Issue 30 | Winter 2016 BY DESIGN Excellence in Golf Design from the American Society of Golf Course Architects Solving thepuzzle The challenges of routing a golf course Also: Design excellence • Arnold Palmer, ASGCA Fellow • Longleaf Golf & Family Club • Par ™ Chapter 1 TORO® INFINITY® SERIES GOLF SPRINKLERS Countless Benefits. Infinite Possibilities. The opportunities are limitless with the new Toro INFINITY Series golf sprinkler. From immediate convenience, compatibility and labor savings to extra capacity for future technologies, INFINITY keeps you ahead of the game for decades to come. It’s simple Turfonomics. toro.com/infinity TOP LINE THINKING BOTTOM LINE THINKING REAL WORLD THINKING The new patented INFINITY® The new INFINITY® Series The benefits to course Series changes everything is built for expansion, not maintenance and quality for the better: course quality, replacement — it’s a truly are countless, but it’s the workload and most important, sustainable investment that professional benefits that no interruption of play. pays off in cost savings today really make the INFINITY® Calculate the money you’ll and has extra capacity for new Series the smart choice. save by cutting sprinkler technologies in the future. With The latest innovation maintenance from hours to the patented SMART ACCESS® from TORO, INFINITY® minutes. And just think about you can access all sprinkler lets you truly manage how much better your course components from the top, and your work crews, will look when you replace adding new capabilities is just budgets and course shovels with screwdrivers. as easy, making the future a improvements now No holes or piles of dirt to welcome change. and in the future. That draw unwanted attention not only helps you keep from players or the Greens your course looking and Committee. playing its best, it makes you look pretty good, too. Learn more at: ©2015 The Toro Company. All rights reserved. toro.com/turfonomics Infinity_Turfonomics_FP_ByDesign_1215.indd 1 12/11/15 10:32 AM FOREWORD The value of infrastructure CONTENTS fter a considerable rebuild, the Chicago Cubs won the World Series. This Digest 04 wasn’t happenstance: it was a result of hiring good professionals, patience A round-up of the latest news in A and building solid infrastructure. Similarly, my best projects are the result golf design, including the projects of thoughtful design, collaboration and a foundation of solid infrastructure. selected for the 2016 ASGCA Design 80 percent or more of a golf course construction is stuff that golfers can’t Excellence Recognition Program. see: like irrigation, drainage, green subsurface or soil amendments, etc. This is what quality is—unseen, but necessary and valuable. These improvements Arnold Palmer, allow efficient operations, predictability and provide for a great golf experience regardless of changing weather or climate. ASGCA Fellow 10 Golf course architects who have The same could be said about what we do as professionals: plans, meetings, worked alongside Arnold Palmer, coordination, engineering, permits, budgets, etc., are all things that are unseen, ASGCA Fellow, share their memories. but necessary for the thoughtful execution of a quality golf experience. That is infrastructure and it is necessary and valuable. Solving the Puzzle 12 One of the first processes in building the infrastructure of a golf course is to How do you route a golf course? create a routing plan. Our cover story for this issue considers the process of We ask ASGCA members about the routing the golf course, with ASGCA members sharing their perspectives on how process, and ask if their approach has they go about it, and whether their approach has changed in recent years. It’s a changed as the golf industry responds great insight into a one of the most challenging, but also most rewarding, aspects to calls for shorter formats of the game. of being a golf course architect. The Value of Par 18 I hope you enjoy the issue. Ty Butler, ASGCA, considers what golf would be like if par didn’t exist. Longleaf Golf 20 By Design explores the details of the recent renovation project at Longleaf Golf & Family Club in Pinehurst, North Carolina. Greg Martin, ASGCA Five to Finish 24 President Billy Fuller, ASGCA, provides his unique American Society of Golf Course Architects take on our usual five questions. COVER Editor and Publisher: Toby Ingleton Design: Bruce Graham Editorial contributors: Ty Butler, ASGCA ASGCA Staff: Chad Ritterbusch; Therese Suslick; Mike Shefky; Aileen Smith; Marc Whitney Photography: Arcadia Bluffs; Brian Gomsak; Clive Barber; Forrest Richardson & Assoc.; Getty Images; Michael Cooper; Pinehurst Resort; Rob Tipton Subscribe to By Design at www.tudor-rose.co.uk/bydesign © 2016 American Society of Golf Course Architects. All rights reserved. www.asgca.org An extract from the routing plan By Design is sponsored by: created by ASGCA Past President Steve Smyers, ASGCA, for the Costa Jama development in Ecuador. 