Architect’s Time On-Site

During Construction

100% 0 to 6%
Tony Ristola Typical

LEADERSHIP DRIVEN GOLF COURSE ARCHITECTURE

AVOIDING COMMON PITFALLS

THAT COST PROJECTS QUALITY AND CASH

“…it is the direction and coordination from the

man in charge that counts.”

ALL QUOTES IN FRAMES

ARE FROM DESMOND MUIRHEAD

THE LATE DESMOND MUIRHEAD, FORMER PARTNER TO

JACK NICKLAUS, WAS A FREQUENT CONTRIBUTOR to the golf
magazine The Executive Golfer. His articles touched on all aspects
of the golf course architecture business, and included amongst his
writings is a series of eight under the name How to Improve Your
Golf Course.

What follows are a few select quotes from How to Improve Your Golf
Course coupled with my commentary. The intent is to help you, the
club committee member or investor, cut through the architect’s
sales job, and get the most for your money by focusing on what is
truly meaningful in golf course architecture. The analysis is not only
pertinent to reconstruction, but is equally important when building a
golf course from scratch.

Make no mistake; I have a personal interest in this. As a golf

course architect, I want you to know how my one-project-at-a-time
method of constructing golf courses, 100% involvement and
leadership, 10 to 42 times that of the average architect, solves all
the challenges, and avoids all the potential shortcuts and pitfalls
illustrated by Mr. Muirhead. The goal of reconstruction is to never
have to go through the costly process again.

1
 “It is necessary to find the man, the one
capable man…, who will mastermind the
changes of the course over its (coming years).
This is obviously not an easy task.”

Golf course architecture requires vision, but translating vision to

pretty paper plans means nothing unless there is flawless execution
during construction. Not even the best plans will incorporate every
detail, so without strong guidance and assistance from the architect
during construction, no builder will execute the plan as the architect
envisioned. Also, no builder will risk deviating from the architect’s
plans, and it is the deviations from the original plan which
often provide the exceptional quality, detail and character.
Excellence is never an easy task and is rarely produced in the
architect’s spare time with a mere handful of “site-visits”.

Conventional modern golf course construction is accomplished with

little involvement by the architect. The traditional “site-visits”
method, infrequent and sporadic, account for a mere 0 to 6% on-
site involvement during this most critical and most costly phase of
development; an information and monitoring gap of 94 to 100%.
During this “gap” a lot of opportunities to better the project can be
lost because opportunities appear randomly, never according to the
architect’s schedule. If the architect is not there to spot
opportunities and implement them as they present themselves, they
will be lost forever.

“Clearly, if we consider the masterminders of the

great golf courses, he must be quite exceptional.
He must have a strong ego, but not a big ego.”

2
The architect must be able to work with the club or financier to
make the most of their investment. The club will have ideas, but it
is the architect’s job, as a professional advisor and expert on golf,
to take the time to explain other solutions to these decision makers,
and how they will benefit in the short, and long term. Once a
general direction is agreed upon, the architect can begin his plan of
action.

“He must have time at his disposal…”

Time is the greatest gift an architect can bring to any project. Golf
course architecture is an art, and without the artist providing time
and guidance to the builders, things can and do go awry. History
has clearly and repeatedly proven this for more than 100 years.
The following revelations by an EICGA (European Institute of Golf
Course Architects) member and former member of the ESGA
(European Society of Golf Architects) Board of Directors illustrates
the reality of these challenges, and the unknowing game of financial
roulette played by many clubs and investors:

“…as (ESGA/EIGCA architect) explained. “The entire reconstruction had

to be completed by retaining as many features as possible and allowing
continuous play…A budget of (1.9 million Euros) was calculated and any
increase in costs for reconstruction was completely unacceptable.”

“The need for reconstruction of (the recently) reconstructed course puts

(ESGA/EIGCA architect) in a pensive mood. “Today as one contemplates
the outcome of the reconstruction and extension one realizes once
again how difficult it is, or even impossible, to build the optimal golf
course. Too many details force the architect to reach several
compromises that could lead to a reconstruction at a later date.”

EIGCA Golf Course Architect

Golf Course News International, 1999

3
Here the architect was told “any increase in costs for reconstruction
was completely unacceptable”, but later states that “Too many
details force the architect to reach several compromises that could
lead to a reconstruction at a later date.”!!! The problem was not
due to “too many details”. No, it was due to an architect not
spending enough time with the constructors, communicating the
design-intent, monitoring their work, seeking every opportunity to
better the project and maximizing the budget.

