The Process - New courses

The design of a new golf course typically consists of several phases. The earlier the architect is hired the better, as the project lies on a more secure foundation with the architect onboard.

Site Selection

A review of the site to determine it's suitability for golf. This has great implications for the rest of the project in terms of a timetable and expenditures.

Preliminary Design

Preliminary designs are developed to determine the best locations for golf, hotels, housing and other facilities.

Final Master Plan

From the preliminary design a final master plan is agreed showing the layout and all the elements of the proposed golf course.

Detailed design & construction documentation

These will include plans for staking, grading, clearing, drainage, landscape concept, irrigation, grassing and green details as well as construction details & specifications and bills of quantities.

Supervision of Construction

The best courses are not coming alive in the architect's office. Frequent regular inspections during the construction work ensures that the designs and specifications are followed correctly by the Contractor.

The Process - Existing courses

Just like any built structure, a golf course requires regular updating. Golf courses often have a lot of aging technology, the quality of the root zone deteriorates, and the game itself is in constant change. A large part of practicing the profession today is redesigning existing courses. A typical time for golf course renovations is about 20 to 30 years after it opened.

Current Situation Assessment

The process begins with an analysis of the current course. At this stage, in addition to the golf course architect's own observations, the client's experiences regarding potential problem areas of the course are important.

Master Plan

Following the assessment of the initial situation, the course architect prepares a Master Plan. The most important element in this is a mutually agreed-upon goal. After the plan is completed, everything that is done to the course supports the final objective.

Schedule

Scheduling the renovation work for a single course facility can be challenging. The question is always the impact for a play during the construction: short-term major harm or long-term minor harm. Costs are also often related to the schedule.