Wuhan Yishan International GC in China, designed
by Rick Robbins, will have its official opening in May
14
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By Design
ROUNDTABLE
scene and the stamina to make long
trips to remote places.
RB
: At first, your ability to design
a golf course in the locality will be
questioned. For example, a client might
be considering you to design a course
in Spain because you’ve designed a
course he likes in France. But if you
haven’t designed a course in Spain
he may have some reservations, even
though you have designed courses in
20 countries! Once you have delivered
a successful project in a market, you
become a more legitimate contender
for future projects in that region.
DD
: You need to invest a
tremendous amount of time in
developing local relationships. It is
critical to the business model and
is necessary to get the best quality
work from builders and local experts.
A US or European approach cannot
be pushed but over time and with
patience and perseverance locals are
realizing a quality of work we can all
be very proud of.
To what extent do you rely on, and
are able to develop, local expertise?
DD
: Construction management
companies for the last ten-plus years
have been extremely successful
working with local builders to achieve
excellent results. We have relationships
that date back to the mid-90s that are
still going strong—they are now grey-
haired experts in golf development
business models! Constant
communication on a near-daily basis
keeps the business plan stable.
JE
: A local network of expertise
is essential. We have worked hard
to establish a network of trusted
partners in the years we have been
creating golf courses overseas. And
they become the foundation for
obtaining new contacts for today.
RR
: I have always relied very heavily
on my contacts within the various
countries to help me with the client
relations in respect to how to conduct
business in that country. I also try
to work as closely as possible with
the local contractors to gain their
trust because they have such a huge
influence on how any job turns out.
It is hard to put enough emphasis on
the importance of developing local
expertise and long-term relationships
in Asian countries. Business is more
relationship-driven than it is on price
and clients want to know and feel
comfortable with the people who will
handle their design.
RB
: We always rely on local
expertise. A local engineer or architect
is critical to project entitlements and
regulatory concerns. In the 1980s,
we were more inclined to include the
same contractors, supervisors and
shapers from one job to the next.
After teaching and learning from a
group of workers, it was beneficial
to try to keep the team together and
take advantage of—and continue
developing—the skills and expertise.
In more recent years it has become
easier to find local talent, experienced
and skilled in all aspects of golf
construction and maintenance. Still,
we have an affinity for people we’ve
worked with before, and have been
tested ‘in battle,’ so to speak. I have
debated many times about the value
and necessity of an experienced golf
course shaper. Without this expertise,
we spend much more valuable time
training and teaching workers. We
spend more time reworking, rather
than refining, the design.
Are there any particularly notable
differences you need to take in your
approach to projects?
RB
: You need to be very clear with
communication and work to maintain
flexibility in the construction process.
In order to capitalize on a site’s natural
attributes, you must be able to adapt
your design during the construction
process. This concept is not always
easily understood or accepted. If
you provide very specific plans, you
might not be given any opportunity to
modify the design. This problem can
be exacerbated when, for example, a
contractor attempts to demonstrate
their skill at building golf courses,
showing you how well they can
follow the plans and how quickly
they can complete the work. As with
all projects, it is best if you can build
mutual trust and a sense of teamwork.
The sooner you get everyone working
toward a common goal, the more
success you will experience.
JE
: It is particularly important to
have the ability to be flexible. Rather
than go in to a project with a pre-
