Even though they never really left us, the great golf courses of the golden age are coming back in a hurry. One by one, today’s architects are restoring America’s classic courses to the specifications of their former glory. I had the chance to sit down with one of the men leading that charge, Mr Gil Hanse. If there is anybody hotter right now, I don’t know who it is.
My first order of business when meeting with Gil Hanse was to ask him if he had seen this meme on the internet. I can safely report that Hanse is aware of Hansel, his current level of hotness, and how his own hotness directly correlates with Hansel’s hotness.
The second order of business was to talk Baltusrol and the recent unveiling of the Lower Course. With a renovation intent on restoring the original AW Tillinghast architecture complete, I had plenty of questions for Gil on his most recent endeavor.
The amount of respect that Gil and his team have for being entrusted with one of AW Tillinghast’s finest creations cannot be overstated. If my conversation with Gil reveals one thing, it is that Gil considers himself extremely fortunate to have the opportunity to touch one of America’s most iconic golf courses. This attitude manifests itself with extreme attention devoted towards the preparation phase of the project. “The finished product is only going to be as good as your research.” Gil states.
His attention to detail starts first with aerial pictures and historical documents. Different angles of various golf holes provide an insight into the exact locations of bunkers, green sizes and shapes. The more documents, the better, and Baltusrol has even established a devoted historical committee comprised of members that does an exceptional job at preserving their history. This committee worked closely with Gil Hanse to help restore the course to Tillinghast’s original proportions.
The art of renovating a golf course built in 1922 for play in 2021 is not lost on Hanse. Gil explains that the key lies in understanding Tillinghast’s original strategy intentions. Some bunkers were placed appropriately in order to preserve these intentions. For example, the “Sahara” complex pictured above was moved about 40 yards down range in order to maintain the integrity of the golf hole with today’s distances.
When questioned about how to make a golf course enjoyable for the average golfer as well as the tour professional, Hanse explains simply, “It’s all about the setup.” Different tees boxes and options on the greens make a huge difference and can provide a wide range of challenges. Great design principles already existed at Baltusrol and Hanse has done a wonderful job at bringing them out.
The 2021 renovated presentation of the 5th green..
Gil has also lowered a lot of the pre existing features in order to make the greens a high point and a focus of the golf holes. The research has shown that this was more in line with AW’s original presentation of the golf holes. When pressed on the topic, Gil expanded that he would be most interested in Tillinghast’s thoughts on scale and presentation. Since AW wasn’t available for comment, Gil’s perception will have to serve as gospel. it’s hard to disagree with the results.
The 5th green in 1926 (Photo courtesy of Baltusrol GC)
The golf shop at @BaltusrolGC may be the coolest one that I have seen. What are some of your favorite golf shops?? pic.twitter.com/JgvKMwtBa5
— Patrick Koenig (@PatrickjKoenig) June 26, 2021
As expected, my conversation with Gil drifted off to other various golf related topics. Like other highly respected “golf minds” Hanse’s favorite golf course is National Golf LInks of America. He believes that the best golf courses should be fun, creative, and thoughtful. It is legitimately hard to find a way to disagree with him even slightly. Gil appears to have the perfect answer for just about every question in the room. Every opinion and response is laid out clearly with research that supports his theories. Plainly put, it is easy to see why Hanse is so hot right now.
The flowers behind #4 green have been grassed over.
When Gil was asked what the most difficult aspect of the project was, Gil responded “Getting rid of the flowers on #4… and I am not even joking.” The response drew a laugh. People love original architecture, but flowers will always inspire emotion.
One of the things that Gil didn’t touch during the renovation was the classic golf vibe that exists at Baltusrol. With an abundance of opportunities before him, there are two questions that Gil asks before considering every job.
Do we have the opportunity to create something exceptional?
Are we going to have fun doing it?
In the case of Baltusrol, the exceptional already existed, Hanse and his team were simply tasked with restoring it. When it comes to having fun on the job, Gil’s opinion on Baltusrol is as obvious as it is simple.
“There are fun places and not so fun places in golf. Baltusrol is one of those fun places.”
With the completion of this renovation, Baltusrol is more than ready to host the 2023 KPMG Women’s PGA Championship and the 2029 PGA Championship. The Upper Course is also scheduled for a similar renovation in 2024. More success from Hanse is projected and his level of hotness only looks to be intensifying.