Guest Speaker: Golf Course Architect Shares His Secrets

Golf Course Design is turning into one of my favorite classes this semester because we’re designing our very own golf course. Topographic maps were handed out during week one, and now, the rest is pretty much up to us. I’ve already spent a few hours analyzing my map and then laying out a routing for my 18-hole course along the Colorado River. The design is still very much in its infancy, and I’ve got my eyes and ears open for ideas and inspiration.

That’s why today’s guest speaker came a such a great time. Gary Brawley has a degree in Landscape Architecture from Colorado State and owns his own design firm, Gary Brawley Golf Design. He’s an ASGCA (American Society of Golf Course Architects) Associate who’s worked for noted course architects Gary Panks and Tripp David, and he currently serves as a local advisor to the Golf Academy of America Phoenix.

Sadly, it’s been more than five years since Gary worked on building a new golf course, and that was in China. But while there’s not a lot of new golf course construction happening here in the United States, the restoration and renovation business is booming.

I took three pages of notes today if that tells you anything, but it’s my job to boil it all down to just a few of my biggest takeaways. There are essentially four schools of design that influence golf course architecture:

Penal School of Influence
These courses are very difficult for the average golfer. Penal holes are holes in which there’s only one way to play. There are forced carries off tees and into the greens, and as Gary says, “The course can really wear on you.” A great example of this type of course is Pete Dye’s Ocean Course at Kiawah Island. It’s the kind of course you want to play at least once in your life, but you wouldn’t want to be forced to play it 3-4 times a week. Interestingly enough, the 17th hole at TPC Sawgrass’ Stadium Course (also designed by Dye) is another example of the penal school of influence. There’s only one way to play this hole, and if you don’t hit the green or find the bunker, you’re in the water. It’s as simple as that.

Heroic School of Influence
These types of courses tend to reward more aggressive play off the tee or into the green. They are your risk/reward holes. The 18th hole at TPC Scottsdale’s Stadium Course is a great example. There are several ways to play the hole, but longer, more aggressive hitters will take on the water in favor of a much shorter approach shot, while more conservative players will hit a long iron or even a fairway wood out to the right.

They’ll have a longer shot into the green, but they’ll still have a chance to make birdie. If you take on the water and come up short, you’re bringing a much bigger number into play. The PGA Tour will be in Arizona at week’s end. Watch and see how guys elect to play the 18th and final hole if they’re leading the tournament or if they need to make a birdie coming in to make the cut. Another example of the herioc school of influence is the 18th at Pebble Beach. The Tour stops there next week.

Natural School of Influence
This is the hot trend in the golf course design industry these days, but its limitation is that it’s specific to each individual site. In Principles of Golf Course Maintenance, we learned how expensive the “natural look” can be to maintain. In the minds of many, the natural school harkens back to when nature alone composed golf holes. While it’s more rare, there are times when a golf course architect gets really lucky, and the property provides that look for him with little or no effort.

That’s what happened when Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw made their first site visit out to Sand Hills Golf Club in Nebraska in 1990. The two made numerous visits to the site, and “by the spring of 1993 had discovered over 130 holes from which 18 were selected and a routing plan finalized.” That doesn’t just happen without a little good fortune, but maybe the two of them should go out and buy a lottery ticket. Lightning struck again a few years later when they designed the Bandon Trails golf course in Bandon, Oregon. The bottom line is that while these courses are pretty to look at, this school of influence is limited to only a select number of sites.

Strategic School of Influence
Gary’s favorite school of influence is the strategic school. In his opinion, this is the most important school of influence because it gives a golfer several options when playing a hole or a course. It’s the “Choose Your Own Adventure” of golf course designs. Tee and hole placements can drastically change the way a hole is played. When Gary’s designing or renovating a golf course, he’s thinking strategy first and foremost. A great example of the strategic school is the drivable Par 4 10th hole at The Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles, designed by George C. Thomas in the 1920s. This signature hole is widely regarded as one of the world’s greatest for its strategic elements. You can elect to lay-up with a wood or a long iron down the left side of the fairway, or you can “challenge the narrow, angled green guarded by bunkers” by going for the green. It all depends on how you want to play it. That’s a strategic hole.

The other thing Gary said that really stuck with me is that while it’s not a school per se, technology is a design influence. The evolution of the golf balls that we play today and the clubs with which we hit them have absolutely changed the way golf courses are designed and also how they’re maintained. Golf course superintendents are much more efficient in the way they can mow and water their courses, and that’s changed the way they play.

Even though it feels like they’re making golf courses longer and longer these days, the one thing Gary says you’ll notice is that great golf courses don’t need length. Pinehurst No. 2, Winged Foot, and the Old Course at St. Andrews are all great courses, and none of them are overly long. What’s helped them stand the test of time is their green complexes. When designed properly, greens can be the great equalizer on a golf course.