often times, when clubs chose to plant trees on their courses, they would line the optimum corridor with trees, negating the lesser of the options off the tee and making the golfer execute, instead of think. They took out compromises that golfer could make that were allowed by Ross and replaced them with demands.<br /><br />I think your efforts to restore and renovate classic courses are noble, however, I feel that your premises and logic are not in line with the original intent of the golf course, as you are known to say.<br /><br />Humbly and Respectfully,<br /><br />Kyle HarrisSirputtsalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710360374383269024noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18899692.post-1132547972070333652005-11-20T23:31:00.000-05:002005-11-20T23:39:32.076-05:00Cake or Death!?Kudos if you get the reference in the title.<br /><br />However, for the purposes of this post, it alludes to the choices golfers make throughout a round.<br /><br />The best golf courses I've played allow the golfer to pick and choose his way around a golf course, avoiding certain hazards, and in doing so, bringing other hazards into play. I often make a dichotomy in golfers as such: Cunning and Athletic.<br /><br />The cunning golfer is able to think his around a golf course with less-than-average to average execution. Basically, he knows where and how to miss. This golfer scores by overcoming strategic difficulties with thought and often uses creativity to keep scores low.<br /><br />The athletic golfer uses his execution to make his way around the course, often times ignoring the strategy of the hole in order to play to his strength.<br /><br />I've found that good golf holes, and good courses for that matter, provide a balance and blend of both personalities in one hole or stretch of holes - allowing each golfer to choose his trouble.<br /><br />A specific example of this blend can be found at Huntingdon Valley Country Club. With three nines designed by William Flynn and restored by Ron Prichard in 1998, the course is one of many superlative tests in the Philadelphia area.<br /><br />Flynn routed the course through a bowl shaped area and allowed the contour to dictate strategy and feature placement. One criticism of the course is that it does not offer a level lie, however, multiple plays will show this to not be true. Knowing his half the battle and the clever golfer is given the means to position himself in key areas to score.Sirputtsalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710360374383269024noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18899692.post-1132120860390060172005-11-16T01:00:00.000-05:002005-11-16T01:01:00.396-05:00Bare BonesBesides the tee box and the hole, what are the bare minimum features to have on a golf course?Sirputtsalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710360374383269024noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18899692.post-1131850884979572162005-11-12T22:01:00.000-05:002005-11-12T22:01:24.986-05:00Fibonacci Architecture<span style="font-family:lucida grande;">I've been toying with something I've come to call "Fibonacci Architecture" lately. The idea came from a thread on GolfClubAtlas regarding the presence of the golden ratio (1.61803:1) in nature. Naturally, the thread was about the ratio's presence in golf architecture, if there was any. </span><br /><br />The majority of responses were regarding the size of the features, but I started to toy with actual distances. At first, I began to figure there could be a correlation to carrying various hazards and the overall distance of the hole. This lead nowhere, since the ratio would leave the hazard in a place too far or too close to be of any use.<br /><br />The second thought I had involved landing areas, specifically their distance from the tee. I decided a good starting point from a middle tee box would be 220 yards to the first landing zone. Taking this number and multiplying it by the golden ratio gave me 355.9666, which I just rounded to 356. Needless to say, this excited me, since 356 yards for a par 4 from a middle tee is quite reasonable.<br /><br />I was more worried about other tees, and determined to use a 270 yard tee shot to an landing zone for the back tee, and a 150 yard tee shot from the forward tee. Using the above method, this gave me 436 yards from the back and 243 yards from the forward tee. Quite a bit of variance but I decided to work with it. Since the hole is in a fixed location, I would have to vary angle and tee location. There would also be three landing areas - but relatively close together if the angles are played with.<br /><br />Placing the hazards and green came next, and I've come up with some interesting ideas on just that one set of numbers. I also came up with some good stuff using 300 yards from a back tee, 250 from a middle tee and 200 from a front tee.<br /><br />For me, transfering the idea to a par 5 and a par 3 is next, though I'm not quite sure how to execute on that.<br /><br />The exercise, while not practical in the strictest application, is good for coming up with holes that have multiple angles and options. When technology allows, I'll post some of my renderings.Sirputtsalothttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15710360374383269024noreply@blogger.com0