Getting to Know: Ty Butler, Golf Course Architect

American Golfer: When did you start playing golf?
Ty Butler: I was 8-years old when my mom signed me up for the junior golf program at our local country club. I was part of the 3-holer group, and every week we played a different 3-hole loop. This is a group of 8-9 year olds playing full length holes, so our lowest score on any hole was probably between 10-15 strokes! Also, this was in Kansas during the summer, so it was sweltering hot and oppressively humid, and I just remember hating every minute of it! I was just starting out playing tennis at the time and I was pretty good at it. Golf was a lot harder and I just wasn’t that interested, but I gutted it out the entire summer and when it was over vowed to never go back! Well my grandfather, mom and dad were pretty avid golfers, and I think they really wanted me to pick up the game. So mom insisted I return to the junior program the following summer and if I still didn’t like it then I wouldn’t have to go back. I agreed. I ended up back in the 3-holer group the next summer and absolutely loved it! I can’t say now what had changed, it was still sweltering hot and humid, and I don’t recall if my game was any better, but after that summer I have been an avid golfer ever since and absolutely love the game!

Ty Butler

AG: How did you become a golf course designer?
TB: Like just about anybody who has entered the profession I was pretty lucky. After I graduated from Kansas State University, I was fortunate to get a job on the staff at Robert Trent Jones II. At the time there were about three K-Stater’s working at RTJ II, and I had ventured out West to visit the office and introduce myself to these guys the summer before my final year. I stayed in touch with them over the year, and actually used one of their projects for my senior thesis. They had one of their design associates leave the company during this time, and I ended up landing a job with them. Right after graduation I went West and ended up working for RTJ II for nearly 20 years.

AG: Why did you choose a career in golf course design?
TB: My first job was on the maintenance crew at the local club where I first hated, then fell in love with the game. I started when I was a freshman in high school and worked there almost until I graduated from K-State. So I developed a real love for golf courses and their design characteristics through that experience. But it was probably much earlier I started to think about being a golf course architect, although it was probably on a subconscious level. When I was a kid I used sit around during winters and sketch out pretend golf courses. Looking back now this was a great exercise for me because it was just a blank canvas, so the only constraint was what your imagination could not come up with! At that young age I had never given much thought to how golf courses were created and don’t think I realized they were actually “designed” by someone. I just remember thinking how great it would be to have a job drawing golf courses. I was about 10-11 when my mom brought home a book for me titled “Golf’s Magnificent Challenge.” It was a memoir/design book written by Robert Trent Jones Sr. It outlined his life traveling the world designing golf courses, and this book hit me like a lightning bolt! I realized such a profession did exist! Ever since then I realized this is what I wanted to do with my life. As a teenager I got a little extra boost in this direction, and was very lucky to have a mentor in Dick Metz. Dick was one of the top playing professionals in the 20’s, 30’s and early 40’s. He was a contemporary to Robert Tyre Jones Jr., Gene Sarazen and later Ben Hogan. Dick grew up in Arkansas City, KS, my hometown, and was very good friends with my grandfather. I got to know Dick after he had retired back to Arkansas City. I was about 15, and for a kid my age just starting out in the game and studying everything about the history of the sport and learning how to play, it was a fascinating relationship. Dick had stories from his career like playing in the inaugural 4-ball match with RT Jones Jr. at Augusta National, as well as playing in the first two Augusta National Invitation Tournaments (a.k.a The Masters). He once told me of playing in the second tournament in 1935, and after finishing his final round early he went back on the course to follow his friend Gene Sarazen. He caught up with Sarazen in the fairway of the 15th hole just before he hit what might be the most famous shot in golf. For a kid from Kansas these were fantastic stories to hear! Dick was very good friends with George Fazio, and although Dick never considered himself a professional architect, he was interested in and dabbled a little bit in course design. Dick furthered my interest in golf course architecture and really guided me in my pursuit of the profession. I certainly consider myself blessed to have been able to practice the profession for the past 26 years!

