The art of golf course design has changed greatly from its humble beginnings when the game of golf started centuries ago in Scotland. The first designers were accomplished players of the game who did little more than select starting points and routes to the holes. As golf’s popularity increased, golf course design began to involve some movement of dirt and formal tee box and green construction. It was not until the early part of the 20th century that golf course design became a full time profession. Donald Ross is credited with being the first person to make a career of golf course design and created the phrase "golf course architecture." Ross is credited with the design of approximately 462 courses and was a Founding Member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects in 1947.

Today, the American Society of Golf Course Architects’ membership consists of 150 of the leading golf course architects in North America.

The process of Golf Course Design
Even though every golf course architect will eventually create a complete golf course, the process of getting there varies from architect to architect. Architects like Pete Dye like to create hole designs in the field and rarely relies on plans. Others, like myself, like to create detailed construction plans, then make modifications in the field to achieve the intended result. My method requires a lot more work up front but the benefit is the ability to meet budgets and fairly price the construction work to different contractors. With the environmental and permit requirements ever increasing, the golf design industry will be required in the future to produce detailed plans to satisfy regulation requirements. Following are the steps I use in the golf course design process:

Identifying the Course Character and Golf Market
My first conversations with a new client concern the type of golf course he is looking for, the type of golfers that will play this particular course, the condition of the local golf market, what local, state or national tournaments the client may want to host and what this course needs to position itself in that market place. Neither the architect nor the owner should lose sight of the fact that the course needs to fill a need in the local market in order to be successful, and profitable.

Gathering Site Information
Early in the process for preliminary designs, I use whatever site data I can quickly find, such as county tax maps, United States Geological Survey quadrangle maps, aerial photos and county soil surveys. Aerial maps are retrieved for little or no cost from the Internet. This information is compiled into a one or more plans to form the base information for the preliminary design. Later, I use accurate boundary, topographic and wetland surveys for the final designs. This information is expensive and usually isn’t done until I’m sure the project is going to happen.

Study the Site and Site Information
I always walk the land, studying the vegetation and land features and comparing it to the site data I have acquired. It is invaluable to have a complete and thorough knowledge of the land, its limitations as well as its assets. As I walk the land I look for natural features to incorporate in my design. I want the golf course to blend in with the natural environment, respect the ecology and fit into the surrounds as naturally as possible. I denote interesting green sites and features on my base plans so I can incorporate this into the golf course routing plan.

Design and Construction Time Schedules
The time schedules for design and construction are developed so that all members of the design team know the timing for the entire project and how their portion of the work relates to the rest of the team. My time schedules use the Critical Path Method of planning since it will show which tasks relate to others and which tasks have to be completed before others can begin. Of real importance in the time schedules are items that are beyond your control, such as the length of permitting activities, and the planting season for the grasses the course will use. If you miss the grassing season, it usually means a whole year is added to the schedule, especially in the Southern United States.

The Golf Course Routing Plan
The Routing Plan is the layout of the holes on the site. First I develop a base map of all of the site features so I can easily make decisions where each hole is located. The routing plan is the most important part of golf course design. This is where all of the factors influencing the design must be considered and incorporated in the plan. Some of the factors you need to consider are:

Sun angles: Starting holes should never play to the east (rising sun) and finishing holes should never play to the west (setting sun). Likewise, the practice range is best aligned to the north to avoid the low sun angles in late fall, winter and early spring.

Topography: These are the highs and lows of the site and are shown as lines which represent an elevation on the plan. By reading the line elevations, you can tell if the land is going uphill, downhill or on a cross slope. This information is invaluable in making sure the golf holes drain well naturally or need improvements so that they will when complete.

Soils: The soil survey tells you what kind of soil you are working with, if it drains well and even if rock is present in the upper six feet. This information helps you decide if the soil is good enough to drain well and grow grass well.

Wind: The predominant wind should be considered because it effects the distance that a golf ball travels. In some areas, the predominant wind direction changes some with the season of the year.

Vegetation: Trees and other plant growth can vary in species on the site. Knowledge of the type and location of trees and how they effect golf course maintenance can be helpful in your design decisions. Use caution when siting primary playing surfaces on the shady side of large trees.

Other factors that may effect the routing design are road and utility access to the clubhouse. Utilities such as water, sewer, power and telephone need to be run to the clubhouse and maintenance areas.

I usually try to start a routing plan from a central point on the site that allows enough room to play starting holes (1 and 10) out and finishing holes to return, plus room for the practice range. The clubhouse needs ample space for parking and circulation.

