The global journal of golf design and development I SSUE 55 JANUARY 2019
“Any landscape is a condition of the spirit” henri amiel TRALEE GOLF CLUB, IRELAND 2018 TOP 10 COURSES IN IRELAND, GOLF MONTHLY UK arnoldpalmerdesign.com +1 (407) 876-1068 PHOTO: EVAN SCHILLER Bold spirit - Extraordinary designs
1 Aesthetics are important Over the last decade or so, we have seen the evolution of a bunker style with a very complex curved edge, far more movement than was seen on most of the bunkers surviving from yesteryear. And they look terrible. There is a huge, huge difference between the authentic blowout bunker with an edge that is genuinely rough and one of today’s curvy monstrosities. I have tried to be polite when designers have shown me these things. I have tried to find ways to ask them ‘What were you thinking?’ without being rude. The answers I get are some variant on ‘We want them to look natural’. Who on earth could think that an edge composed of repeated short curves was natural? At least the old look, with longer, swooping curves, was lower profile and didn’t get in our faces to quite the same extent. What is abundantly true is that bunker styling is a second order issue. The most important factor relating to a bunker is its position; its look and feel is only an aesthetic issue. So yes, I would rather see an ugly bunker well placed than a pretty one in the wrong spot. But no-one is going to tell me that aesthetics are not important to golfers. Talking of aesthetics, we have given GCA a light renovation. Regular readers may know we have a refresh after every eighteen issues. As we enter our fourth ‘round’, we’ve updated our layout with the aim of improving the experience for all readers, regardless of whether you choose our printed or digital edition. ‘What were you thinking?’ you might ask. WELCOME ADAM LAWRENCE
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7 ISSN: 1745-3585. Printed in Great Britain by Buxton Press. © 2019 Tudor Rose Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be stored or transmitted or reproduced in any form or by any means, including whether by photocopying, scanning, downloading onto computer or otherwise without the prior written permission from Tudor Rose Holdings Ltd. Views expressed in Golf Course Architecture are not necessarily those of the publishers. Acceptance of advertisements does not imply official endorsement of the products or services concerned. While every care has been taken to ensure accuracy of content, no responsibility can be taken for any errors and/or omissions. Readers should take appropriate professional advice before acting on any issue raised herein. The publisher reserves the right to accept or reject advertising material and editorial contributions. The publisher assumes no liability for the return of unsolicited art, photography or manuscripts. It is assumed that any images taken from sources which are widely distributed, such as on the Web, are in the public domain. It is recognised though that since such images tend to be passed freely between sources it is not always possible to track the original source. If copyrighted material has ended up being treated as public domain due to the original source not being identified please contact the publisher, Tudor Rose. PEFC Certi ed This product is from sustainably managed forests and controlled sources www.pefc.org PEFC/16-33-576 Toby Ingleton Publisher Benedict Pask Publication & Sales Manager Ritwik Bhattacharjee Circulation Stuart Fairbrother Production Manager www.golfcoursearchitecture.net/subscribe Subscribe Tudor House, 6 Friar Lane Leicester LE1 5RA Tel: +44 116 222 9900 www.tudor-rose.co.uk Published by Tudor Rose Adam Lawrence Editor Richard Humphreys News Editor Harry Cloke, Rees Jones Contributors Bruce Graham, Libby Sidebotham Design Chris Jackson Website Development Aidan Bradley, Costa Navarino, David Cannon, Dan Moore, Drew Rogers, Dubai Hills Golf Club, Forse Design, Fry-Straka, Gil Hanse, Golf de Saïdia, Harradine Golf, Harris Kalinka, Indian Wells Golf Resort, Jonas Alvsten, Kevin Ramsey – Golfplan, Les Bordes Golf International, Lonna Tucker, Mackenzie & Ebert, Mark Hollinger, Olazabal Design, Ombria Resort, Peter Corden, PGA of America, Rees Jones, Inc., Rennie Design, Richard Mandell, Royal Auckland and Grange Golf Club, Ryan Farrow, Swan Golf Designs, Taku Miyamoto, Thad Layton, Toby Ingleton, Todd Eckenrode, West Sussex Golf Club Photography Golf Course Architecture is published with the support and guidance of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, the European Golf Course Owners Association, the European Institute of Golf Course Architects, and GEO Foundation
www.hsgd.com Start with a dream. Add perspective. Finish with perfection. HENRIK STENSON GOLF DESIGN Photo by Peter Corden
SPONSORS 9 Arnold Palmer Design Company With a storied history of projects in over 37 states and 25 countries, Arnold Palmer Design Company senior architects Thad Layton and Brandon Johnson bring an unparalleled depth of knowledge, expertise and Mr Palmer’s influence to every project. www.arnoldpalmerdesign.com Better Billy Bunker Better Billy Bunker is the fastest draining bunker construction method in the industry. Tested, trusted, and proven by courses worldwide, BBB offers superior performance at an affordable price. www.billybunker.com Capillary Concrete Capillary Concrete is the only sports base that moves water in two directions, the secret of its ability to keep bunkers in great shape, regardless of weather conditions. Capillary Concrete has a unique Insured Financial Guarantee by underwriters at Lloyd’s of London. www.capillaryconcrete.com DAR Golf Construction DAR Golf Construction is an Ireland-based golf course construction company specialising in all aspects of golf course and sports turf construction and maintenance. www.dargolf.com Desert Group Dubai-based Desert Golf has constructed Dubai Hills for Emaar, the Earth and Fire courses for Jumeirah Golf Estates, Tiger Woods Akoya for Damac, and is currently working on the Rumanza project in Pakistan. www.desertgolfworld.com Golfplan David Dale and Kevin Ramsey have designed over 200 courses across the world, providing clients with marketoriented design solutions through an approach that is innovative, user-friendly, and environmentally and financially sustainable. www.golfplan.com Harradine Golf Donald Harradine founded the family’s golfing practice in 1929. Harradine Golf has designed, remodelled, constructed or supervised construction of 200+ courses in Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East. Many