AG: In your opinion, have any design trends hurt the game?
TB: Not sure if it would be considered a design trend or more an industry trend, but I don’t think the concept of the “signature architect” has been a great influence on the game. And I know this sounds a little hypocritical since I worked for a signature architect for 20 years, whose father invented the term! However, during my time at RTJ II, I can honestly say that across the entire organization, all the great people I had the chance to mentor under and learn the craft, took a responsible approach to designing courses. Most courses RTJ II has designed and built are pretty affordable with very few absurdly large-budget projects leading to absurd green fees. And the majority of courses I designed were very affordable from a construction standpoint. Having said that, I know in a couple of instances I’m just as guilty! I know there are lot more market factors at play in determining fees, both design and green fees, but I think in general the signature architect concept has led to a lot of courses being built for much higher costs than warranted, and because a signature architect designed the course it has the ability to charge higher green fees. It’s not necessarily placing blame on the architects in these organizations since they were merely building what their clients demanded. I understand this dynamic because I was at the center of it for 20 years. But this entire dynamic led to a tremendous amount of high price courses which the industry now realizes is difficult to sustain. I’m not sure if we are seeing a new trend now with the minimalist group of designers and the obsession the golf media has with this group. I just recently heard one of this design group's more prominent members refer to the group as “A-List” designers. These type of statements are not healthy for the industry. There is a large group of designers, who were embedded within organizations at the top of the profession, now guiding their own firms and have a lot to offer the game with a variety of design ethos. I just hope we don’t look back 20 years from now and question why so many golf courses of this time were designed by a small group of architects. The most endearing aspect of the game is its variety of playing fields. The design philosophy of the architect has as much to do with creating this variety as any other factor.

AG: How can we grow the game of golf?
TB: This is a good question and I think if you had the “Silver Bullet” answer you would be way ahead of the curve. But I don’t think there is a silver bullet answer. Recently there has been a lot discussion about pace-of-play and the amount of time it takes to play a round. I definitely think these factors are in play when it comes to retaining and attracting new players to the game, but most would agree it goes beyond these issues. I think the factors that will help grow the game are maybe different for kids versus adults. I think when it comes to mature golfers, say 18+ years, time factors are probably the leading reasons participation rates have been shrinking. But even for this group I think it goes deeper. Golf continues to be plagued with this false impression of being an exclusive and elitist sport. This could not be furthest from the truth. I don’t know the exact numbers, but the vast majority of the millions of golfers in this country and around the world are public course players. Golf truly is a blue-collar sport and I think the game should try harder to portray itself in this manner. I think for non-golfers this mistaken belief is intimidating and probably keeps a lot of people from trying the game. Also, I think courses should try to be a little more empathetic when it comes to its visitor experience and make the experience once they walk thru the door a little less intimidating and more welcoming, and in my opinion this goes beyond just a friendly greeting at the front door. Golf almost has his own secret language and I think some people are not sure how to navigate the environment. And it might be as simple as making it easier to know how and where to check-in once they’re at the course, and where to go and what to do after that process. Making this process more user friendly might take anxiety and fear out of approaching the game. I know a lot of courses have made great strides in this area, as well as programs like Get Golf Ready have made improvement. I think for younger generations they find the game boring. I think this stems from the experience they have watching it on TV, so maybe if Jim Nantz or Johnny Miller could find a way to spice it up a little bit the game might start growing! Also, the difficulty of the game and amount of time it takes to learn might be factors. I have absolutely no data to back up this opinion, but in this age of technology and the instant results culture it has nurtured, I think it is difficult to convince a young person to play a game that will require hours of practice for many years in order to become a proficient player. The time factor and the approachability of the game can be remedied, but the last factor cannot. Whether you’re a young person or old, golf is simply a challenging game and takes time to learn. Agree or not, but there is just a certain personality that is attracted to our great game. It seems you either love it or hate it!

AG: Do you have a specific design philosophy?
TB: My philosophy lies with the Naturalist approach to design. I definitely strive to preserve the best natural inherent qualities of a site and incorporate these into the golf course. Having said that I must also say this is probably the most worn out phrase in the design business, but all designers feel compelled to say it. What puzzles me is there are some who would have you think a specific group of designers are at the head of the class when it comes to this approach, but any responsible course designer, regardless their philosophy, truly does approach the process in this manner. So you might ask “if that approach is a wash and we all do it then what separates a Naturalist from a Minimalist or any other “alist” from each other”? I would offer you another “alist” and that is a Maximalist. Most Naturalists are a two-headed beast! A Naturalist/Maximalist is a designer who, when ideal natural site conditions are not present, is not afraid to perform the necessary amount of work to take a challenging site and create something special. Sometimes these challenges take the form of extreme elevation changes, or extremely flat terrain. Sometime it’s the entire site, and other occasions it might be just a small area of the site that requires a tremendous amount of work. But the end result is always a course that looks truly natural, blends seamlessly with its surrounding environment as if a minimal amount of work was done to achieve the results. Over the years I have worked on many sites that required varying degrees of alteration in order to make the course work and create a playable and enjoyable experience. I have learned to do this with the results producing a finished course which has a very natural feel and appearance. I think the seed of this approach was planted while I attended Kansas State University in the Landscape Architecture program. Dennis Day, who was one of the best teachers I have ever had, always told us “never be a minimal designer.” He never advocated doing more than was necessary, but never advocated doing less. At RTJ II this seed was really nurtured. I don’t want to speak for anyone else or classify someone in a way they don’t agree, but the great design mentors I had at RTJ II during my apprenticeship years I feel were some of the best practitioners’ of this design approach.

AG: Of all the holes you’ve designed, do you have a favorite (why)?
TB: There is another worn out phrase in the design industry and that is when asked about favorite holes most designers say “I cannot name a favorite. That’s like asking a parent which is their favorite child”! So I won’t avoid an answer with that! But it’s tough to narrow it down to a single hole because I have been blessed with some great sites which produced some great holes. However, one hole that I can say stands out in my mind, maybe not necessarily my favorite, is the 4th at Sunday River Golf Club (Maine). It’s such an exhilarating and exciting hole to play. It is a dramatic downhill par-3 playing 205 yards from the back tee. The Sunday River Valley and Mahoosuc Mountain range serve as a spectacular backdrop and contribute to the holes spine-tingling nature. The elevation drop from tee-to-green is maybe close to 100 feet, and requires a mid to long iron for most players, so the ball feels like it’s in the air for an eternity. No matter how well the shot is struck, you’re always wondering if and where the ball will come down! I think these types of “drop shot” par-3’s, no matter the length, are some of the toughest, but most exciting shots in golf!

AG: What’s your “dream foursome” (living or dead, golfer or non-golfer)?
TB: My dream foursome would be Robert Tyre Jones Jr., Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. All using the latest technology in clubs and balls. Then the debate of who’s the best golfer of all time could come to a head, and I would have a front row seat!

AG: Is there a “bucket list” location in/on which to design?
TB: I’ve designed a course on just about every type of terrain, as well as setting in terms of desert, mountains, prairie or seaside. I would love to have the chance to design a true links course in true links land. Say in Ireland, Scotland or here in the United States. If I got a chance like that I could probably keep my inner Maximalist locked away for the time being!

AG: What is the future of golf course design?
TB: That is a loaded question! I have no idea what the future of the profession might hold. It has become a very challenging profession in which to participate and make a living. Since I started Brio Golf about a year ago it has been a struggle. I was embedded within two organizations for 25 years doing great design work, but for others to put their name on. I definitely knew the dynamics of that kind of relationship and fully signed on for it, but if I had had a crystal ball 15 years ago and could have predicted what was in store for the industry over the past 6 years, I might have taken the leap and started my own practice much, much sooner! I certainly hope the profession as a whole becomes healthier, but I don’t see it ever being as vigorous as it was pre-Great Recession. At least not in my lifetime. I certainly have been blessed by having the chance to live a lifelong dream as a golf course architect, and just hope I can continue to do so. I absolutely love the profession and want to continue to contribute to the game we all love!

For more information on Ty Butler and Brio Golf, visit www.briogolf.com.