Golf Course Architecture - Issue 62: October 2020

53 Robert Trent Jones Jr, whose recent golf and housing projects include Costa Palmas in Mexico and Hoiana Shores in Vietnam, emphasises the need to embrace the community: “People want to live in neighbourhoods that are relaxing and inviting. Today’s designs need to embrace that ethos. Solutions can be as simple as adding fun, forward tee positions. Other times it’s by making the course not just a focal point for golfers and adjacent homeowners, but by turning it into a focal point of the entire community by integrating amenities such as trail systems for runners, walkers and cyclists into the overall design. I think many people today would much rather live in a community without golf frontage, but with a core golf course at its centre that offered other amenities, like trails. Value is about perception and finding alternatives that look good to the player and the home buyer.” Jay Blasi points out that residential golf should reflect the needs of those who will be living in the community. “It can be useful to have non-traditional golf [six, nine, 12-hole loops], as these are places where people live so they can play early morning or late evening.” Colton Craig adds that the nature of the development is a key factor. “I do not mind buildings near or on golf courses if they have character. The Old course is surrounded by historic and unique buildings,” he says. “On the other hand, there is nothing worse than playing through a box farm of the same house over and over. The front door should face the golf course. People put unsightly things in their backyard for a reason. I hate playing a golf course and seeing someone’s playground equipment with bright pop-art colours or their boat they keep covered with a worn tarp. By moving the road onto the side of the golf course, the front door will face the course. People walking their dogs and riding bikes are things that should be married to the greenspace. The Old course is an example of this design benefit.” British architect Howard Swan emphasises a similar point. “Looking at natural sustainability, it is very At RTJ II’s Costa Palmas layout in Mexico, smart routing decisions mean areas of development complement, rather than compromise, the golf Photo: Evan Schiller Image: Robert Trent Jones II