The claim that “any increase in costs for reconstruction was

completely unacceptable” was not accomplished because any
“future reconstruction” comes at a significant cost. Construction is
never cheap, and it is not just the cost of a further reconstruction,
but the closure of holes, or the entire course which impacts costs
and profits further down the line. Reconstruction comes with a loss
of green fee revenue as golfers are not excited about playing partial
golf courses. The restaurant and golf professional also suffer losses
due to reduced traffic. All the while the remainder of the course
must continue to be maintained at considerable expense. The
members or investor must pay for the construction work and absorb
these loses; a double whammy.

When calculating Total Cost, it is most cost effective to get the job
done correctly the first time. A popular course will never require
redesigning, but will be cherished, maintained and preserved along
the lines set out by the architect. That is true economy. It may cost
a little more for this expertise at the start, but it can save or
generate for the club or investor, millions further down the road.
Besides being truly economical, a well designed and constructed
golf course will grow in stature, adding tremendous value to the
club and region.

“He must have… a thick skin, for in a club of 300, he

will have 299 destructive critics.
So he must be a gifted talker and sell his ideas for
change…”

4
There are a lot of “gifted talkers” in golf course architecture.
Thousands of golf courses have been built with the promise for
something of “exceptional value”, but when completed reveal there
was more propaganda than follow-up. It is the difference between
Publicized Values and Operational Reality.

A personal note: anyone I have had the privilege of designing and

constructing golf holes or projects for, or their superintendents, will
tell you my Publicized Values and Operational Reality are 100%
consistent with each other. I do what I say I am going to do. Just
give them a call.

Nonetheless, the architect must be an effective communicator,

especially when he must convince the membership, or provide a
member responsible for informing the membership complete
information and arguments to support the proposed work and
investment.

“It is an unfortunate fact that many of the best

architects… will merely run a job through their office.
They will then parachute in 18 of their typical greens
regardless the variations of climate or topography and
often in opposition to the spirit of the original course.”

Unfortunate indeed, especially with all the hype you hear about
“working with the land” and “following nature’s lead." And when the
architect is not on-site during construction working to blend these
prefabricated greens from his files on to your golf course, you could
be looking at modest relative improvement in comparison to the
investment of cash, the money lost due to the closure of the course
during construction, and the maintenance costs incurred until the
course is open.

5
 “I had always known that the most valuable asset a
project can have in its early stages is momentum.
This might be defined as the quantity of the work
done times the speed of doing it. Momentum is full of
intangibles, such as owner/architect enthusiasm,
energy projected into the process, a genuine love for
the land, original ideas waiting to be realized, the
relations between project management and
government agencies, relationships between
management and workers.”

One element Mr. Muirhead did not address is the quality of such
work. The best way to accomplish quality and quantity, produce
momentum and all its benefits is to have the golf course architect
personally lead construction on a daily basis. That is the pinnacle of
service. When the architect personally explains the design-intent to
the workers, what is accomplished is richer in detail than what the
architect envisioned at the drafting table because every unforeseen
opportunity to improve the project is seized upon and every nuance
and detail built in. The architect can monitor progress minute by
minute, evaluating the elements as they are being formed and
adjust accordingly. It allows workers and architect to communicate
freely with one another, forming a bond of trust and cooperation.

Why else would the architect lead construction daily if not to

achieve perfection? More projects concurrently would be more
profitable, and the architect is less accountable because he is not
there. Responsibility is pushed to someone else and off he goes to
sell his wares, and promises for an “exceptional golf course” to
another investor.

“Yet when I look at existing golf courses, I’m amazed

at the opportunities that have been missed.”

6
 Now you know the root causes as to why opportunities are missed.
Not enough involvement by the architect leading, communicating,
opportunity seeking and monitoring the design intent during
construction. Excellence is not an “easy task”.

“With any kind of artistic endeavor, you must aim

for the sky.”

How true, and those lofty goals require men of knowledge, vision,
artistry, action and commitment. It demands an investment of
TIME, not just flowery words and a roll of plans for the builders.

agolfarchitect.com
Leadership Driven Architecture
...Because Vision and Leadership are Inseparable
Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
agolfarchitect@yahoo.com
+1 909.581.0080
Design and construction are not separate jobs, but different parts of the same job

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