have won awards and some host PGA tournaments. www.harradine-golf.com Henrik Stenson Golf Design Henrik Stenson Golf Design is a full-service design firm with the capability to help clients with anything from brand new developments to renovation and restoration of existing golf courses. www.hsgd.com Hunter Industries Hunter Industries manufactures innovative irrigation systems and solutions. Family-owned and based in San Marcos, USA, it offers over 1,000 products including a spectrum of water-efficient solutions for golf, sport turf, commercial, residential and high-end irrigation systems. www.hunterindustries.com NMP NMP carries out construction and renovation projects – everything from design to turnkey construction – and collaborates with its many partners, including golf course architecture firms. www.url.com Perrot Perrot has dedicated all activities to irrigation since 1926. It provides the most comprehensive range to irrigate golf courses, soccer and hockey fields, as well as race tracks. Only Perrot offers the choice of pop-up sprinklers driven by gear, impact lever or piston. www.perrot.de Rain Bird Since 1933, developing and manufacturing innovative irrigation products has been Rain Bird’s sole focus. Rain Bird Service Team’s sole focus is irrigation and water conservation. We call it The Intelligent Use of Water. www.rainbird.eu Robert Trent Jones II With headquarters in Palo Alto, California, Robert Trent Jones II Golf Course Architects is a global golf design firm that has created more than 275 courses in over 40 countries on six continents. www.rtj2.com Southwest Greens Construction The official construction arm for Southwest Greens International, responsible for all major golf course construction projects. The Southwest Greens product is the preferred putting surface for more than 40 professional golfers on the PGA and LPGA Tours. www.southwestgreens.eu Stirling & Martin Blake Stirling and Marco Martin have successfully designed golf courses for 30 years. With a motto of ‘SM-art Golf’, the firm provides clients with a complete range of design services, construction supervision and budget control, ensuring high levels of satisfaction. www.stirlingmartingolf.com Tee-2-Green For over 50 years, Tee-2-Green has led the field with game-changing bentgrass like Penncross, the A’s and G’s, and Pure bents. We set the standard for quality and purity with groundbreaking varieties bred to improve playability, resist disease and tolerate extreme conditions. www.tee-2-green.com Arnold Palmer Design Company
The Art and Science of Golf Course Architecture Anvaya Cove Golf and Sports Club - Hole 13 - Morong, Philippines USA +1-707-526-7190 • golfplan@golfplan.com • www.golfplan.com Golfplan
11 CONTENTS 1 4 Our Tee Box section opens with news of two more courses planned for the Costa Navarino development in Greece 36 Rees Jones describes his work on Taiheiyo Club’s Gotemba course, beside Mount Fuji in central Japan 40 With Sand Valley’s next course to be 6,000 yards, Adam Lawrence asks if golf is slimming down 44 Harry Cloke explains why data analytics is the future of golf course management and design 46 GCA hears the stories behind some of the high profile golf courses that have been lost in China 5 4 Henrik Stenson and Christian Lundin tell us about their design philosophy and a major project in Sweden 60 Toby Ingleton checks out the United Arab Emirates’ latest opening, Dubai Hills Golf Club 68 Adam Lawrence visits Quinta da Ombria in Portugal’s Algarve 72 GCA reports on Craig Halton’s recent renovation project at Stevens Point in Wisconsin 76 Richard Humphreys finds out how some clubs are making their golf facilities work after dark ON THE COVER Stone Forest in Kunming, one of China’s lost courses Photographed by: Ryan Farrow
13 MAIL BOX Dear Editor Beginning my golf career at a 7,361-yard course back in the early 1970s gave me a clear perspective of how the lust of yardage was the holy grail of golf. Almost all golfers want to bomb the little white pill as far as they can. But ask yourself how many times that old retired insurance salesman has plonked 200 yard drives right down the middle of the fairway and ended up taking your cash at the end of the round? He kept the white pill in play while you spent your time in the woods, trying to recover from a long drive. There is an old golf adage: ‘the woods are full of long drives’. Our great golf ambassador Jack Nicklaus and many others have been saying (for quite some time) golf needs to be dialled back, as more golf courses are not long enough to challenge the newer touring golf pros. The cost of maintaining more and more yardage and the acres involved is getting out of hand. At a recent GCBAA meeting, a former PGA Tour commissioner decried the abundance of length now being built into golf courses. How would golf feel, what would the experience be like if one played a golf course with 40-50-yard wide fairways and distances which rounded out around 5,600-6,500 yards? What if a golfer came upon an 80-yard par three? Or one which he could not play the forced 100-yard carry from the tee? Courses are rarely designed with all potential clientele in mind. Why do many golf courses struggle to obtain and retain enough rounds to remain financially stable? Too long for the average golfer to enjoy, may be one answer. Most golfers play to bogey and that should be considered when designing a golf course. Simply throwing in another set of short tees is not the only solution. Do the other short playing field ideas really work? Designs of straightforward simplicity might be the best approach. David Hart Kansas, USA Dear Editor I have just read the Frank Giordano article about Le Golf National in the last issue of GCA and I find that I do not agree with him that Le Golf National is art fraud. Between Robert von Hagge and Hubert Chesneau, the court decided to give the design credit to Chesneau. And that is all. Mr Giordano is right to think that von Hagge design elements are present at Le Golf National. I have played all the von Hagge designs in France, and it is clear that the course is of the same blood. But to build a stadium course and the rest of the facilities, driving range, academy, and so forth was the idea of Hubert Chesneau and the FFG. When Mr Giordano says that Chesneau “has done fewer than ten courses, not one of which is a distinguished design” in thirty years, he is wrong. The Saint Malo Golf Resort, of which I have been general manager for six years, was designed by Chesneau. We organise a lot of events, including national