03 A round-up of recent golf design DIGEST news in association with: ASGCA reveals Design Excellence honorees 2016 Design Excellence Recognition Program Honorees Honorees for the 2016 Design Excellence Recognition Program include Arlington Lakes Golf Club the Atlantic Dunes course at The Sea Pines Resort, recently extensively Arlington Heights, Illinois renovated by Scot Sherman, ASGCA Tipton Rob Photo: Renovation by Mike Benkusky, ASGCA Atlantic Dunes course at The Sea Pines Resort he American Society of Golf leaders, which included representatives Hilton Head, South Carolina Course Architects (ASGCA) from the Club Managers Association Renovation by Scot Sherman, ASGCA Thas revealed the projects to of America and Golf Course Builders be honored by the 2016 Design Association of America. Ken Lanning Golf Center Excellence Recognition Program. “Congratulations to these Jefferson City, Missouri The program highlights innovative tremendous golf facilities, as well as New short course by Todd Clark, ASGCA approaches to modern golf design the architects who provided their and examples of exceptional problem- talent and expertise,” said John Lebovic Golf Club solving skills. Sanford, ASGCA Vice President. “Once Aurora, Ontario, Canada The projects included in the list are again this year, the projects highlighted New golf course by ASGCA Past President diverse in nature, covering everything by the Design Excellence Recognition Doug Carrick, ASGCA from complete renovations, such as the Program show the positive impact a Atlantic Dunes course at The Sea Pines well-designed facility has for golfers Los Robles Greens Golf Course Resort in Hilton Head, South Carolina, and their community.” Thousand Oaks, California designed by Scot Sherman, ASGCA, to Water reduction program by Jason Straka, a short course created by Todd Clark, In February 2017, all By Design ASGCA and Dana Fry, ASGCA ASGCA, specifically for people with subscribers will receive a special edition of disabilities, at The Ken Lanning Golf the magazine devoted to the 2016 Design Mountain Shadows Resort Short Course Center in Jefferson City, Missouri. Excellence Recognition Program and Paradise Valley, Arizona The 2016 list of honorees has been including more information on all of the Short course by Forrest Richardson, ASGCA selected by a panel of golf industry projects. Subscribe at www.asgca.org. 04 | By Design China ASGCA reveals Design Excellence honorees Golf in China’s fitness plan he State Council of China has basketball and volleyball, ‘outdoor called for golf development and fashion sports’ including winter T to be speeded up, as part of a sports, equestrian and golf, plus plan to develop the fitness and leisure ‘sports with cultural characteristics,’ industry in the country. like kung fu, dragon boat and lion A press release issued by the State dancing. Council of China in late October 2016 The golf industry hopes this news references an official document that represents a softening of China’s calls for improvements in the fitness stance towards golf. As recently and leisure service system, with a goal as 2015 the Communist Party in to increase the output of the sector to China had banned its members from more than 3 trillion yuan by 2025. joining golf clubs, and some recently- The document references ‘daily built golf courses were returned to fitness sports’ such as soccer, farmland shortly after completion. New course New course for Arcadia Bluffs 2016 Design Excellence Recognition Program Honorees Arcadia Bluffs Photo: NCR Country Club Kettering, Ohio Short game facility and flood prevention program by ASGCA Past President Dr. Michael Hurdzan, ASGCA Fellow Heron Course, The Oaks Club Osprey, Florida Renovation by Hurdzan/Fry Environmental The new parkland course will offer a contrast to the Golf Design existing links-style course (pictured) at Arcadia Bluffs Pelican’s Nest Golf Club Bonita Springs, Florida ry/Straka Global Golf Course “The new course will also have very Renovation by Jan Bel Jan, ASGCA Design has been hired to create large greens averaging in the 10,000 Fa second course at the Arcadia sq ft range, and be in shapes that University of Southern Mississippi Short Bluffs Golf Club in Arcadia, Michigan. are rectangular and in some cases Game Facility The new ‘Golden Age-style’ more like squares. Bunkers will be Hattiesburg, Mississippi parkland course is to be created on a flat bottomed, cut into the existing Short game facility by Nathan Crace, ASGCA 310-acre site a mile south of the club’s ground, with steep slopes going up to existing course. The project will also the fairways and green complexes.” Wilmette Golf Club include the creation of a new practice The course, scheduled to open Wilmette, Illinois range, short game area, putting green in summer 2018, will be officially Renovation and flood prevention by ASGCA and clubhouse at the new site. named ‘The South Course at Arcadia President Greg Martin, ASGCA “The site’s sandy soil conditions and Bluffs,’ and will be very different to natural topography make it perfect the existing Arcadia Bluffs layout, for golf,” said Dana Fry, ASGCA.