From the American Society of Golf Course Architects
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Issue 48 | Spring 2020 BY DESIGN Excellence in Golf Design from the American Society of Golf Course Architects Back from brinkthe Also: Distance research • Pete Dye, ASGCA Fellow • Routing a concept course Get to the Root of Your Course Renovation. In the Ground Profi le Porous Ceramics (PPC) is the #1 inorganic amendment chosen for greens renovations and has been used on more than 1,000 courses, including many of the U.S. Top 100. On the Ground Profi le offers FREE testing of soil, sands and trial mixes, and its agronomists are available to provide mix design recommendations and consultation. By Your Side Only Profi le provides complete on-site project support through the entire renovation process. “I’ve grown in greens on both straight sand and peat moss. What you get visually with PPC is terrifi c, not just in year one, but even after year two and three. I wouldn’t go down without a fi ght trying to convince someone building a new golf course to really look into using Profi le.” - Eric Bauer, Director of Agronomy, Bluejack National Contact us for your FREE on-site consultation and soil test. Profi leGolf.com Call (800) 207-6457 and ask to speak to a Profi le Golf Business Manager. FOREWORD Design ingenuity CONTENTS olf course architects require a great degree of ingenuity for design and Digest 4 renovation projects. There will always be challenges and obstacles to The issue opens with the latest in the Govercome, and it is our obligation to help clubs find a solution that distance debate, following the USGA will benefit the club and its local community. and R&A’s publication of the results of I recall ASGCA Past President Erik Larsen’s words: “Golf courses benefit its Distance Insights project. We also communities as revenue and tax sources, green space, wildlife and plant learn about an ‘art of the golf course’ sanctuaries and aid in water filtration, among other uses. There is an inherent exhibition, golf facility trends and goodness to the community that comes from the positive financial, social and ASGCA member projects. environmental impact of a golf course.” Erik walked this talk when helping to bring a course in Jacksonville, Florida, A golf architecture great 12 back from the brink. Atlantic Beach Country Club features in this issue’s cover ASGCA members share their stories of story, which begins on page 18. Golf writer and ASGCA Donald Ross Award ground-breaking golf course architect winner Joe Passov looks at this and other examples of golf courses that have Pete Dye, ASGCA Fellow, who been reborn, and the positive impact that ingenious work by ASGCA members passed away in January 2020. has on clubs and their communities. Also in this issue of By Design, ASGCA members pay tribute to one of the Back from the brink 18 most ingenious architects in the history of golf. We were all saddened to It’s not just golfers who suffer when hear that Pete Dye, ASGCA Fellow, passed away at the start of the year. Pete, a golf course closes. Joe Passov a Past President of ASGCA, was responsible for many of modern golf’s most considers the impact for the entire ground-breaking and celebrated designs, including TPC Sawgrass, Whistling community, and finds out about the Straits and The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island. ASGCA reinvention of courses in peril. members reflect on Pete’s impact in the article that begins on page 12. The art of routing 26 There’s plenty more in this issue too, including Golf course architect Richard distance research, member project news, and an Mandell, ASGCA, talks to By Design interview with Richard Mandell, ASGCA, on the concept about his concept course design, The course he created for a site close to his office. Sandhills Club. Jan Bel Jan, ASGCA Five to finish 30 President A. John Harvey, ASGCA, answers our American Society of Golf Course Architects five questions to finish the issue. COVER Editor and Publisher: Toby Ingleton Issue 48 | Spring 2020 Editorial contributors: Richard Humphreys, Joe Passov BY DESIGN Design: Bruce Graham, Libby Sidebotham Excellence in Golf Design from the American Society of Golf Course Architects ASGCA Staff: Chad Ritterbusch; Mike Shefky; Aileen Smith; Marc Whitney Photography: Ahwatukee Foothills News; ASGCA; Atlantic Beach CC; Black Diamond Ranch; Daniel Burke; A. John Harvey, ASGCA; Raymond Hearn Golf Course Design; Chip Henderson; Istockphoto/ Dmytro Aksonov; Istockphoto/sonyae; Kemper Sports; Kohler Co.; Larry Lambrecht; Larsen Golf; Tim Liddy, ASGCA; Richard Mandell Golf Architecture/Jim Ryan; Nicklaus Design; Brian Oar; Forrest Richardson & Assoc.; Sanford Golf Design; Art Schaupeter, ASGCA; Scot Sherman, ASGCA; USGA Golf Museum; David Spencer/Palm Beach Post/ZUMA Press Back from the Subscribe to By Design at www.tudor-rose.co.uk/bydesign brink © 2020 American Society of Golf Course Architects. All rights reserved. www.asgca.org Also: Distance research • Pete Dye, ASGCA Fellow • Routing a concept course By Design is sponsored by: Cover photography courtesy of Atlantic Beach Country Club in Jacksonville, Florida. 