جمعه ۲۳ شهریور ۰۳ | ۲۱:۳۲ ۸ بازديد
of those managing and maintaining the golf course. Too often bunker design
decisions have been made without enough care given to how, and to what extent,
they will be maintained. At the same time, maintenance and management
decisions regarding bunkers often go in the face of the design intent of the
architect. Ideally the two viewpoints must be considered together. An effective
relationship between design and maintenance considerations will lead to more
efficient bunker management and in turn, additional cost savings.
The Design – Management Relationship
The relationship between design and management can be compared to a
professional football team where a general manager and player personnel people are in
charge of drafting and putting together a group of talented players, essentially designing
the team. It is then up to the coach to prepare the team, utilizing the strengths of each
player, in a way that gives the team the most chance for success come game time. This
process is more likely to work if the players on the team have strengths that fit into the
preferred playing style of the coach. It does no good to have, and pay, an all-pro running
back if they never get to run the ball. Of course what most teams do is involve the coach
in the process of determining which players will be playing for the team. The hoped for
result is that the players that are brought in will fit into the system more effectively, thus
leading to a greater chance of success.
Issues with the Current Relationship in Golf
In the same way as the football example, the golf course architect is designing the
golf course and then handing it over to the superintendent. The superintendent is
responsible for nurturing the course and getting the most out of it. Ideally the designer
has the task of the superintendent in mind during the design and construction phase. Most
projects involve a superintendent during construction, whether it is the superintendent
who will be overseeing the facility once open for play, or a “grow-in” superintendent
who is responsible for the maturation process of the course during and immediately
following construction (Figure 2.55).
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It is very important not to overlook the grow-in stage of a golf course as it is vital
to the long-term success of a facility. Grow-in involves the establishment and maturation
of turfgrass throughout the course. No matter the creativity of the design or the soundness
of construction, if a course is not covered with a strong and healthy layer of grasses it will
not be appreciated by the general golfing public. Most golfers tend to place more
importance on maintenance than design and judge golf courses accordingly. Although
grow-in is usually the point in the process where the burden of care shifts from the golf
course architect and contractor to the superintendent, it is in the best interests of all
parties that grow-in is efficient and effective. The finished golf course following grow in
reflects on the architect and contractor, even if they did not have a direct hand in the
agronomic maturation process. (Hurdzan, 2006) Conversely, mistakes made during
design and construction can greatly hamper the grow-in process. Erosion and poor soil
conditions are two of the most common pitfalls during the grow-in period. This is why it
is so important for the designer to identify problem areas related to soils and drainage
early on in the process. Poor soils must be amended to help ensure a successful stand of
grass and appropriate drainage can help alleviate some of the threat of large-scale erosion
during the critical period before and during turfgrass establishment. Proper construction
practices are also important to giving grow-in a helping hand. Topsoil should be stripped
and stockpiled prior to grading and shaping and then replaced. In order to avoid
compaction issues, heavy construction equipment should be kept off of key areas when
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fairways are not haul roads, they are fairways. (Urbina, 2002) Sometimes these details
may seem trivial during the construction process but they can make a huge difference in
the long-term maintainability and quality of a golf course.
Prior to even reaching grow-in, unforeseen on-site situations will always arise
during construction of a golf course. Examples include areas with poor soil or drainage,
microclimates within the site that make turfgrass establishment and growth difficult, and
even regulatory or environmental issues that were supposedly dealt with prior to
construction. The key in such circumstances is to remedy these issues on-the-fly while
not creating a situation that may lead to future trouble. If dealt with improperly,
shortcomings or oversights in design and construction often become apparent and begin
to cause problems during grow-in. Unfortunately, these are likely precursors to ongoing
long-term issues.
A key to dealing with issues that arise during construction and grow-in is to
involve a golf course superintendent in the process from an early stage. At exactly what
point this happens likely depends on the circumstances of the project. Fortunately the
trend in golf course construction has been to bring a superintendent on-board earlier than
was the norm in the past (Figure 2.56).
Figure 2.56 – Superintendent Hiring Trend for New Golf Course Construction (Hurdzan, 2006)
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of construction and overseeing grow-in. In many cases the superintendent and their staff
are integrally involved in the finishing aspects of the golf course construction process.
Additionally, knowledge and experience with grow-in is preferred due to the unique
nature of establishing and nurturing new turfgrass. Just like a designer who fails to
properly manage construction, trouble can arise when a superintendent does not
effectively manage grow-in. Grow-in tends to be a time-sensitive balancing act that
requires the superintendent to transition the property from a construction site to a golf
course while carefully managing the agronomic needs of new turfgrass and the often
impatient expectations of ownership. For this reason, many golf course contractors and
management companies have superintendents on staff that specialize in new golf course
grow-in. These professionals usually have significant experience in golf course
construction and maintenance. As a result they may be more prepared to handle the
exceptional circumstances presented by the grow-in phase of golf course development.