I lay out the golf holes on the site taking into consideration all of the site features that are important for each hole. I also consider whether holes are straight or doglegged. The sequence of par is important to a good routing and the interest of the course. I try to not have more than two par 4s in a row, breaking the sequence with a par 3 or par 5. Golfers don’t like to play 3 or more par 4s in a row. It takes years of practice in my business to develop the skills to create a good routing plan.

I look to design balance and variety in the golf course layout. I make sure I have a good variety of yardages, good flow to sequence of par and have an equal number of straight, dogleg left and dogleg right holes. Other considerations are the ability to walk the course without great distances from the green to the next tee or steep inclines, and a reasonable number of forced carries.

After the routing plan is complete, a surveying company will stake out the golf hole centerlines on the site. I walk the holes and make note of anything that will benefit or adversely effect the golf hole designs, such as specimen trees, drainage problems or rock outcroppings. If necessary, the centerlines are changed to take advantage of a feature or to avoid problems. I also use this opportunity to sketch design ideas and record notes of each hole to consider in the final designs.

The Strategy Plan
Some of the design strategy takes place when you prepare the routing plan but the real strategy has to be designed by the architect. The first step in this process is to evaluate how the course would play before any new design elements are added. I make a chart that lists each hole, the par and yardage, then whether the hole is straight or doglegged left or right, where natural hazards or trouble occur on each hole and the perceived difficulty at this point. The list is totaled to give me an idea of how balanced the course is and how I might add hazards to configure the course for the intended golf market.

Then, on an overall plan of the course, I make decisions about the level of planned difficulty for each hole and where I want to add other hazards and course features to achieve that goal. I write a brief description of each hole that describes the strategy and the different options for how the hole could be played. I also draw little thumbnail sketches in plan view and in perspective view of different holes to visualize the design and strategy.

Once this is done for each hole, I reevaluate the course layout again just to make sure I am satisfied with the strategy. The strategy plan is then used as the basis for the preparation of a master plan for the golf course.

Preliminary Hole Designs
At this point, it is necessary to have very good site information because this is when the detailed planning and design start. I use a computer software program to print out the site information for each hole at a larger size, usually a scale of 1 inch = 50 feet. Through earlier conversations with the owner, I have established a design budget of construction costs and golf feature sizes. I begin a design study of each hole in detail taking into account all of the decisions made in the strategy plan. The golf features are drawn to scale and a preliminary grading and drainage design is prepared. I also locate the cart paths, bridges, retaining walls and other design elements in more detail.

After this process is done for each hole, I measure the sizes of the golf features, lengths of bridges and drainage pipes and calculate the volume of earthwork being moved. I use this information to update the construction budget for review and approval with the owner.

Construction Hole Plans
Once the preliminary plans and construction budget are approved, the final construction plans for each golf hole are prepared. The golf course will be constructed from these plans so it is very important to refine the design and grading information. The greens and bunkers are designed on plans at a larger scale to enable more detail, then reduced down to the same scale as the fairways. The drainage information from the engineer consultant is added to the plans as well as any environmental details and notes. Each hole is finalized first on paper, then entered into the computer software system. Once the hole design is in the computer system, all of the design elements and earthwork quantities are measured to develop another cost estimate. Any final adjustments to the quantities are completed and the final design is delivered to the other consultants for their portion of the work. Occasionally, the consultant’s work requires adjustments to the final designs, usually related to storm drainage design.

Irrigation Plans
The irrigation plans are prepared by a professional irrigation designer using my final design of the golf course. His plans will show the location of all sprinkler heads, valves and control equipment as well as the route of all pipe and wire. Special software calculates the sizes of pipes and wires. The consultant also prepares a cost estimate of the final design.

Grassing Plans
While the other consultants are performing their work, the grassing plans are prepared. These show the location and extent of each type of grass planned for the project. The square footage or acreage of each type of grass is measured and added to the cost estimate. Sometimes specialty plantings, such as ornamental grasses and other landscape plantings are also shown on the grassing plans.

Putting It All Together
The final items to be completed are the construction details and written specifications. The details show specialty construction items such as the green and bunker construction details, bridges and retaining walls. The written specifications outline more of the details of construction as well as particular project requirements and or procedures. The final plans, details and specification make up what is known as the Construction Documents, which form part of the contract for construction.

The project is then let out to bid or the price is negotiated with golf course contractors. If the price is satisfactory to the owner, a Contract for Construction is prepared and signed by the contractor and owner. Only then is it time to build the golf course.