Loop Links, no. 17
A Link to The Loop
A decent amount of my playing partners throughout the past few golf seasons have come from my involvement with the Fresh Coast Flock, a Michigan-based collective that functions as a “Roost” in the No Laying Up community of golfers. I’m not going to test you on the details. All that you need to know is that it’s a group of (mostly) guys, and a good group at that. I can’t say I’ve ever had a round with a FCF member that I didn’t enjoy, or been paired with someone that I wouldn’t play with again.
A couple of times per year, members from various regions in the state will get together and play an official event, with the largest event occurring each May in Metro Detroit, a fantastic charity event called Maxamania. I played in my third Maxamania a few weeks ago, and we always have a good time and raise heaps of money for a good cause.
But whenever we all get together, it’s readily apparent to me - we all look like the same damn person.
It isn’t anyone’s fault. And, of course, once you get to know people in the group, everyone is not the same. Everyone has their own personality; their own story. But viewed from the outside, we are generally just another bunch of White dudes who golf. Which is fine.
I grew up in a small town without much diversity, and it wasn’t until college that I really started meeting people with completely different backgrounds than mine. After college, working in Division I basketball and then the NBA, my horizons were expanded even further. I enjoyed meeting, working with, and mentoring people from all walks of life. It’s one of the few things that I miss from my coaching days, and something I’ve been struggling to find in the golf community.
The purpose of this short background is to say that, since by simply being at a golf event I am taking away from its diversity, the least I can do with this platform is offer an opportunity for other voices to be heard and other stories to be told.*
So with that said, I spend a whole lot of time combing through aerials and researching Michigan golf. It seems like a good time to share with you who I have found to be the most influential ladies in Michigan golf architecture to date.
*If this isn’t your thing, and you really would prefer to just read stories about White men in golf… please do not worry. It’s physically impossible to run out of White men in golf stories.
Alice Dye
One of the true pioneers in golf architecture for women, Alice Dye began as an accomplished player, winning around 50 amateur events, including 11 Indianapolis Women’s City titles and nine Indiana Women’s Golf Association amateur titles. Her most notable titles include the 1968 North & South Women’s Amateur at Pinehurst, the 1970 Curtis Cup as part of the winning U.S. team, and the U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship in both 1978 and 1979.
As a designer, Alice Dye might often be remembered as a partner to her husband Pete Dye, campaigning for proper tees and designs for female players. But she has been recognized by the design industry as being much more than a sidekick. Dye was the first woman member and the first female president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects. She also served on the USGA Women’s Committee, the LPGA Advisory Council and the board of directors for the Women’s Western Amateur.
Pete Dye once said: “When I’m building a golf course, you know when she walks up and says ‘how in the world is Mary Jones going to play this hole?’ you know she knows what she’s talking about, because she’s played with these ladies and know how they play.”
Having played competitively, Alice recognized the differing levels of ability of female golfers, and devised the “Two-Tee System” that she introduced in the 1980’s. Countering the typical single tee option for women at most courses, which Alice likened to “asking them to all wear the same dress size,” she presented multiple teeing grounds on the courses that her and Pete built to accommodate different skills.
She also recognized par 3 holes as a key place to challenge both men and women off of the tee, and is famously remembered for the creation of the island green at TPC Sawgrass.
“I remember when we were building the TPC Sawgrass in Florida, Alice always maintained that par 3s should be very difficult, because she could place the ladies’ tee in a position that they can play that hole. That 17th hole at TPC – that’s Alice. She makes those par 3s pretty strong, I guarantee you that.” - Pete Dye
Radrick Farms in Ann Arbor, one of the two courses affiliated with the University of Michigan, is recognized as the first 18-hole design created by Pete Dye in 1965*. The course is a result of Harlan Hatcher, then-President at U of M, seeing Pete’s work in Indianapolis (on a recommendation by William Newcomb) and hiring him to build the new course on land donated by Fredrick Matthaei Sr.
Perhaps not so recognized is that Alice Dye is also given a design credit for the course. Unfortunately, the extent of her work at Radrick is not well-documented. Frankly, the work of Pete Dye at Radrick hasn’t been explored very deeply, either. As he explains in his book Bury Me in a Pot Bunker, after designing the course plans for Radrick, the building of the course was passed along to a construction company. The crew did not fully execute his vision for the course, Pete says, which is astonishing considering it is still a fantastic course.
Even though Alice’s contribution to Radrick Farms is not documented, we can be sure that she had an impact on the project. As an article from French Lick Resort points out, “when Alice talked, Pete listened. ‘He doesn’t always pay any attention, but he does listen,’ Alice joked.”
*An asterisk is certainly required here. Dye’s first overall course was a 9-holer in Indianapolis. That was the only course Dye had built when he was selected to build Radrick. However, in the time between being selected and then actually designing Radrick, he completed another 18-hole course in Indianapolis.
Lorrie Viola
Back in high school, my golf team participated in a rare event where we played a scramble in groups of 3. We only did it once, and I have no recollection of why, since it was so different from every other meet we played. But I got to be in a group with one of my best friends, who was a prodigious driver of the ball (and also now the head golf coach at our alma mater), and I had a putting day the likes of which I don’t think I’ve ever matched since. We easily won the event.
That event was at The Timbers in Frankenmuth. I remember very little about the course, outside of the 90 degree dogleg par 5 with the peninsula green*. I still have a soft spot for the course, though, due to that victory. And all of these years later, I now know it was designed by Lorrie Viola.
In addition to The Timbers, Viola also designed Timberwood in Ray, under her design firm of L.A. Links. She also appears to have been involved in some capacity with design at Pine Knob, prior to Dan Pohl adding 9 holes and renovating the course beginning in 1999.**
Viola completed a landscape architecture degree at Michigan State in 1983, and began her career working for golf course architect Bill Newcomb. Next, she moved to South Florida to work for Jack Nicklaus, an assignment that included her tending to his personal gardens at his estate (apparently he had an estate). She worked two more years for George and Jim Fazio, and in 1987 joined the firm of Gary Player and Karl Litten.***
Viola established her L.A. Links firm in 1991, based out of Farmington Hills, while still occasionally working with Litten. "Karl supported it. He provided renovation jobs he didn't want to be involved with," she said in a 1994 article. “I think everyone’s a little leery about being a guinea pig by hiring me. It’s going to take a couple of courses by myself to start, and more people may follow suit."
Additionally, on being female in a male-dominated field:
"People like Jan Beljan [of Fazio Golf Course Designers, Inc.] have opened the door for the rest of us to say, ‘There is no reason we cannot do the same things the male architects have been doing all these years.' Jan's had some nice support from Tom Fazio and has been able to do a lot of things because of working for him. What I'm crediting is Tom's allowing her the same opportunity as the rest of the people in his company. If your company doesn't support you equally with your male counterparts, you'll never get anywhere."
Back to that strange hole at The Timbers. There may have been a philosophy behind it. "What I've learned is, if you can make one hole on every project stand out from the rest, you can say that's your signature hole for that course.” That was likely a common guiding principle in the 90’s, so I’m not going to hold that against her too much. But to be clear, I hate that philosophy. A lot.
Viola is noted in the 1994 article as being an excellent land planner, as well as being able to adeptly handle any environmental issues that arise. But most of all, she is a trailblazer in Michigan with multiple solo design credits to her name.
"Being a female in a predominately male industry means that it's sometimes tough to find a mentor when you're first starting out. But if you believe in yourself and do a quality job, you'll find respect from most of your male peers."
*I didn’t have many thoughts on golf course architecture back then, but even at that time I knew it was a goofy hole.
**Viola also has two designs to her name in Florida. But I’ll be damned if I write anything about Florida here.
***It’s not clear whether or not she was involved at Eagle Crest in Ypsilanti, a 1987 Karl Litten design.
Susan Nyquist
If you have played any of the golf courses in the Metroparks system, then you will have seen the work of Susan Nyquist. Nyquist received solo design credit for the courses at the Huron Meadows, Indian Springs, and Lake Erie Metroparks, although she was involved in the design of all six courses. This certainly makes her the most prolific female designer in Michigan history to date.
Nyquist graduated with a landscape architecture degree from Michigan State, and then mentored under Jerry Matthews. She ultimately pursued her landscape design background, becoming the Park Planner for the Huron-Clinto Metropolitan Authority, and keeping an office at Kensington Park. That put her in a unique situation, however, to be involved with the golf course construction in the Metroparks system. While she does not consider herself a golf course architect, and credits a team effort for the construction of all of the courses, she was certainly a driving force behind each of the projects.