No matter the specific personnel used during construction and grow-in, one major
key to success lies in proper communication and teamwork among those involved in
design, construction and maintenance. All of these parties work for the project owner, but
under different contractual obligations. The relationship between the involved parties
varies depending on the project and those involved, but the following is a description of a
typical relationship. Usually the golf course architect has been hired to design golf course
features and commit the design to plans and specifications that communicate to the
contractor what is to be done. The contractor is legally bound to the owner to provide
materials and labor to build the golf course per the construction documents, with changes
authorized by formal change orders. Change orders are legal amendments to the contract
documents that are signed off on by the contractor, architect and owner prior to the work
being done and at an agreed upon price. Change orders can slow down the construction
process and are usually not used for small items. However care should be taken by all
parties, particularly the contractor, as without change orders they may not have a basis for
a claim of payment on changes that were made.
Although legally the superintendent’s only conduit to the contractor is usually
through the architect or owner, the reality is that during the construction process the
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(Figure 2.57). The superintendent and contractor should have the same common goal: to
build the best golf course possible within the limits of time and money provided by the
owner. Often times, especially as construction nears completion, the superintendent and
contractor will share equipment and even combine labor forces. Although the lines
between the two parties’ roles may become less clear, they should always respect the
legalities of construction work and document their agreements and joint-decisions.
(Hurdzan, 2006)
Figure 2.57 – Golf Course Construction Legal Relationships (Hurdzan, 2006)
With all of the involved parties working together with a common goal in mind,
great things can happen. An example is the construction of Pacific Dunes in Bandon,
Oregon (Figure 2.58). Tom Doak and his team from Renaissance Golf Design designed
and built the esteemed course in 2000. Jim Urbina, Doak’s lead design associate
personally spent 168 days on-site while overseeing, and integrally participating in, the
construction of the course. The following comments from Urbina describe the
construction process and some of those involved in it. They really illustrate the
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well as the interconnection of each individual’s roles.
We built this course and we didn’t use a golf course contractor. Our labor
force was mostly local kids just out of high school and it fell into my
hands to teach and direct everyone involved as to how we wanted to
design and build this course. With all due respect to the last 100 years of
golf course architecture, all golf course designers must concede that
without a team of good, interested and talented people, the designs of the
best of the dreamers could never have been done. We had no one on the
construction crew who had preconceived notions about what our work
should be. The design wasn’t something we had to protect. It became
something we grew into daily.
The success of this course is certainly due to many things. Some things are
obvious, like the dramatic land and the great routing that Tom did. No
question the location and the area will take your breath away even when
the weather is bad.
Some things are a little less obvious, but certainly noticeable if you look. I
can’t say enough good about Ken Nice, the golf course superintendent at
Pacific Dunes. He was totally and is today truly dedicated to our design
and to the principles of links golf that the site requires. Ken was with us all
the time and he never gave the usual mumbo jumbo about not being able
to mow something or not being able to get us the look we wanted. He
simply said he would do everything he could to figure out a way. I have so
much respect for Ken and from him, I’ve learned that growing grass is
much harder than we all believe it is and growing grass our way on our
design may seem like we are asking for less, but in fact we are asking for
the superintendent to be as creative as we are. Ken Nice worked his butt
off during construction. He gave the project every bit of his attention and
the construction crew busted their butts as a result of his leadership. Ken
has quite a challenge for the future. He’s an American growing turf for
links golf and it is not always a surface that people who haven’t been
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too green and to maintain or water when he should do nothing. I’m glad
he’s there.
Everyone loves the bunkers at Pacific Dunes. Tony Russell was a local
dairy farmer and small dirt contractor and his brother is Troy Russell, the
first superintendent at Bandon Dunes and now the Resort’s agronomy
director. Tony became our ace in the hole and he showed me a whole new
way to do bunker work without even knowing that what he was doing was
total cutting edge. Tony doesn’t golf. He didn’t want to debate the merits
of bunker design with us. He did help us understand how to be more
efficient moving dirt, even though I thought I was about as efficient as
anyone at getting dirt moved. Of course Tony knows everyone in the area,
so he was able to find us some good people for other heavy equipment
operator jobs. We would have definitely been hurting without Tony
Russell and not too many people would ever know that. (2002)
When the individuals involved in a golf course project are committed and able to
work together like at Pacific Dunes, great things can happen. Of course everything on
that project was not simple and easy. It never is. Urbina addressed the scope of the
difficulties they faced at Pacific Dunes by saying,
Not everything was easy. We had some tough issues to work out. The
agronomy alone was incredible. We ran into some areas that were not
blessed with great soil and we had to figure out how to make things right. I
think I could write a whole book on the everyday trials of building that
course. (2002)
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It is important to remember that the reason the design – management relationship
is so important is because there are countless potential pitfalls during every step of the
process. Those who have become successful practicing professionals are usually adept at
facing the numerous issues that arise and avoiding the pitfalls along the way. Good
designers seek to solve every problem at each critical decision making juncture in the
process. At the same time those in construction are problem solvers in their own right,
finding the most efficient and effective way to build something that is sound and lasting.
Finally those in management and maintenance roles are tasked with taking the result and
making it economically sustainable and enduring. After all, the initial vision of the
designer will never come to fruition without proper oversight, nurturing and care.
Unfortunately, the design – management relationship on many golf course
projects is not always as effective or efficient as it should be. It should be noted that this
is not necessarily the fault or intent of a particular individual or party; designers,
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