With the festive season upon us, the team at Golf Course Architecture will be taking a short break for the holidays. Our normal coverage of golf course design and development will resume in the first week of January 2023.
While we take time out for the holidays, why not check out some of our highlights from 2022? Here’s a handpicked selection of five pieces from the past year:
Losing the crutch: bunkerless holes
Why are sand bunkers such a prominent part of golf, even on sites without a grain of natural sand? And what makes a good bunkerless hole? These are questions that our editor Adam Lawrence explores in our July issue. “The early golf designers figured out that consequences were an interesting and necessary part of the game,” he says, but, “ground contour can be at least as good a hazard as a bunker”. Read the full story.
On site at Vidauban: Bold and beautiful
A major revitalisation project was completed this year at the enigmatic Vidauban club in the south of France. Toby Ingleton’s On Site report in our July issue details Robert Trent Jones’ original design and the impact of the remodelled bunkers, restored green parameters and reworked surrounds.
Life’s a beach: an interview with Mike Clayton
“The best courses show that golf is best when it’s neither fair nor predictable,” said Australian golf course architect Mike Clayton when discussing his design philosophy with Toby Ingleton. Clayton also talks about his firm’s project just east of Hobart. “We’ve got to make sure that Seven Mile Beach is one of the best two or three courses in Australia, which I think is doable given how good the site is and how good the land is.” Read the full interview.
Long road: designing par fives
In these days of long-hitting, architects are trying to find a new role for par-five holes. Architects Kyle Phillips, Clyde Johnson, Tom Doak, Jonathan Davison and Jim Nagle provide their opinions in our April issue. Read the full feature.
Rise again: Verdura Resort, Italy
When both of its courses were damaged by floods, Verdura Resort took the opportunity to reimagine the layouts. Richard Humphreys reports on Kyle Phillips’ redesign in our January issue, detailing the new configuration which more clearly defines the two courses, whilst preserving an equal number of coastal holes on each course.
You’ll find plenty more opinions and insights from our 2022 issues (January, April, July and October) of Golf Course Architecture.
Many thanks to all our readers and partners that have contributed to Golf Course Architecture and supported us in 2022. We look forward to bringing you more next year, beginning with our January 2023 issue. Subscribe to receive your copy.
Best wishes for the holidays, and here’s to a great 2023!