five per cent of that size as a putting routing, where all the contours, strategy, risk/reward and hazards you’d find in the full-length version remain. The club now draws crowds of golfers and non-golfers that reaps more revenue from the putting course than its full course. At Timberwolf Golf Club north of Toronto, Canada, a ‘Pro-Putt’ course also eschews clown mouths and windmills for a true golfing experience. Artificial turf can be ideal for driving ranges as well, and we have two designs in construction in Australia that will both have wall to-wall artificial turf surfaces with automatic ball-collecting capability shaped so that balls hit into the range will filter towards collection points then back to the ball dispenser. These facilities will be two of the world’s first zero maintenance driving ranges. We are also working on several playable par-three course/driving range concepts where realistic playing artificial turf is essential for the dual capability maintenance requirements. But why does artificial turf matter to golf? With the pressures of rising costs, labour shortages, water availability and environmental reputation, golf needs to look at creative solutions. For those of you designing, building, maintaining, and operating golf courses for the 95 per cent of the golfers that just want a quick drive from their home, a reasonable price, and a good time with their friends or family, enjoying a game that for centuries has brought people closer together, that solution may be intelligent artificial turf designed and built to play like the real thing. GCA Rob Gavarkovs is a golf course architect and partner at Pelz Player Greens and Jansen Golf Design Pelz Player Greens has designed a putting course at Oxley Golf Club like a full-length layout, but at a five per cent scale. Top, the firm has combined real grass and artificial turf elements for the practice area renovation at Cedar Brae in Toronto 67 Photos: Pelz Player Greens
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