amateur tournaments and professional events for the LET Access Series and Alps Tour. All our green fee players come back from the course with a large smile and happy to have played this beautiful championship course. Our turnover is increasing each year. Mr Giordano is correct to say that the design of Le Golf National was down to von Hagge, but he is wrong about M. Chesneau’s career, and if he finds himself in France, I would like to invite him to play our course. Franck Nichol Saint Malo Golf Resort, France Dear Editor We were thrilled to read Tim Lobb’s article on the subject of tee selection in the last GCA. We completely agree with his position on the subject. We would add one thought. In addition to eliminating any gender references when talking about tee choice, age should also be removed from the conversation. The courses with which we have worked find they have significantly better results when they follow this advice. As we have said before in GCA, golfers should select their tees based on their swing speed/average drive yardage. More fun for all! Jann Leeming and Arthur Little New Hampshire, USA We are delighted to receive letters from readers, and the best in each issue will be rewarded with a golf shirt. Send to 6 Friar Lane, Leicester, LE1 5RA, UK, or e-mail us at letters@golfcoursearchitecture.net
14 TEE BOX Two more courses for Costa Navarino NEWS EDITOR: RICHARD HUMPHREYS José María Olazábal’s design firm is building 36 holes at Navarino Hills site in Greece
15 An artist’s impression of the Navarino Hills development in Messinia, Greece Photo: Costa Navarino/Olazábal Design The Costa Navarino development in the south-west of Greece is getting bigger. Developer Temes has appointed the design firm of double Masters champion José María Olazábal to design two new courses. Costa Navarino is already home to the Dunes course, designed by European Golf Design, and the Bay course by Robert Trent Jones II, respectively. However, when the project was first announced, the developers suggested they would ultimately build several more courses on the near-2,000 hectares of land they had acquired in the area. The two new 18-hole courses on the Navarino Hills property – which has over 150 hectares of garrigue landscape – will overlook the Bay course and the Bay of Navarino and offer panoramic views of the countryside and the Ionian Sea. This development will bring the total number of courses at Costa Navarino to four, all within a 13-kilometre distance and under the same management.
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17 TEE BOX “This announcement represents a milestone moment for Costa Navarino and the region,” said Stephanos Theodorides, vice president and managing director of developer Temes. “We are excited to introduce our plans for Costa Navarino’s evolution. Our vision for the destination development always included Navarino Hills as an instrumental component, based on the principles of an eco-retreat. José María Olazábal stands for passion, integrity, and quality. These are principles very close to our hearts and made the decision an easy one to partner with him for this special project.” Olazábal said: “The Navarino Hills property is spectacular and the views are simply breathtaking, particularly on the northern edge where you will find it almost impossible to take your eyes off the striking Bay of Navarino, famous for its naval battle history. The rest of the site will also quickly win the hearts of golfers with extended views over rolling hills. For us, it is a privilege to have the chance to design not just one, but two golf courses and we will do everything to do this incredible land justice and deliver a golfing experience you will want to return to over and over.” Olazábal Design architect Toni Ortner told GCA: “The site is an amazing maquis, or garrigue landscape, with huge rock outcrops and massive wild olive trees. And that’s even before we start talking about the views, which are just off the charts.” Construction started during summer 2018. The two courses are being built simultaneously and are expected to open in 2021. José María Olazábal said: “The Navarino Hills property is spectacular and the views are simply breathtaking” Photos: Costa Navarino
“We have worked well with NMP in the past on other north-eastern projects, so we are very pleased to once again be working with Darryl Bartlett and his NMP team on the Monster golf course at Resorts World Catskills.” Rees Jones NEW IMAGE, SAME VALUES QUALITY CRAFTMANSHIP • ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDS • ATTENTION TO DETAIL • FOCUS ON BUDGET, TIME AND TARGET PUTTING THE TEETH BACK INTO THE MONSTER www.nmpgolf.com
TEE BOX PGA of America move paves the way for two new courses Image: PGA of America Two new golf courses designed by Gil Hanse and Beau Welling will form part of a US$520 million development in Frisco, Texas, that will become the new home of the PGA of America. The organisation is relocating its headquarters from Palm Beach Country, Florida, to a 600-acre site in the north Dallas suburb that will also include a short course and practice areas, as well as office space, a hotel and conference centre, a retail village and parks and open space. The project is a partnership between the PGA of America, developer Omni Stillwater Woods, the City of Frisco, its Economic and Community Development Corporations and the Frisco Independent School District. As part of the agreement, two PGA Championships, two KPMG Women’s PGA Championships and potentially a Ryder Cup will be held in Frisco. “Our move to Frisco will be transcendent for the PGA of America,” said Seth Waugh, CEO of the PGA of America. “Everything great starts with a dream. This is the beginning of a bold, new journey as we bring together world-class partners in a world-class location – to deliver innovative and differentiated experiences for our nearly 29,000 PGA golf professionals, golfers of all abilities and our staff.” The PGA of America will invest US$30 million to build its 100,000-squarefoot global headquarters and education facility. Omni Stillwater Woods will invest US$455 million to purchase the land, construct the hotel, conference centre, retail space, parking facilities and golf courses. The courses, clubhouse, practice areas and associated public facilities will be owned by the city. The golf courses are expected to open in summer 2022, with the hotel, convention centre and other facilities expected to open within an additional six months. The development will host the KitchenAid Senior PGA Championship in 2023.
