6 Pete Dye golf course design principals that apply well to other creative work
Oh, Pete Dye! My man.
We lost a legend this year, in January.
I got to thinking about him recently, having played 2 gems of his this fall, Blackwolf Run (River) and Whistling Straits (Straits), both in Kohler, Wisconsin.
All golfers know Pete Dye. For one, he created incredibly distinctive courses. They are distinctive for their high degree of difficulty, their daunting and stimulating aesthetics, and their varied and well-conceived strategic challenges.
In summary, Pete Dye courses are incredibly fun.
I’ve always been a huge fan.
When I was in grade school, I would sketch golf hole designs in my notebooks. Influenced by Dye, I made the holes insanely difficult and whacky. I would steal his mounding, pot bunkers, railroad tie bunkers and lakes, and risk-reward optionality.
In showing my friends, they would typically smirk and shake their head, saying, “nobody would ever want to actually play this!” I loved trying to out-Dye Mr. Dye. I was happy to design circus courses. Hey, if it’s new and fun, why not?
Having played a number of Dye courses over the years now, I came to know a bit about him and how he designed courses. At some point it occurred to me that Pete’s approach to course design contained lessons and principles that one could take and apply to other creative endeavors, including, perhaps, filmmaking.
To complement what I already knew about Pete, I recently read his book, Bury Me in a Pot Bunker. It’s a fun read with lots of great serendipity stories about interesting golf people he met over the years. I also learned a few more things about Pete’s mindset and methods for creating courses.
Here are 6 lessons from Pete’s passionate, creative approach to golf course design:
1. Sketch the holes on paper yourself
Pete didn’t do fancy hole renderings using computer software. He would draw rough sketches, oftentimes on the back of a placemat or napkin.
Then he would go to work and start shaping a hole from that, while allowing his instincts to try things and further develop it.
He also empowered his crew members to experiment as they shaped bunkers and fairway mounds.
All the while, he would imagine the strategic options and challenges the hole would present, and make sure the individual elements served that.
His idea was, basically, once you have a rough idea, get into the clay and start molding it with your hands.
2. Run the bulldozer yourself
Pete was hardworking and down to earth. He didn’t just make the drawings and hand them to a contractor. On the contrary, he personally ran the construction of the course, working sun up to sun down with his crew.
He often would run the bulldozer and other equipment himself, trying different shapes and contours. This was his happy place, his flow state.
3. Challenging and stimulating visuals
Pete Dye courses have always photographed well. The many water hazards, bunkers, and mounds certainly do a lot to make them interesting visually.
What I didn’t realize prior to reading his book was how he made reasoned decisions about the grasses to be used on his courses. He frequently chose different grasses for the fairway, rough, and fescue to create contrast and color variety to the eye. Upon reflection, this does a lot to make his courses stand out versus the typical course.
Another interesting aspect of the aesthetics is how they are tied to the mental challenge Pete tried to create for the player. This is an especially strong part about Pete’s courses. It’s as much of a mental test as a physical one. Being able to hit the shot with the right shape, from point A to point B, is one thing. But having the courage to take the correct line, and not bail out, is another.
4. Go back and study the greats
Another interesting tidbit I learned from Pete’s book was his and his wife Alice’s big trip to Scotland to study the great courses there in 1962.
They played them all, including such gems as Prestwick, Royal Dornoch, St. Andrews, and Carnoustie. And they took notes on the things they liked, and the things they learned, along the way.
Notes they made included using railroad ties to make bunker walls, the fun of blind shots once in a while, the charm of outside elements such as railroad tracks bordering holes, double greens, and the “redan” style par 3 green (sloping front to back), to name a few.
The trip was just a few years after they started in the golf course design business, and to that point they had only built a few courses.
After that trip was when Pete really started making signature Dye courses that are now household names.
In the 1960s, after the Scotland trip, Pete and Alice created Crooked Stick in Indianapolis, The Golf Club in Columbus, and Harbour Town in Hilton Head.
5. Use God’s assets
Dye’s first opportunity was a 9-hole track that was called El Dorado Country Club, south of Indianapolis. Pete got off to an aggressive start, charting a course that crosses a creek on the property 13 times over the 9 holes.
At the Ocean Course at Kiawah Island, Pete and Alice decided to raise the entire course about 10 feet so that players could see the Atlantic Ocean over the line of natural beach dunes.
At Whistling Straits, Pete pulled a similar trick on the western shore of Lake Michigan, building the Straits course in tiers so that it seems like you are right on the lakeshore on almost every hole.
Down the road from Straits at Blackwolf Run, River Course, he maximized holes along the Sheboygan River while offering great visual and strategic variety.
It’s not just bodies of water that Pete utilizes. Natural vistas, flora, and wind directions are important and help shape the design as well.
Letting the property dictate certain natural-fitting holes, and taking advantage of the natural beauty and features as much as possible, is a great way to get started with your creative puzzle.
6. Smile, have fun, and work hard
Above all, what stands out is Dye’s friendly and hardworking disposition. He did what he loved with a smile and worked hard at it, and never got a swollen ego. His work also heavily involved his family, including his wife Alice (who is responsible for the famous island green 17th at TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course). Sons Perry and P.B. both became respected working golf course designers as well.
With such high character and a smiling disposition, it’s no wonder Dye’s book is full of great stories. And he continues to entertain us to this day, with a truckload of amazing and challenging golf courses. To me, he’s like a great auteur filmmaker in a lot of ways, and we have much to learn from this master. Cheers to you, Pete!
