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 Minimalist design in golf course architecture is like writing a long letter on a short piece of paper.
Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore were the authors at Talking Stick Golf Club, where everywhere you look on 36 holes you can hardly see any evidence that a
bulldozer ripped through this Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian community.
But ask a golf architect if he is a "minimalist" and most likely he'll hem and haw and not want to be labeled as such.
Talking Stick Golf Club, North Course and South Course
"One of the things we are most proud of," said Coore, about his teaming with Crenshaw, "is that every
one of our designs is completely different. Minimalism is just a current catch phrase. We try to let the site
dictate our design. If were are designing a course in Hawaii, the course is going to look like Hawaii. Go to
Sand Hills in Nebraska and it is totally different. We take what is given to us and lay it as quietly on a piece of ground as we can."
Talking Stick North and South Courses are located in the East Valley near Phoenix. The links-style North
Course is a stimulating minimalist design that includes great views of Camelback Mountain, wide fairways,
no trees, natural-appearing strategic bunkers and a true opportunity to score well. On just about any approach you have the option to run your ball on the green.
Golfweek no doubt loves Crenshaw-Coore courses. It lists Sand Hills Golf Club in Mullen, Nebraska as its
No. 1 modern course in America. Talking Stick's North is No. 82 on that list. In the Arizona rankings, the North is No. 2 and the South is No. 8.
Most travel golfers who come to Arizona love the target golf and don't want to play traditional courses.
But there are some who are just the opposite. The target golf is too hard for them and since they are
purists, they seek out these courses. Crenshaw and Coore are excellent for this traditional type of golf.
"These courses are in wonderful condition and as an average golfer I loved the wide landing areas off the
tees," said Robert Sampson of Denver. "The par threes are difficult, especially in the wind, but this is a refreshing change from all the target golf you find in Scottsdale."
The 7,133-yard par-70 North course, presents the golfer with views of Camelback Mountain, the McDowell
Mountains and Pinnacle Peak, with a flat landscape and no trees. If you peer across the barbed-wire
fences you will see palo verde trees, creosote and mesquite. The South Course is 6,833 yards at par 71.
"We were contacted by the Troon golf people and the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian community to
design two completely different courses," Coore said. "The land was totally flat and treeless, but the
beauty was for golf only and not a housing development. We were told to make the courses as opposite as we could, but make them user-friendly."
Coore describes the North as open, windswept, low-profile and a course that encourages you to play a lot
of different shots, depending on what angle you take. One can fly the ball to the hole, roll it from off the
greens, chip and run -- anything your imagination can handle. The greens are only slightly crowned.
You will use that imagination on the 12th, a 392-yard par-4 risk-reward hole called Gambler. A huge waste
bunker and ravine dissects the entire hole, with just a tiny target left, bordered by a barbed-wire fence that
is OB. The smart play is to the huge fairway segment right, which appears as a dogleg left on the yardage book.
Tim Mahoney, Director of Golf, says the chip and run is a must for lower scores on the North Course. "It's
a valuable tool. Just position the ball back in your stance and use a seven- or eight-iron, lean your weight
and shaft towards the target and make a no-wrist swing. This technique achieves the desired maximum ground time for a good shot," he said.
The South Course, Coore says, is more straight-forward. What you see on the tee will tell you what to do.
It is more parkland-styled, with trees and water, but you know where to play. The South also features
subtle elevation changes, fingered bunkers, tiered landscaping and native cottonwoods and hardwoods.
The Talking Stick name comes from the traditional Pima calendar stick, a wooden branch carved to mark
significant events in its history.
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