At the peak of the golf boom in 2000, there were more than 400 new course openings. This year there were only 15. But lack of quantity doesn't mean lack of quality. Two impressive public layouts debuted in Washington State, while Tom Weiskopf's 65th design opened in Kauai. This past year also saw Notah Begay make his debut as a designer, beating his friend and former Stanford teammate, Tiger Woods, to the punch.
Speaking of Woods, his first design in the U.S., High Carolina at the Cliffs, was to have opened this year as well but it's on hold like a lot of other projects. Architects have become the Chicago Cubs of golf. For some time their mantra has been, "Wait 'til next year!" We might not get back to hundreds of course openings, nor should we, but it's refreshing to know that a number of highly anticipated courses are scheduled to open in 2012.
Who knows, maybe the Cubs will even win the World Series?
By Tom Cunneff
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