By Design - Winter 2018

3 FOREWORD G olf course design projects can be like a complex puzzle, where the architect is presented with a series of challenges to overcome in order to reach a solution that works for golfers, owners and operators. The left side of our brains shift into gear, as we are required to be meticulous in our approach to planning and details, and pragmatic with what we can achieve when presented with challenges relating to time, budget, environment and more. It can sometimes feel like a far cry from the right-brain instincts that motivated most of us into this business, focusing on creativity and artistry, sketching countless golf holes that were free of the constraints described above. This issue of By Design explores both sides of our brains. We open our Digest section, on page 4, with news of the eleven golf course projects that have been recognised by the 2018 ASGCA Design Excellence Recognition Program. Now in its seventh year, this initiative was conceived to showcase projects in which ASGCA members have addressed unique design challenges, demonstrating innovation and their problem-solving skills. And in our feature topic for this issue, which begins on page 12, we investigate the notion of creative freedom, asking members about the extent to which they are given ‘free rein’ on a project, and how they respond to circumstances that may hinder their ability to fully express their creativity. I hope you enjoy the issue. Jeff Blume, ASGCA President American Society of Golf Course Architects CONTENTS COVER Digest 4 This issue includes details of the honorees for ASGCA’s Design Excellence Recognition Program. Also, we report on the collaboration between Richard Mandell, ASGCA, and Robert Trent Jones II Golf Course Architects at Tanglewood Park; the Nicklaus Design renovation of PGA National and more recent ASGCA member projects. Free rein 12 Does a golf course architect ever get to create precisely what they want? Richard Humphreys asks ASGCA members about the extent to which they are given 'free rein.' Giving back 18 We speak to ASGCA members about their role in education, asking how they got involved and why they do it. Return on investment 22 Marc Whitney reports on the recent ASGCA Foundation event at Pinehurst Resort that considered forward tees and other high-ROI ideas for golf facilities. Five to Finish 24 Kevin Ramsey, ASGCA, answers our five regular questions to finish the issue. The Gallery Golf Club in Arizona, designed by John Fought, ASGCA. Photographed by Lonna Tucker. The golf architect’s brain Editor and Publisher: Toby Ingleton Editorial contributors: Richard Humphreys, Marc Whitney Design: Bruce Graham, Libby Sidebotham ASGCA Staff: Chad Ritterbusch; Mike Shefky; Aileen Smith; Therese Suslick; Marc Whitney Photography: The Bausch Collection, Bill Bergin, Arthur Cicconi Golf Shots, Inc., Brian Curley, Cervone Golf Design, Hugh Hargraves, Stephen Kay, Richard Mandell, Old American Golf Club, PGA National Resort & Spa, Drew Rogers, Dave Sansom, Lonna Tucker Subscribe to By Design at www.tudor-rose.co.uk/bydesign © 2018 American Society of Golf Course Architects. All rights reserved. www.asgca.org By Design is sponsored by: