by Larry Gavrich
Brandon Tucker needs to get his game in order. I've played more than 80 golf courses in residential communities over the last two years, and no more than a dozen had out-of-bounds markers within reach of any but the most prodigious hookers (or slicers). The best architects -- Dye, Fazio, Nicklaus -- insist on working with enough land to keep backyards well off the fairways. More often than not, natural or manmade features buffer the homes from errant tee shots. At Champion Hills in Hendersonville, NC, for example, Tom Fazio carved his fairways well below the line of expensive homes. At Pete Dye's underated Ogeeche course at Ford Plantation, near Savannah, you never see more than a handful of houses...in the distance. Sure, some developers are greedy and maximize the lots directly on the course, but that is the exception rather than the rule. If Mr. Tucker finds himself tip toeing through someone's tulips, he either needs to get his game in order or choose to play one of the many outstanding community golf courses. I am happy to furnish a list.
Larry Gavrich
http://www.GolfCommunityReviews.com