Edging the bunkers is the fun part... finding the forms. The tough work is getting rid of the extra material, especially when the bunker runs some 300 meters in length as is does on the 2nd hole.
It's tedious work, but thanks to machines it's made a fair bit easier... even in the hot humid weather we've had the past couple afternoons.
Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
agolfarchitect@yahoo.com
+1 (909) 581 0080
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
The Attack of Mr. Peanut
As noted earlier, someone felt the need to start tooling with some of the bunkers during my absence... what possessed them... I don't know, and it doesn't matter. What's done is done. We can only deal with the future and how best to fix the situation(s). The Finns have a saying for this which I love:
"When the shit is in the pants, it is too late."
In some cases the "attempts" have made my work easier, in others more difficult.
Working on the 5th today I noticed a strong resemblance from one bunker to the next... it was the Attack of Mr. Peanut!
The Attack of Mr. Peanut!
I can say we've had a few laughs with the boys about this.
Yours Truly, the architect in the field, shovel in hand... undoing the work of Mr. Peanut.
This is the early in the process with only small sections of the bunkers starting to evolve into more rugged characters.
Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
agolfarchitect@yahoo.com
+1(909) 581 0080
Sunday, June 28, 2009
Concepting
I often sit around in the field and stare at a bunker to be edged off and on... for days. Now I don't just sit and stare but also work on others that are easier to conceive while contemplating what to do for the one or ones on my mind.
I'd stared at this for a couple days while working on bunkers in the vicinity before hitting it with the spade.
I'm still not happy with the right side of the bunker, so I came back and did a little graphics magic to see how the right side would look with the sand flashed higher. I won't do this often, and really didn't need to do it here (my instincts being impeccable :) ... but thought it would be a fun experiment.
The result is it does look better, but a portion of the right side is a little off still.
I won't take this photo in the field, but go out and find the forms, feeling my way through the process.
The right side looked too low with the height of the bank... so...
After some graphics magic my instincts were confirmed.
I won't build it exactly like this, but the right side will be higher.
The final product as edged in the field.
Sand has been added by a graphics program.
It is amazingly similar to the though graphics illustration I did not take into the field.
Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
agolfarchitect@yahoo.com
+1 (909) 581 0080
I'd stared at this for a couple days while working on bunkers in the vicinity before hitting it with the spade.
I'm still not happy with the right side of the bunker, so I came back and did a little graphics magic to see how the right side would look with the sand flashed higher. I won't do this often, and really didn't need to do it here (my instincts being impeccable :) ... but thought it would be a fun experiment.
The result is it does look better, but a portion of the right side is a little off still.
I won't take this photo in the field, but go out and find the forms, feeling my way through the process.
The right side looked too low with the height of the bank... so...
After some graphics magic my instincts were confirmed.
I won't build it exactly like this, but the right side will be higher.
The final product as edged in the field.
Sand has been added by a graphics program.
It is amazingly similar to the though graphics illustration I did not take into the field.
Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
agolfarchitect@yahoo.com
+1 (909) 581 0080
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Follow the mouse
I've built grass faced bunkers, flashed faced bunkers with different degrees of wildness, but never "cookie cutter" bunkers.
In any event, with the raw/wild forms people have asked how I develop them; Fact is, there are truly numerous ways to accomplish them.
One source of inspiration when the entire bunker face has been grassed is to follow the trails mice leave in the grass. Of course this can't always be used... sometimes there's not enough mice!
During the past winter, the mice had been active under the snow (it was a cold Central European winter last year), and leave little highways about 2.5cm wide. You have to look close to find them through the grass, but they work well as a source of inspiration now and again.
I guess it brings a whole new meaning to Mickey Mouse bunkers.
During the spring someone tried their hand at creating bunkers, and... well... they look like those found on thousand of uninspired courses around the world. These are the bunker styles the architect can simply let anyone do, requiring little input... which is great for the architect when he has multiple projects (he doesn't have to attend to any details!)... but not so great for the investor of millions as his course has little visual differentiation.
After edging and removing most of the sods taken.
In many ways it left a more challenging job as 30cm (one foot) or more of turf was lost in the process.
With a little art rendering program the final outcome will look something like this.
The small far bunker has lost its symmetrical circular form and has taken on far more character.
A small section of the work partially inspired by Mickey Mouse and friends.
Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
agolfarchitect@yahoo.com
+1 (909) 581 0080
In any event, with the raw/wild forms people have asked how I develop them; Fact is, there are truly numerous ways to accomplish them.
One source of inspiration when the entire bunker face has been grassed is to follow the trails mice leave in the grass. Of course this can't always be used... sometimes there's not enough mice!
During the past winter, the mice had been active under the snow (it was a cold Central European winter last year), and leave little highways about 2.5cm wide. You have to look close to find them through the grass, but they work well as a source of inspiration now and again.
I guess it brings a whole new meaning to Mickey Mouse bunkers.