WEST CLIFFS PROGOLF BRASIL Antonio.carlos@progolf-group.com GOLFSCAPE Benjamim.silva@progolf-group.com PROGOLF-GROUP.COM QUINTA DA OMBRIA OLYMPIC GOLF COURSE GOLF COURSE CONSTRUCTION AND RENOVATION
21 TEE BOX Construction work is complete on the new King’s course, designed by Stuart Rennie, at Torvean Golf Club in Inverness, Scotland. The new course is located on the northern side of the river Ness and adjacent to the Caledonian Canal, with the second phase of the Inverness West Link project – a road connecting the Torvean area to the south of the city – to be constructed in between the eighteenth hole and proposed practice area after the opening of the course. “The proposed course has been developed on more undulating land to the west of the existing course overlooked by the Scottish Natural Heritage headquarters,” said Rennie. “The vision was to create a like-forlike golf course bringing modern day design principals into play with a view to create a heathland style course using a quintessential highland landscape planting pallet incorporating the likes of heather, gorse and fescue grasses. “Whilst creating a routing that flows with the contours and works with the landscape, the course has been designed to improve the biodiversity of the site. A series of waterbodies and wetlands along with buffer planting and grassland planting will create an ecologically rich landscape to coexist with the dayto-day functioning of the golf course. Public access has been provided with a designated signed access/fitness trail through the course creating a more accessible space for the local community. The clubhouse will also be relocated closer to the community and will be open to the public.” The relocation of the existing course to adjacent land has seen the creation of a new layout, opening up an improved master planned gateway. The former municipal layout has been renamed the King’s golf course and includes sixteen new holes and two holes from the existing course that have been completely renovated. Construction started in September 2016 and is generally complete. The course is expected to be open for play in June 2019. Torvean prepares to open new King’s course Photo: Rennie Design
22 GCA spoke with golf course architect Todd Eckenrode about his new Twin Dolphin course, which opened in late 2018 near Cabo San Lucas, Mexico Can you give us some insight into your design process for Twin Dolphin? Overlooking one of the most beautiful stretches of the Sea of Cortez coastline, a key element in the design process was fully capturing the stunning ocean views that appear on nearly every hole. But we also focused on how to best utilise the natural characteristics of the ground in as many varied ways as possible. The predominant feature of the land is the network of arroyos that are interwoven throughout, so the routing plays alongside, through and over these on nearly every hole. The shaping of the fairways tried to emulate the smaller little washes and rivulets that derive from the effects of natural erosion and eventually form these arroyos. In another sense, the routing focused on laying the course on the land in an unobtrusive fashion, refraining from disturbing the incredible natural character of the land, such as the beautiful native vegetation and dramatic rock formations. In fact, a great deal of time and effort was paid to seeking these features out, so that the golf could play alongside them and showcase them fully. We spent well over 100 days on site during construction, which is quite a bit on an TEE BOX “We strove to make this the most unique and natural course in Cabo” THE INTERVIEW with Todd Eckenrode
23 Photo: Todd Eckenrode international project. I am confident that the value in this is apparent. We strove to make this the most unique and natural course in Cabo. I think we may have created the best course in Cabo in the process. I understand work began years ago? We started this project approximately a decade ago, but due to international economic instability, it was put on hold. In mid-2016, we were advised that the time was right, and we commenced our more detailed work. January 2017 saw the initial earthmoving begin with grassing complete in late summer of 2018. Which holes would you highlight? The first three exemplify the variety to be found throughout the course. The ridge-top opening hole plays across and along a distinctive arroyo, followed by a gentler second hole with a stunning white-water backdrop, before returning downhill with the third hole, nestled into a natural valley full of native Cardon cactus. Hole two is sure to be a member favourite, a mid-length par four that turns naturally with the land to face the coastline. It’s sure to be a fun second shot that must be judged with the slight downhill nature of the land here and a disappearing horizon line behind the green itself. If I had to choose other standout holes, I would start with the drop-shot par-three eleventh hole. It can play from 110 to 180 yards and features a green set down low against a sandy arroyo bottom, fortified by natural rock formations. The backdrop is stunning, and the play is indicative of many holes, where there is a way to play the hole directly, with a shot to the green played over the rock and bunkering, or indirectly, playing the ball off the slopes to the right to the green and allowing the ball to bound in on the ground. Tell us about the project team. The client, Ohana Real Estate, LLC, was fantastic. Their commitment to excellence is second to none, and I am confident in saying that they have produced a project, the likes of which is unequalled in the Los Cabos market. Cees Nieuwenhuizen supervised construction for them and handled many adversities, including a couple of severe tropical storms during the construction process. We assembled a very talented team of shapers for the project, including Jonathan Reisetter, Kye Goalby, Blake Conant, Clyde Johnson and Cliff Hamilton, and their collaboration was very valued. Also, Greg Villeneuve of Summit Golf has been involved since the very beginning, from the early site visit walks, where we literally shed blood, sweat and tears, all the way through construction and now continuing to consult in operations now that the course is open. And last, but certainly not least, working with Fred Couples was a valuable and very enjoyable addition to our design process. Fred dove into the construction process wholeheartedly and had many excellent contributions along the way. On the eleventh hole at Twin Dolphin (above), golfers can choose the direct approach or feed the ball in from slopes to the right of the green; the second hole (left) sweeps down to the coastline Photo: Aidan Bradley