3 A round-up of recent golf design DIGEST news in association with: ASGCA supports conclusions of latest distance research Image: Istockphoto/ Dmytro Aksonov Dmytro Istockphoto/ Image: The ASGCA provided information and data to the USGA and R&A for its Distance Insights Report he executive committee of the this conclusion, our focus is forward- areas and expanding ranges. I hope American Society of Golf Course looking with a goal of building on strategic principles, and need to T Architects (ASGCA) agrees with the strengths of the game today while conserve natural resources, are the initial conclusions reached by the taking steps to alter the direction and stronger through the study’s results.” United States Golf Association (USGA) impacts of hitting distances in the The report’s findings also serve to and the R&A in the recently released best interests of its long-term future.” reinforce the value ASGCA members Distance Insights Report. ASGCA President Jan Bel Jan said, place on forward tees and multiple The report concluded that “the “We look forward to reviewing with all tee options, stating “that many inherent strategic challenge presented ASGCA members the complete report recreational golfers are playing from by many golf courses can be findings, which appear to confirm longer tees than necessary. We have compromised” and “the overall trend what ASGCA members have seen from a particular concern that the forward of golf courses becoming longer has their work for some time: increased tees at many courses are very long for its own adverse consequences that hitting distance can lead to golf course the hitting distances of many of the ultimately affect golfers at all levels lengthening. This cycle may have a golfers who play them.” and the game as a whole.” negative impact in a number of areas, Bel Jan said, “Golfers of all skill It said that golf would flourish including economic sustainability of levels should be encouraged to play best if the continuing cycle of ever- facilities, their environmental footprint, from tees that provide the most increasing hitting distances and golf the strategic challenge of playing the enjoyment and the best opportunity course lengths is “brought to an end.” course as designed by the golf course for them to score well. We are thrilled “Longer distances, longer courses, architect and the pure fun that comes to see continued promotion of the playing from longer tees and longer from playing the game from tees that benefits of moving forward.” times to play are taking golf in match a player’s skill level.” the wrong direction and are not Forrest Richardson, ASGCA, added, Download the USGA and R&A necessary to make golf challenging, “Discussions have gone on for over Distance Insights Report at: usga. enjoyable or sustainable in the 100 years. Designers responded org/content/dam/usga/pdf/2020/ future,” read the report. “In reaching by adding tees, widening hitting distance-insights/SOC-FINAL.pdf 4 | By Design Industry news Sharp rise in master USGA showcases the plan and short game art of the golf course developments Photo: Lohmann Quitno Lohmann Photo: Photo/image: USGA GolfPhoto/image: Museum According to the 2020 Golf Facility Market Trend Watch report, master plan and short game developments are now the two most popular types of projects for golf architects. Respondents to the study— commissioned by the ASGCA and conducted by Sports & Leisure Research Group (SLRG)—included hundreds of golf course architects, superintendents, general managers, facility owners/operators, golf professionals and industry leaders. Eighty-eight percent of architects reported that in the last two years that they have been employed to develop a golf course master plan—the most popular type of project the recent study finds. Jon Last, SLRG founder and president, said: “It is interesting to note the continued increase in he USGA has created a new Curated by Rand Jerris, the general managers thinking their exhibition that examines golf USGA’s senior managing director of golfers would welcome enhanced T courses through art. ‘The Art of public services and former director short game areas and practice the Golf Course’ will be on display at of the museum, the exhibition ranges; it’s a full 20-point increase the USGA Golf Museum until the end showcases a variety of perspectives over two years.” of August 2020. through paintings, prints, drawings, The report notes that short game “Visitors to this exhibition will draw photography, sculpture and the area developments that architects parallels between the choices made museum’s fine art collection. have been involved with has by artists and those of golf course The exhibition features panoramic jumped from 75 percent in 2018 architects, whether to create playing images by photographer John Yang to 85 percent in 2020.