38 GIULIA FERRONI INSIGHT Golf course architects often act as a project manager, overseeing various phases of work from the early design concepts to the end of construction. Being a project manager requires many skills, such as planning, leadership, communication and quality control. We also bring our own unique approach. For me, that comes from a deep commitment to delivering sustainable golf course design solutions that respect the existing environment and landscape. In 2019, I became an official independent verifier for the GEO Foundation, and through my work at Leeds Golf Design, I have made sustainability and inclusion my mission. We are also supporting the R&A’s Women in Golf Charter initiative to assess, design and improve courses to promote women’s play and, ultimately, improve women’s participation and retention. Most of my work is the renovation of historical courses, where the focus is to ensure they are up to date with modern technology and meet sustainability requirements. In preparing a masterplan, I often adjust hazards and tees to consider the shorter hitters like juniors and seniors. The right distances are crucial to avoid penalising beginners, which helps to contribute to attracting and retaining players. An architect intuitively leads the design stage, moving from concepts to the detailed masterplan. Typically, the work shown on the masterplan is not undertaken all at once but is phased, depending on the club’s budget and other factors. From the detailed masterplan, I develop construction drawings for the agreed scope of work, including contour plans for the contractor to shape the course. Along with construction drawings, an architect prepares a construction specifications document and the so-called bill of quantities. This quantifies the work to be carried out and together with the construction specifications are fundamental documents to price the work – we can then spot any budget-related issues. We designers lead a wide team of professionals, so a key part of our role is also dealing with other consultants. We’re in regular dialogue with a course manager and their team, irrigation and drainage consultants, ecologists and agronomists, planning officers and the contractor. Each of those can give valuable input for the final masterplan, especially the course manager as they Giulia Ferroni of Leeds Golf Design spells out the intricacies of executing a masterplan and the skills required from a golf course architect. The art of project management
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy NzQ1NTk=