Photo by Larry Lambrecht courtesy of Adare Manor Resort As part of Fazio Design’s redesign of Adare Manor course in County Limerick, Capillary Concrete was installed as a bunker liner product to all of its bunkers on this famous layout. Since it opened in 2018, the course bunkers have benefited from improved drainage and moisture control, helping to create a superior experience for all golfers. Capillary Concrete was delighted to partner with Adare Manor’s Alan MacDonnell and his team to ensure the highest of standards were met at this prestigious facility. Come and visit the Capillary Concrete team at Stand 209 at BTME show in Harrogate and see why so many golf courses are choosing Capillary Concrete just like Adare Manor. Find out more by visiting www.capillaryconcrete.com or contacting: Worldwide: martin@capillaryconcrete.com +46 705 500 123 United States: ted@capillaryconcrete.com +1 847 337 0808 Europe: kdiamond@capillaryconcrete.com +44 7979 651765 Reinventing a modern classic
25 TEE BOX Club Pelican Bay selects Forse Design for major overhaul “On the fourth hole of the Club nine, most members can never get their approach over a bunker front-right of the S-shaped green,” said Forse. “After the renovation, the entrance will be opened up, and a diagonal swale will run through a squaredoff green. It will offer better playability and proper shot values.” Club Pelican Bay, a private club in Naples, Florida, has selected Forse Design for a major overhaul of its 27 holes and practice facility. Glase Construction will begin work on the club’s three nines – named Club, Pelican and Bay – in April 2019, re-grassing all playing surfaces and implementing a comprehensive improvement plan created by Ron Forse and Jim Nagle of Forse Design. The US$8.5 million project will also include a new irrigation system, new drainage and cart paths. The club’s general manager Dave Mangan explained the rationale for the changes: “We’ve had our TifEagle greens for nearly 20 years, they are probably the oldest in the state. And our irrigation system ranges from between 20 to 30 years old. Bunkers are old and tired, and the faces didn’t show. And water is always an issue, we felt that we could decrease the overall turf acreage. We decided to take a look at the whole golf course and see what improvements could be made.” Forse said that while the course is a whole new design, it is respectful of the original architect’s layout. “It’s a very solid routing that was well thoughtout by Arthur Hills and provides a good variety in the sequence of holes,” said Forse. “It’s essentially a core golf course in a beautiful setting in a great Florida town.” The routing will be kept largely intact, with some of the green locations changed in order to increase the total yardage from the back tees, take advantage of better settings and provide more interest and variety. “The orientation of some greens will also be altered to work better given the prevailing winds and available, unused property,” said Forse. The new design introduces “more classic architectural elements in green complexes and bunkering,” said Forse, who intends to greatly improve aesthetics by ensuring green complexes are more visually prominent and bunkers are sand-flashed. He will also be introducing more contour and undulation around greens and infusing more variety into the course. The course is expected to reopen for play in November 2019. Visit the GCA website to read more about the Club Pelican Bay renovation Images: Forse Design
26 TEE BOX The new Gil Hanse course at Les Bordes COURSE BLUEPRINT Gil Hanse has been chosen to design a new 18-hole course at Les Bordes in Saint-Laurent-Nouan, France. The 7,365-yard layout will be west of the club’s existing Robert von Hagge course, on an area of land where there has previously been 27 holes of golf. The project came about following a conversation between Hanse and mutual friends of the new owners of Les Bordes, about the potential for developing a second course at the club. “We visited the site and fell in love with the entire property and it all worked out,” said Hanse. The new course is expected to be heathland in style. “I’ve always been a fan of Morfontaine. When I visited this site, that was the first thing that came to mind. Then we found some heather locally, not a lot, but enough to let us know that it’ll grow there, so we started developing the design and concept around that – it was wonderful. It will be very different stylistically and playability-wise to the original, which I think, and from the owner’s perspective, is a positive, as their members will have two very different golfing experiences.” Hanse’s routing map for the course suggests a very walkable design, with some tee boxes an extension of the fairway cut around the previous green. The tenth, eleventh and closing holes occupy the same large area of fairway, the latter playing to a green set against a lake edge. The map includes a ninehole short course, too. Of the course that previously occupied the land, Hanse said: “I don’t know stylistically what it looked like. We know where the hole corridors were. It appears, either through the growth of the trees over the last 10 years since the course has been closed, or maybe
27 intentionally, that the original design was very tight, and the corridors were very narrow. So, where we are using the existing corridors – which is very rare, almost every hole is routed in a different fashion from that golf course – we are making them significantly wider.” Construction will start in 2019 and the course could be playable by 2020. Photo: Les Bordes Golf International “I have fallen in love with the property,” said Hanse. “We’ll probably stay there February through May, which should give us a lot of time to do a very good start on the feature construction and also establish the template for the look and for the style that we’re going for.”
