By Design - Fall 2019

24 | By Design FIVE TO FINISH I believe we are bound together by the courses we all can play for a lifetime S cot Sherman, ASGCA, was educated at Furman University and Georgia Tech before beginning his golf course design career at Dye Designs. He later joined ASGCA Past President Bobby Weed and served as senior associate. In 2014 he connected with Mark Love, and his brother, the PGA Tour golfer Davis Love III. Sherman now balances a role as lead golf architect for Love Golf Design with work on his own designs for selected clients. How is your game? It is ironic that you should ask: Recently I had some vision issues which really affected my game for weeks and ingrained some bad swing habits. As I was healing, I got a very quick lesson while traveling with Mark Love inside a clubhouse, without ever swinging a club. When I returned home to practice, I could not believe how much that small tweak improved my ball striking. As Harvey Penick used to say, ‘in the golf swing, a tiny change can make a huge difference.’ This was exactly my experience with Mark’s help. Which three people would make up your dream fourball? My favorite fourball would always include my dad, son and brother. But in the realm of dreams, I would first include Bobby Jones. Needless to say, a few hours watching his swing would be wonderful. But also, the way he approached life and golf—both in their proper perspectives—would be an instructive topic of discussion. Ben Crenshaw would also be invited—for many of the same reasons. And, just being able to hear his conversation with Mr. Jones would be priceless. Finally, I would include ASGCA Fellow Pete Dye. Given his recent health challenges, I would enjoy seeing him once again, all the while being on the receiving end of his needling. What is your favorite hole in golf? My favorite is the seventeenth at National Golf Links of America. It is one that embodies all of the strategic, interest and aesthetic factors I learned to incorporate into design. Also, the fact that a hole built over 100 years ago still fairly and sternly challenges golfers today is a testament to its design strength. If you could change or add one rule, what would it be? I am in favor of some bifurcation of the rules of golf— especially on equipment issues. I do not agree that the same set of rules is what binds all levels of golf together. I believe we are bound together by the courses we all can play for a lifetime—such as Pinehurst No. 2 or The Ocean course at Kiawah. What project are you currently working on? At Love Golf Design, we are working on the complete redesign of the Plantation course at Sea Island Resort. This project includes reintroducing timeless features which once existed on the property, while also upgrading everything else. We are also working on a multi-year project at the University of Virginia. The project includes completely redesigning their existing course, while also building a six-hole short course, a putting course, new practice range, and practice facilities for the golf teams [read more from page 12]. This summer, I have been assisting Kiawah Golf Resort with upgrades on the Ocean course in preparation for the 2021 PGA Championship. • Scot Sherman, ASGCA Sherman’s work at the Sea Pines Resort in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, included the reinvention of the former Ocean course, which reopened as Atlantic Dunes in 2016 Photo: Love Golf Design