Sand Valley Golf; Design and Construction Blog: Safely Home

Short Project History; The Good and Bad

This blog reveals a snippet of the daily challenge of building a special golf course. The only value in something like this for future investors and golf architecture aficionados is to tell the truth; warts and all.

Before arriving at Sand Valley the project was being constructed according to the "detailed plans" of another golf architect using a "golf course construction company" that had built a number of courses. They broke ground in June 2006. After 10-months the builder had proceeded to rape 14-holes and was fired.

I have been brought in to fix the problem, using locals to build the course. In the process all plans except the general routing scheme have been abandoned. The current course is being designed in the field, seizing every opportunity to improve the course as we go. That's the value of time. You can see the project from all angles, in all conditions, you have time to think about the problems and come up with the best solutions, and then refine them with the guys doing the building... in real-time. This is how many of the great courses were constructed. It only makes sense. More time, more input, more communication produces the best possible result.

That's why Sand Valley, though it had a rough start (using the "Typical Method") should have a fantastic finish.

Thursday, May 24, 2007

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On April 28 I’d written about unloading machines from transport trucks, and the dangers that can ensue. Well, we didn’t have problems unloading a our latest addition at the site, a Volvo EC210Blc, about 21 tons of dirt scooping fun, but the machine had to be loaded and of course unloaded twice.

Not long after it began its journey something happened, what exactly I don’t know, and the machine had to be taken off the original transporter and loaded on a new truck. There were complications with unloading the machine so it could be reloaded on the second transporter, the one that brought us our glowing yellow D6N XL Caterpillar earlier in the day. Just happy to report everyone is OK.

Our Volvo EC210Blc. In the background, and used by the previous builder is a antique dumper from the communist times.

D6N XL with a 6-way blade. A great bit of multi purpose machinery.

Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
+1 (909) 581 0080

Tony Ristola

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Short Project History; The Good and Bad

Thursday, May 24, 2007

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