28 TEE BOX Tanglewood reopens following renovation by RTJ II and Mandell THE BIG PICTURE The Championship course at the public Tanglewood Park Golf facility in Clemmons, North Carolina, reopened in October 2018 following a five-month renovation project master-planned by Robert Trent Jones II Golf Course Architects, and implemented by golf course architect Richard Mandell. The plan prepared by Robert Trent Jones, Jr. and his chief design officer Bruce Charlton for the Forsyth County Parks and Recreation Department
Soluptatis ea ilignie nducid modi odi dolum vendem esciant harumenetUptatia vidit etur, optatem porion et queitius erundae rsperum quostrum que audigenisci si recus Photo: Richard Mandell called for refinements to all bunkers and tees, tree management, and resurfacing the greens with new turf. “Tanglewood is an original Robert Trent Jones golf course built back in 1958,” said Mandell. “The bunkers are high, flashed sand and very dramatic. We would build the mound first and as in many places we cut the bunker line straight up into the mound for those dramatic faces. It is a very large-scale golf course. Even though we reduced the bunkering a lot, it still is the highlight of the golf course. Meanwhile, Mandell has also been tasked to renovate all 45 holes at Bobby Jones Golf Club in Sarasota, Florida, following the Sarasota City Commission’s recent vote to move forward with a US$16.7 million renovation, which will include replacing the irrigation system, adding a new clubhouse, creating a golf development centre, rebuilding all the greens and significantly expanding the driving range. “The Bobby Jones facility is in such disrepair that our plans call for rebuilding everything on the site,” said Mandell. 29
30 TEE BOX Mackenzie & Ebert in progress with changes at Nairn Tom Mackenzie of Mackenzie & Ebert is overseeing the first phase of a range of changes at Nairn Golf Club near Inverness, Scotland. The work includes new greens on the first and seventh holes, extension of the fourteenth green, rebuilding all fairway bunkers, reshaping greens surrounds on more than half of the holes, new forward tees on twelve holes and back tees on four holes. One of the primary drivers of the project was to address the existing disparity of satisfaction of the golf experience between members. “What surprised me was the divergence in opinion between the shorter and longer-hitting players,” said Mackenzie. “For example, how could golfers not like the sixth? It’s such a great golf hole. But when played by shorter hitters into even a moderate breeze, there’s a bunker about 140 yards from the tee that meant that they just had to pull out the driver and take their chance. There was no bail-out option.” The club has a strong championship history including the 1999 Walker Cup and 2012 Curtis Cup. “Over time the revetted bunkers were becoming smaller, steeper and, in some cases, deeper,” explained Mackenzie. “Fairway bunkers that lie alongside rough areas will be converted to rough-edged bunkers, and generally a bit larger and more forgiving. All bunkers in closelymown areas will remain revetted, although some will be filled in or removed and replaced with hollows and swales, allowing for more types of recovery shot around the green. This work will be done on 12 holes as well as the new greens.” The current phase of work will be completed in early 2019 and the second phase, which includes the remainder of the fairway bunker work and the addition of forward tees, will be completed next winter. A few miles east along the coast is Lossiemouth, where Swan Golf Designs has completed the third phase of a renovation programme on the Old and New courses at Moray Golf Club. The Old course, which dates from 1889, is an Old Tom Morris layout and the New was designed in the 1970s by Alex Swan, alongside Henry Cotton. New bunkering on the fourteenth and sixteenth holes of the Old course is the latest work to be completed, part of a long-range plan that was Photo: Swan Golf Designs
31 Mackenzie & Ebert is overseeing a project that includes new bunkering at Nairn; while (below) Swan Golf Designs has completed a third phase of renovation at nearby Moray developed by Swan Golf Designs following an appraisal of the courses in 2014. “I’m privileged to be able to work on a couple of such wonderful links courses, following my father to Moray and looking to achieve and satisfy the club’s aspirations,” said Howard Swan, who is working alongside his son William on the project, meaning three generations of the Swan family will have left their imprint on Moray’s courses. Golf course architect Drew Rogers has completed course refinements at Valencia Golf and Country Club in Naples, Florida. Valencia is a public access golf facility in the private golf dominated market of Naples. Course renovations were originally motivated by the owner’s desire to convert turf from 419 to Celebration bermuda. Rogers began work in April 2018 with south west Florida contractor GCID and the project manager Rob Corbett. “All putting surfaces have been softened for improved cupping opportunities and improved tie-in characteristics with surrounding contours,” said Rogers. “The new short turf bailout areas developed around greens offer more varied recovery opportunities.” Photos: Drew Rogers Photo: Mackenzie & Ebert Drew Rogers completes refinements at Valencia Royal Dornoch, as well as being pretty universally recognised as one of the greatest courses in the world, is one of the most popular stops for golfers travelling to Scotland, so perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised at the strong response to Sandy’s visit there in the last issue of GCA. Not only did we get a lot of entries but, uniquely for thirteen years of Gopher Watch, there was not a single wrong one. OK, one entrant did name Dornoch’s fifth hole rather than the sixth, but that’s the sort of minor error of memory we’d normally let ride. So the hat was quite full, but a name still emerged, and that was Richard Penley-Martin, until recently secretary of Ganton Golf Club in England, and now a consultant on golf club management. For this issue, another extremely old course (although not nearly so old as Dornoch, which has recently celebrated 400 years of golf in the town). No more clues; clearly we need to make these competitions rather more difficult. Send your guess to gopher@golfcoursearchitecture.net for a chance to win a golf shirt. GOPHER WATCH
