LATEST NEWS
July 2010
NEW DEVELOPMENTS:
- Alcantara (Taormina Sicily) - Progress with construction of 18 hole course. Holes 4,5,6 and 16 have been contoured.
- Royal Olympic Golf resort (Romania) - Good progress with this 18 hole project. Indications are that the design will be finalised around late August with a view to commencing construction in February 2011.
- Clifton Hall School (Nr Edinburgh) - Progress being made to gain funding for project.
- Capannelle (Bergamo, Italy) - Planning Approval received - hopeful of starting construction in 2010.
- Slanic (Romania) - Funding problems may delay start of project.
The above projects are being developed with Italian Architect PierFrancesco De Simone
RE-MODELLING:
Scotland
- Kirkintilloch - New bunkering at 14th hole completed.
- Lanark - Initial plans for re-modelling of 3rd green submitted to Club.
- Helensburgh -Continuing with tree work to improve views.
- Baberton - Bunker improvements on hold due to poor winter weather. Some tree planting has been carried out.
- Harburn - Outline plans for improvements to 2 holes have been submitted to the Club.
- Bathgate - New Practice green to be constructed. Awaiting commencement date.
- Dunbar - New bunkers at hole 8 completed.
Italy
- Carimate Golf Club near Como in Italy - Course design appraisal completed.
ScotAGCA
The new Scottish Association of Golf Course Architects was launched in October 2008 to promote the best of traditional Scottish golf course design in this country. Excellent progress has been made in recent months to develop various aspects of our plans for the forthcoming years. These will be notified on the ScotAGCA website towards the end of the year. We now have 8 members and the first AGM was held on 15th January 2010.
EDUCATION
Seminar in Golf Course Architecture and Course Maintenance in November 2009 for members of the Scottish PGA..This was an excellent day and the PGA members were very enthusiastic and contributed well to the day. I think everyone, including the presenter, learned something from the day.
INTRODUCTION
The golf course is a golf club's most important asset and the quality of the design and playing surfaces are major factors in attracting members and visitors. There is no doubt that embarking on a programme to upgrade a course design invariably sparks enthusiasm amongst the membership and is a springboard to encouraging more interest in the club.
Upgrading to a more memorable design can be relatively simple to achieve over perhaps 2 or 3 years. The monetary investment need not be large. Relatively simple improvements like the re-location of bunkers, such as those at the 18th hole at Kirkintilloch Golf Club, do not require a significant amount of investment. The improvements have been well-received by the membership.
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New 9th green at Turnhouse Golf Club |
Where more investment is required, for example to re-model a green like the new 9th at Turnhouse above, the amount involved is relatively insignificant when you consider the longer-term benefits of an exciting design and the prospect of year-round playing surface.The old 9th green had serious drainage problems and only a few pin positions. This is now more free-draining and in play more often. There are also many more pin positions to spread wear.
If you are considering upgrading your course please read my philosophy on design and improvements. If you are keen to learn more, I recommend that we have an initial discussion to firstly answer your questions and provide some guidance as to how you could proceed.
