What’s the best way to study a course virtually? Feel like being in-person is obviously such a rich, incomparable experience, whereas the written word without some visual accompaniment can be tricky.

Sounds like Winnapaug in Rhode Island. I loved it.

With all the new projects coming online over the past few years if you were building your own course for the Fried Egg Golf Club, what region/type of land would you look for? What architectural philosophy would shape your design (using templates, minimalist approach, moving tons of dirt to get your design, etc) with how it would be built? Would it be more like a destination type place or a daily membership type club?

Both of those examples — wild greens stimping at 5, bunkers that function as waste area — actually sound great to me! 🙂

Nice write-up. I enjoy reading Fried Egg Golf Club reviews about courses like Olde Salem Greens. Is this the first SVK review?

How scruffy can a course be to retain its strategic and architectural value? Examples might be wild contours but stimp readings of 5, or creative bunkers but they’re technically waste areas . . .. .

More of an idea than a question here, local 9 hole goat track next to me in TN but has good bones. Opened in 1920’s. I’d like to into turn it into a physical “Fried Egg Golf Club”. Could community source it to do the routing, shaping, etc. Would take a lot of planning but every great idea started somewhere, right? FEGC members play for free!

What are your thoughts on sneaking onto elite private courses? I am a non descript looking 40 year old dude and find I can walk into any club in my city and use there practice facilities without a second look. I also recently snuck onto an old money top 20 in the USA after a thunderstorm and played 12 holes teeing off on their 4th behind the clubhouse. When I was a kid I took pride in sneaking onto whatever I could. But now as I age should I have more respect for these clubs … should I “have some shame”? Or if I cant get on after exhausting the normal avenues should I continue to sneak on?

I keep thinking about public golf and “shrink the game.” How we actually solve the jam for tee times and crappy courses charging a million dollars for 4 minute intervals. Impossible question, but any ideas on where would you start? I feel like we have plenty of courses, just not plenty of interesting accessible courses? Everyone can probably name 10 courses near them that they have no interest in playing again, which stinks.

I know Ive asked this elsewhere to Garrett. Is there a definitive list for "types" of courses? Ie links, parkland, heathland, mountain, desert, headland, sandbelt, etc? Should there be more or sub categories? In the midwest we love calling a treeless course links-style, which is a small pet peeve (usually more wetland or prairie ground). What are NE sandhills, WI sand based, NC sand based? Maybe Im getting too deep in the woods but just curious.