32 TEE BOX The Evolution of Golf Course Design Colt & Alison in North America Keith Cutten’s history of golf course architecture has been long-awaited by many enthusiasts. Since his article on Horace Hutchinson in the pages of GCA two years ago, in which he revealed the long sought-after link between the nascent world of golf design and the Arts and Crafts movement (HGH’s studies in art under Symbolist master GF Watts), it has been clear that Cutten has a lot to tell us. This book is based on his thesis for the degree of Master of Landscape Architecture at the University of Guelph, and as that suggests, both the depth and breadth of Cutten’s research are remarkable. His painting of Hutchinson as, in many ways, the central figure in golf’s emergence in England, is radical and convincing. But the work covers much more than the emerging Golden Age; it goes right back to the 1840s and the very beginnings of golf design, such as Allan Robertson’s creation of the Road Hole green on the Old course at St Andrews, and right up to the present day too, a period on which Cutten is equally well informed. This is the most important work on golf architecture to be published in many years. It is a different beast to Jim Hansen’s majestic Robert Trent Jones biography, ‘A Difficult Par’, of a few years back, but it is just as impressive. Editor Paul Daley has brought his usual flair to work on the visuals. A part of me wishes Cutten had not tried to be so all-encompassing and given his remarkable research skills more room to shine, but this is a very minor quibble. Every regular reader of GCA should own a copy of The Evolution of Golf Course Design. C$90, cuttengolf.com Anthony Gholz Jr has been researching the work of Harry Colt, from his three pre-WW1 trips to North America, and his partner Hugh Alison, who spent much of the 1920s based in Detroit – for a good number of years, inspired by his discoveries of Alison’s role in the creation of Port Huron GC, his home club. Gholz’s book is another impressive piece of research. He has tracked Alison across the continent during the 1920s and identified the most comprehensive list of his courses yet produced, and his work on Alison’s American associate, Lynn Lavis, is especially new and informative. For anyone interested in Colt’s work, and that of his partner Alison, this is an essential read. US$75/US$95, blurb.com GOOD READ
“ My best-received courses have come with about 95 per cent freedom” The Winter 2018 issue of the American Society of Golf Course Architects’ By Design magazine, produced by the team responsible for GCA, sees ASGCA members share insight on the extent to which they are given ‘free rein’ with projects, and typical constraints they face. “All projects come with constraints; the topography of the land, limited budget or the owner’s wants and needs,” said John Fought, who cited the South course at The Gallery in Arizona (pictured) as an example where he was given a lot of creative freedom, having been told ‘do what you think is best’ by the client. “My best-received courses have come with about 95 per cent freedom,” said Jeff Brauer, “from owner, if not from regulatory bodies.” The latest issue of By Design also reports on the projects selected for the ASGCA’s 2018 Design Excellence Recognition Program, includes insights from ASGCA members who are involved in formal education, and a report from a recent event on forward tees and other high-return ideas for golf facilities. Download the latest issue and subscribe to By Design via www.asgca.org Photo: Lonna Tucker Tripp Davis and Associates Golf Architecture Norman, Oklahoma USA New York, New York USA tripp@tdagolf.net University of Oklahoma Golf Club Norman, Oklahoma 2017 Strategic... Classic.. Details. Members, American Society of Golf Course Architects - ASIAN GOLF (2011-2017) - GOLF MAGAZINE(2011)
34 TEE BOX Global round-up A new golf course, Golf de Saïdia Teelal, opened for play in Morocco in summer 2018. It was designed by French professional golfer-turned architect Nicolas Joakimides. “Teelal really plays as a links course but without the drawbacks of original links golf, which are – not from my point of view, but for a lot of people – bad weather, blind shots, five-minute searches in the rough, lost balls and endless length for shorter hitters,” said Joakimides. Photo: Golf de Saïdia New course designed by Nicolas Joakimides opens in Morocco Arnold Palmer Design Company is to add nine new holes at Las Piedras in Punta del Este, Uruguay. The nine-hole Las Piedras course was designed in 2012 by Thad Layton, architect and vice president at APDC. “We’re building nine new holes that will connect the recently constructed Fasano Las Piedras Hotel to the existing course,” said Layton. “We’re stoked with the golf-centric feel that this traditional 18-hole loop will provide. When completed, it’s sure to be unlike any other golf course we’ve ever done.” Photo: Thad Layton Palmer team to add nine new holes at Las Piedras Image: Harris Kalinka The first phase of work is underway at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club in Rome, Italy. Led by European Golf Design – with Tom Fazio II (son of the original architect, Jim Fazio) – the championship course is being completely redesigned to be a purpose-built venue to host the 2022 Ryder Cup. The project will be divided into four phases, with the course scheduled to be completed in spring 2020 ahead of hosting the 2021 Italian Open. New roads, lakes, cart paths and irrigation systems are to be incorporated into the redesign, which is designed to ensure the venue can accommodate the huge grandstands and hospitality structures required to accommodate huge crowds. First phase begins at Marco Simone
