39 Photo: credit Giulia Ferroni is currently guiding Cirencester GC through a phased renovation know the course intimately and can provide a useful perspective. Architects don’t stop advising after the planning stage. We continue to oversee these professionals into the construction, relaying questions, answers and requests from the club to all those involved. We are, in a sense, the link between all those advisors and the club, and much of our work is ‘translating’ the information coming from all the different professionals to the club and explaining why things are necessary or done in a certain way. So, golf course architects need to be good communicators and patient educators. We deal with the entire club’s hierarchy, from the general manager and green committee to the captain, pros and other club representatives. Preparing presentations to explain the project to members and the community is another example of when top communication skills are needed. Technical plans often are difficult to read, so we prepare colourful masterplans and photomontages to show before/after proposals as well as creating 3D visuals and flythroughs to provide everyone with a better understanding of the work. As soon as the ‘construction package’ is ready, plans and documents are submitted to the contractor – or contractors if we go to tender. If the latter, the golf course architect will be dealing with the different proposals supervising the process and advising the club if required. When the contractor is appointed, and the construction window is booked, my work is primarily quality control. I supervise the construction phase from start to finish, ensuring the contractor is following the plan, specifications and the contract. Typically, this requires us to monitor construction on a weekly basis or checking in at key stages. We are not on site daily, so course managers are our eyes when we’re not there. We’re in close communication with them, making sure things are getting done according to the plan. The aim is to move the project forward as smoothly as possible and to keep track of the progress. So, we monitor the schedule, attend regular progress meetings and document activities to create a project record. We approve acceptable work and materials, note defective work to be corrected and we can reject work and materials that don’t comply or haven’t been corrected. As a project manager, we also keep an eye on the expenses and bottom line of the project to ensure it is completed to a quality standard as well as within the agreed budget. At the start of my career, I thought managing a design project from beginning to end was hard because of the many professionals you must speak with along the way. It can be overwhelming when you’re not an expert. But I soon realised how much you can learn from each other’s background and how rewarding leading an effective team can be. It really gives satisfaction when all the pieces come together, when everybody contributes to a successful golf course project and you, as the architect and project manager, facilitated that process. Photo: Leeds Golf Design
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