"My philosophy on design really comes from Jerry Matthews. He always felt that you should let the land dictate the golf course and that you should move as little dirt as possible during the construction.” - Susan Nyquist
Angela Moser
Without a doubt, the most exciting name in modern architecture with a design history in Michigan is Angela Moser. Moser was most recently involved in the design and construction of the new No. 10 course at Pinehurst Resort, working as Tom Doak’s lead associate. Moser’s history with Doak and the Renaissance Golf Design team extends back to 2011, and she was a critical part of the team that built The Loop, spending months shaping on the Northern Michigan site.
“Being out in the field, refining design ideas, putting those into the ground and watching the course come together is the biggest reward for anyone involved with the design-build process of a golf course and that’s why I love the work,” Moser says on her website, MoserGolf.
A native of Germany, Moser studied landscape architecture in the UK before scoring an internship with Tom Doak and beginning her golf career working on the Renaissance Club in Scotland. From a Golfers Journal feature:
When asked about her best day, Moser reflects on building tees at the Renaissance Club without any heavy equipment and drops into the reverie of second person: “You’re just lost doing your work…and I love the landscape, and you’re in the middle of the dunes, building this tiny little tee pad. The tide goes out and the tide comes in. You see the lobster ship coming in, putting the traps out, then eventually making their catch. There’s something about nature that is so fantastic it doesn’t matter if it’s raining or the sun is shining or you have a double rainbow. It just feels absolutely right to be there.”
After completion of The Loop in 2016, Moser joined Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner for eight months in 2018 to work on the renovation of Los Angeles Country Club. She has racked up work on several other impressive projects to date, including Te Arai Links (New Zealand), Woodhall Spa (England), Ohoopee Match Club (Georgia), St. Patrick’s Links (Ireland), and Streamsong Black (Florida).
Part of the allure of a being a shaper, according to Moser, is that it’s not necessary to stick to a rigid blueprint from the architect. Rather, it’s the shaper’s job to take the architect’s outline and bring an idea to life in the soil. “The great thing about working with Tom and his guys is that you get to bounce ideas off of them and get feedback right away on what you’ve done,” Moser says. “As a shaper, they give you the opportunity to put your own idea into the ground.”
The negative aspect to being a shaper? While architects are always looking to secure their next project, life for a shaper like Moser is for more uncertain. “We have a saying that we’re working to be unemployed,” Moser says.
Moser’s role as lead associate for the Pinehurst No. 10 project has brought an increased amount of attention, including on her place in a field dominated by men. “My whole thing is I just want more quality golf courses being built and that gender shouldn't matter,” she says. “A hundred years ago, when they built courses with horses and a shovel, I had no chance. But give me the superpower of running a bulldozer and an excavator, I can handle that,” she says with a laugh.
Mom and Pop
Last but not least, we should not discount the numerous Mom and Pop golf courses throughout the state. Many are owner built, and I’ve seen multiple courses in which both members of the couple are given credit for the design and development*. This includes Dean and Tonya Wall at Dunes GC (Empire), Mark and Tracy Lenahan at the Intimidator (Reed City), and Al and Lorraine Kanouse at Tustin Trails (Tustin), to name a few. I’m still uncovering more as I work my way through all of the courses in Michigan.
Whether these ladies were physically involved in the design or construction of the course, or a simply an important force behind the development and completion of the project, their contributions should not go unnoticed.
*These are from Golfpass, and often subject to error. But still, we will give these the benefit of the doubt until proven otherwise.
Speaking of The Loop…
I don’t know who Up River Golf Co. is, but this feature on the Loop just popped up in January with some stunning drone shots.
And of course, a favorite of mine remains the No Laying Up guys struggling to say they didn’t enjoy playing in The Duel without actually saying it:
The Loop remains up near the top of my list of courses I want to play in Michigan. To be honest, the reversible nature of the course isn’t even what I most want to see. In a state full of self-proclaimed “links-style” courses that are not remotely links-like from either a design or a conditioning perspective, the Loop is said to have perhaps the firmest, bounciest, most links-like conditions in the U.S. I can hear that hollow “thump” sound to the greens already, and I can’t wait to play it.