ALLIED ASSOCIATIONS
asgca Pace of
American Society of Golf Course Architects
A. Initial Steps to Sizing Up the Issues of Pace of Play ■ What type of course do you operate? ■ What type of golfers (Hcps.) do you cater to? ■ Cart/Walking policies
Play
CHECKLIST
& TIPS
D. Routing & Sequence ■ Does the current routing pose any routing obstacles? ■ Where are the issues? ■ Does the par order and lengths of holes work for (or against) good pace?
for working with your ASGCA Unveils Updated Website COURS E ARCHITECT at www.ASGCA.org ■ Are there solutions that may not involve physical change? (Easy fixes)
■ What are some ideas that may be “thinking out of the box”?
E. Course Set-up, Length & Flexibility
■ What are your current round Atimes? re-imagined
website—www.ASGCA.org—designed to highlight the breadth and depth of members’ work, and to provide ■ Is tee flexibility ample? ■ Are round times more— and better content for visitors, has been unveiled by the American Society Golf Course Architects (ASGCA). The a tee use of policy ■ Is there consistent or varied? and a way to enforce it? is your idea ■ What first renovation to the site in seven years meets the increasingly higher technology standards and is far more mobile-friendly ■ Are there solutions of an ideal round time? to set-up where wait thanarethe previous version. the bottle■ Where times can be reduced or necks on your course?
eliminated?
you implemented ■ Have “Our data shows more and more visitors to ASGCA.org coming from mobile devices,” said ASGCA webmaster Mike B. Understanding Site Tee It Forward tools? Constraints Shefky. “The site’s focus remains on telling the story of ASGCA and our members. One of the primary ambitions was to F. Course Conditions ■ How set-in-stone is your enhance routing and course the user experience, whether you are in your office or on the 16thspeeds green.” ■ Greens
footprint?
■ Is there any room for Visitors will notice change and adjustment?
■ Rough heights
significant updates as soon as they see the most ■visited section Tall grasses, and theirof the site, the ASGCA Member Profiles. proximity to frequent play the grade and ■ Quantify Each member page has a new look and layout, enhanced to feature ■a Fairway morewidths extensive description of their professional work. site constraints
P
ace of Play has become a household term in golf. What was ■ Hazard difficulty ■ Quantity soil types, vegetation and other firmness oft-visited once regarded as “something only theDesign, group aheadRemodeling could solve” is now Three sections—Course and About—have ■ Forced carries been improved to provide information in being tackled by all of golf’s major organizations. Treeimage overgrowth ■ asDesign clear Intent and visual The waymembers as possible. During theof project, word and on the site were reviewed and considered for of the American Society Golf Courseevery Architects C.The (blind areas, visibility) (ASGCA) are uniquely qualified to assist course owners and operators of the Course ■ Hole locations their value and inimportance. improving pace of play at their facilities. Getting players to move ■ History and legacy ■ Firmness, roll, lies faster — and smoother — involves five basic ingredients: ■ Identify the essential (1) Course — The the key variable that sets it all visited in motion. by people in 190 countries,” Shefky said. “ASGCA Past “It’s a challenge when you design consider site has been design characteristics G. Follow-up (2) How the course is being managed (e.g., the starting time interval, does the design ■ How President Rick Robbins, Todd Quitno, ASGCA, and Chris Wilczynski, spent many hours working with staff, planning relative ■ MasterASGCA, sequencing at the first tee, assisting players, etc.) dictate set-up? to Pace of Play solutions (3) Course set-up (e.g., tee flexibility, hole lengths, hole placement, etc.) editing content, drafting new material and making suggestions on how to craft does theold design ■ How ■ Turf area evaluation a site as informative and easy to (4) Maintenance and Turf Conditions (green speeds, rough heights, dictate maintenance? tall grasses, visibility, etc.) ■ Tee addition planning navigate as possible.” ■ Does the design limit (5) Player abilities, and the varying types of players on a course at any flexibility (tees, lengths)? Produced in cooperation given time. with the United States Golf changes to the ■ What Additional updatesThearegoalexpected toeven include and greater ASGCA social media interaction. is to create an flow of increased golfers as they video play the content game, Association design intent would be minimizing wait times and creating a more enjoyable experience. possible and beneficial? www.usga.org/paceofplay Your Golf Course Architect also has the goal of preserving the spirit type of golfers ■ What “ASGCA members have designed some of the most famous golf courses in the world, and we are proud to feature their work (Hcps.) do you cater to? of the game — to make sure that your course offers the fun and challenging aspects lurethe people to play time and time again.is played at courses close to home; beautiful layouts that bring value on the site,” Robbins said. that “But great majority of golf © 2014 ASGCA
For more members information design visit: www.asgca.org to their communities. ASGCA those, as well, and the new site will highlight those, too.”
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