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T
hroughout 2014, I have had
the honor of sharing an
architectural perspective of
golf practice facilities at several Golf
Range Association of America boot
camps around the country, talking
to a mix of PGA Professionals,
owners, managers, superintendents,
and operators to provide real-world
solutions for the logistical and
financial challenges they face while
trying to offer more practice options
for their players.
In my opinion, the single most
important characteristic of a practice
facility must be that it provides
strategic training that can be applied
on the golf course. For private clubs,
universities, stand-alone public
courses, and First Links and First
Tee facilities, it is paramount to
continually expand the skill sets of
golfers through teaching in order
to keep players engaged. Through
design, ASGCA architects should
provide a platform to engage golfers
in an interactive manner, which
ensures that they will return for more
frequent play.
As always, practice serves as an
entry point to the game, but with
the economic downturn in the golf
industry, practice has become the
activity of choice for many golfers
who love the game but might not be
able to afford a golf membership or
a full round of golf at a daily fee golf
course. Not only do the target range,
chipping, and putting facilities
provide a less expensive manner in
which to enjoy golf, they also enable
players to improve their skill and
technique. This, in turn, makes them
more eager to play full rounds of
golf, which will help the game grow
as the economy strengthens.
I think the key to success in
the expansion of an existing
practice facility, or the creation
of a new one, is to conceptualize
imaginative options that the owner/
operator might not have previously
considered. My approach to
creating these facilities is to start
the planning process as if there
are no boundaries, envisioning
a dream golf practice area that
has every desired feature. Then,
I take steps back from that ideal
that will enable the design of the
practice area to fit into the financial
and operational realities of the
situation, as well as the custom
teaching curriculum. Once the
unique physical characteristics and
operational procedures are carefully
evaluated, the architect can provide
a variety of realistic expansion and
conversion options.
In my 25 years of designing practice
facilities, I have seen just about
every property scenario, including a
significant lack of space. Repurposing
existing land is an excellent way to
expand or create a teaching facility.
Additionally, indoor teaching
facilities, covered range bays, and
golf simulators can all offer private
one-on-one coaching sessions while
providing year-round opportunities to
avoid inclement weather.
ASGCA members – along with PGA
Professionals, teaching professionals
and the owner/operators of standalone
facilities – should concentrate on
offering genuinely educational practice
options that simulate real conditions
on the golf course. This is what will
best prepare players for their rounds
and keep them coming back for
more, thereby expanding both their
imagination and their ability to enjoy
the game of golf.
•
Practice facilities
|
Lester George, ASGCA
The practice
of practice
CLOSING THOUGHTS
Lester George, ASGCA
The principal of George Golf Design,
Lester George, ASGCA has designed
award-winning new golf courses
such as Kinloch GC in Virginia and
renovated many of the most historic
and well regarded courses on the East
coast of the USA.
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By Design
Lester George, ASGCA considers the most
important characteristics of a practice facility
and the keys to success when expanding
existing facilities or creating new ones
“The single most
important characteristic
of a practice facility
must be that it provides
strategic training that
can be applied on the
golf course”