Along the right of fairway 2 there was no waste area planned. We found sand off the tee and near the green and decided it’s ideal for a waste area, both aesthetically and strategically.
Today some test holes were dug between the greensite and landing area. Off the tee to the turning point we knew it was all nice and sandy. Up by the green and 100 meters back we knew it was all nice and sandy too. Between these two areas...Surprise! Surprise!... we have a 30cm (1 foot) layer of sand-sandy clay atop a thick layer of clay. Surprise! Surprise!
Because we are designing as we go we’ve decided to just strip the topsoil, leave the thin sand layer exposed and seed it. The result will be a mix of sand and grass separating the two waste areas.
There are decisions of this nature to be made on a daily basis. Shall we do this? Do that? Here’s an opportunity? Stop here, look at this. Should it be bigger, smaller, stronger, or softer? This is why the best courses have an architect present who has the authority to make sweeping alterations. He can evaluate all the elements, look at them in perspective of the entire project and make timely decisions. Otherwise you leave it to the builders, who usually aren’t golfers and want to get the project finished as soon as possible. And hey, if the architect isn’t around to care about the details, why should the builder?
Details. Devil. The pursuit of excellence. The investment of time. It's hard work, not a part-time hobby.
Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
+1 (909) 581 0080
Tony Ristola
- www.tonyristola.com
- A rarity in golf course architecture: Working with the builders, crafting the details of my designs in the field on a daily basis.
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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.
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.
