Bury Me in a Pot Bunker

by Pete Dye

"While there are critics who believe my courses are too difficult," writes Pete Dye, "the ardent golfer would play Mount Everest if somebody put a flagstick on top. . . . Unless a few golf professionals are bellyaching about my course design, I wonder whether I've done enough to challenge them." To the millions of golfers who have played his world-famous courses, Pete Dye is either a creative genius or a demonic tormentor. To play well on Pete's courses, or on any of those influenced by his ideas, you have to know Pete. Bury Me in a Pot Bunker is his own story of how he revolutionized his favorite game by designing courses that both delight and bedevil golfers. Peter and his talented wife, Alice, convert dull ground and swamps into beautiful by deadly course filled with Scotland-style mounds, deep pot bunkers, railroad ties, and tiny "target-golf" greens. Bury Me in a Pot Bunker tells the intimate story of how Pete Dye designed his celebrated courses and includes entertaining anecdotes about some of the greatest golfers in the world. It also captures Pete's essence as a humble, give-the-credit-to-someone-else gentleman whose sense of humor and optimism are legendary. Some of Pete's famous courses include Harbour Town Golf Links, Crooked Stick, The Stadium Course at TPC, The Ocean Course at Kiawah, Teeth of the Dog, Oak Tree, The Stadium Course at PGA West, and Whistling Straits. What the experts say about Pete He created some of the world's top courses [and] had a profound impact on late-twentieth-century course architecture." -- Geoffrey S. Cornish and Ronald E. Whitten The Architects of Golf "This is Star Wars golf. This place was designed by Darth Vadar." -- Ben Crenshaw on the Stadium Course at TCP Pete Dye is one of the world's leading golf course designers. For over thirty years his courses have challenged ardent amateurs and PGA Tour professionals alike. A long-running American Express campaign dubbed him "The Man Golfers Love to Hate." Pete's wife and partner, Alice, is one of the greatest amateurs in the history of golf. They reside in Delray Beach, Florida.

Genres: Sports, Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1994

Reviews

[Walter · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve played many Dye golf courses: Crooked Stick, TPC Sawgrass (that island green), Kearney Hills Links, Harbour Town, and the Purdue Univ GC.

His golf courses: all of them are great. Perfect. But they make you think on each hole, each shot. But always in great shape. Pristine condition. Looks easy. Very green.

That is: you can tell he knows line of sight, and drainage, and if tons of people play on them he plans for that. Easy and fun and great looking for the beginner, but if you want to shoot a great score: bring the aspirin. But they are not unfair. His courses are one big BUT. You think your instinct says you hit it there.
BUT.

Oh, my. I have a next shot for you! BUT it’s fun. Trust me.

To understand Dye’s egalitarian ethic: his best courses are the cheapest to play.

Kearney Hills and Purdue. Both below 50 bucks with cart for 18.

To understand how intellectually interesting Dye is: I was playing with some engineering PHD students at Purdue, and they were bringing out math instruments, during golf, how did he get that to look like that, as this is Indiana wasteland, how did he judge that wind, that dune, etc…

The book gives you insight to his mind about how his courses are always “with” the environment. He loves using what nature gives and making it work. Always using wetlands and the such but letting them be. He deals with what is. And makes it great. Great book.

[Duncan Lewis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pete Dye f’n rocks, man. Haters don’t like his golf courses because they think they are too “hokey” or “gimmicky”. I think they just don’t like them because of their difficulty.