35 Construction of the new nine-hole Tabori Hill golf course in Tbilisi, Georgia, is complete. The Golfplan design is now in the grow-in phase and expected to open in spring 2019. The course is part of the Tabori Recreation and Golf Resort development and is located on a ridge overlooking the city and adjacent to the Tbilisi Botanical Garden. “This course is all about preserving the natural environment and taking advantage of the sweeping views,” said Kevin Ramsey. Photo: Kevin Ramsey – Golfplan Construction work complete at new Tabori Hill course in Georgia Harradine Golf has designed a new 18-hole golf course as part of the Capital Smart City Islamabad development project in Pakistan, with construction work expected to begin in January 2019. Capital Smart City Islamabad is an initiative of Future Developments Holdings, a developer of new state-of-the-art smart cities operating in Pakistan. According to Harradine Golf, small valleys and rugged terrain provide a design challenge – the site has up to 30 metres of elevation change. On a recent visit, Peter Harradine said: “Absolutely fantastic, it’s unique! I’ve never worked on a site like this and I am very, very happy to be here.” Photo: Harradine Golf Harradine Golf designs new course in Pakistan Grassing is almost complete on eighteen holes of a new 27-hole layout created by Nicklaus Design for Royal Auckland and Grange Golf Club in Auckland, New Zealand. The new club is a result of the 2017 merger of the adjacent Royal Auckland and The Grange clubs. “The courses were separated by an estuary and there was no physical link between the two. A whole brand-new master plan was put together rerouting both courses and moving the clubhouse and maintenance facilities,” said Chris Cochran, senior design associate at Nicklaus Design. Photo: Royal Auckland and Grange Golf Club New course takes shape for merged New Zealand clubs
36 Photo: Taku Miyamoto PROFILED Working in Japan over the years has been a very rewarding experience for Bryce Swanson [a senior designer at Rees Jones, Inc.] and myself. The Japanese are very golf savvy and extremely enthusiastic about the game. Several years ago, we completely redesigned the West course at Ibaraki Country Club, near Osaka. Greens were converted from two per hole to one, and fairway bunkers and tees were all rethought, changed and rebuilt. Since that time the club has flourished and hosted both the Diamond Cup Golf and Panasonic Open on the Japan Golf Tour – the winning score on both occasions was nine under par. The success of that assignment led to our firm being hired by Shun Han, owner of the Taiheiyo Club, to redesign the Gotemba course, which annually hosts the Taiheiyo Masters. The work was done mainly to improve the member experience, but also to present a more formidable challenge for the top golfers on the Japan Golf Tour. As with Ibaraki, we teamed up with Inaji Landscape & Construction Co. From planning to completion, the design work took two years. Bryce and I made a combined 24 trips to oversee the Gotemba course redesign. Construction was completed in midsummer 2018 and the Taiheiyo Masters was held in early November. Gotemba renewed Rees Jones describes his work on Taiheiyo Club’s Gotemba course, which lies beside Mount Fuji in central Japan TAIHEIYO CLUB, GOTEMBA COURSE, JAPAN
37 Photo: Taku Miyamoto Professional golfer Hideki Matsuyama [pictured on page 36, with Jones] consulted with us on the project. He has won the tournament twice: as an amateur in 2011, and with a record 72-hole score of 23 under par in 2016. His desire was for the course to play in tournaments like East Lake, Bethpage Black or Torrey Pines, all courses that we had redesigned. We both feel we achieved that result; the winning score at the 2018 Taiheiyo Masters was nine under par, the lowest number it has been for 30 years. The Gotemba course is a beautiful, tree-lined, parkland golf course with many views of Mount Fuji. It was well laid out by Japanese architect Shunsuke Kato in 1976. The course measures over 7,300 yards; it can challenge all players and doesn’t favour the long hitters. Having redesigned seven US Open venues, nine PGA Championship venues and six Ryder Cup venues, we have the experience to evaluate what needed to be done and what needed to be left alone on such a highly-regarded layout. We left the green surfaces mostly intact, except for the par-three seventh hole, where the green was rebuilt because the contours were too severe. Some sections of other surfaces were re-graded or extended to add important manageable hole locations. All the green surfaces are now suitably challenging for fast speeds during tournament play. All tees were rebuilt. Some were added in order to increase length, improve angles and provide more flexibility for all golfers. All the bunkers were reconceived and rebuilt in light of the character and demands of the modern game. They were redesigned to be natural looking, properly positioned and sized, and to allow recovery rather than being overly penal. The bunker floors were angled properly and the cavity was built to be easily maintained. Fairway bunkers were often offset to provide different challenges from the tee for every calibre of golfer. Fairway lines were changed The par-four tenth hole at Gotemba, following renovation work by Rees Jones and Bryce Swanson
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