During the spring someone tried their hand at creating bunkers, and... well... they look like those found on thousand of uninspired courses around the world. These are the bunker styles the architect can simply let anyone do, requiring little input... which is great for the architect when he has multiple projects (he doesn't have to attend to any details!)... but not so great for the investor of millions as his course has little visual differentiation.
After edging and removing most of the sods taken.
In many ways it left a more challenging job as 30cm (one foot) or more of turf was lost in the process.
With a little art rendering program the final outcome will look something like this.
The small far bunker has lost its symmetrical circular form and has taken on far more character.
A small section of the work partially inspired by Mickey Mouse and friends.
Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
agolfarchitect@yahoo.com
+1 (909) 581 0080
Friday, June 26, 2009
Bunker work impossible to draw in plans
Yesterday I spent the day working alone, getting a feel for the process we would be using for this waste area, and others. Today I plucked a new associate... assistant Chief Strong Back (Piotr) to continue cutting sod and delivering it.
Below illustrates the process. It's not something you can mail in or make the odd site-visit to do. It's specialty work... getting a feel for what is and can be done, and keeping in mind how it can and should be maintained. It's why I only build one-golf-course-at-a-time... to get all the detail possible, and seize on all the opportunities.
Remember we're getting the basic forms accomplished, and the interior of the bunker where weed and grass has taken over will be covered in sand in.
Starting point.
To the right you can see where the sods won from the bunker edge have been to good use shaping the interior of the bunker.
The bunker interior formalized. Once the bunker is completed, we will go back, and clean out the grass and weed, and add sand to that which exists.
Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
agolfarchitect@yahoo.com
+1 (909) 581 0080
Below illustrates the process. It's not something you can mail in or make the odd site-visit to do. It's specialty work... getting a feel for what is and can be done, and keeping in mind how it can and should be maintained. It's why I only build one-golf-course-at-a-time... to get all the detail possible, and seize on all the opportunities.
Remember we're getting the basic forms accomplished, and the interior of the bunker where weed and grass has taken over will be covered in sand in.
Starting point.
To the right you can see where the sods won from the bunker edge have been to good use shaping the interior of the bunker.
The bunker interior formalized. Once the bunker is completed, we will go back, and clean out the grass and weed, and add sand to that which exists.
Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
agolfarchitect@yahoo.com
+1 (909) 581 0080
Thursday, June 25, 2009
And the bunker work starts
After walking through and photographing the remainder of the holes, the bunker detail work started on Hole Nr. 4
I don't build cookie-cutter bunkers, why be here to build bunkers if they will look like those found on 10,000 other golf courses. I have ideas for what we will accomplish, but finding the style for the golf course is an evolutionary process.
Here some basic edging has been done for the waste area; these banks will be simple and formal. The inside features of the waste area will take on another character.
It starts with this.
Then basic edging begins. We will be using the sod taken for other areas to crate bunker edges within the waste areas. This bunker edge will have simple, clean lines... serving as a transition from golf course to waste area; the interior bunkers/dunes of the will be another matter.
Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
agolfarchitect@yahoo.com
+1 (909) 581 0080
I don't build cookie-cutter bunkers, why be here to build bunkers if they will look like those found on 10,000 other golf courses. I have ideas for what we will accomplish, but finding the style for the golf course is an evolutionary process.
Here some basic edging has been done for the waste area; these banks will be simple and formal. The inside features of the waste area will take on another character.
It starts with this.
Then basic edging begins. We will be using the sod taken for other areas to crate bunker edges within the waste areas. This bunker edge will have simple, clean lines... serving as a transition from golf course to waste area; the interior bunkers/dunes of the will be another matter.
Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
agolfarchitect@yahoo.com
+1 (909) 581 0080
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
Back for Bunker Work
It was cloudy, not too warm and rained yesterday, not a bad thing for grow-in. The last thing you want is scorching heat.
Today we had it clear, warm, and little windy.
It's been 8-months since I've been here last and the challenges of grow-in are all obvious. It's not the prettiest stage of development, waiting and babying the grass to get knit together, but it is what it is.
Some areas have come along fine, others, usually the more exposed and sandy areas need more TLC (tender loving care)... which means water, fertilizer, and in some places overseeding or sodding.
Grow-in just might be the toughest job in the business... I'm happy to only design and build these things.
The maintenance/grow-in crew, along with the latest in Soviet evening wear to the far right.
Today we had it clear, warm, and little windy.
It's been 8-months since I've been here last and the challenges of grow-in are all obvious. It's not the prettiest stage of development, waiting and babying the grass to get knit together, but it is what it is.
Some areas have come along fine, others, usually the more exposed and sandy areas need more TLC (tender loving care)... which means water, fertilizer, and in some places overseeding or sodding.
Grow-in just might be the toughest job in the business... I'm happy to only design and build these things.
The maintenance/grow-in crew, along with the latest in Soviet evening wear to the far right.
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