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?
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 withfor yourSustainability: A Case
COURS E ARCHITECT
■ Are there solutions that may not involve physical change? (Easy fixes)
The Nantucket Golf Club
■ Cart/Walking policies
■ What are some ideas that may be “thinking out of the box”?
GREG MUIRHEAD,E.ASGCA Course Set-up,
■ What are your current round times?
Length & Flexibility
■ Is tee flexibility ample?
■ Are round times consistent — or varied?
Nantucket Island is home to a variety of unique plant, animal resources and therefore one of the there cultural a tee use policy ■ Isand and a way to enforce it? is yourscenic idea ■ What most and naturally diverse landscapes in North America. ■ Are there solutions of an ideal round time? to set-up where wait
■ Where are the bottlenecks on your course?
times can be reduced or An exhaustive site analysis process identified critical environmental eliminated? issues to be addressed while planning ■ Have you implemented and constructing the Nantucket Golf Club in B. Understanding Site Tee It Forward tools? Constraints Massachusetts. The design process generated a final F. Course Conditions ■ How set-in-stone is your routing course and construction plan that avoided and/ golf and layout ■ Greens speeds footprint? ■ Rough heights or any minimized environmental impacts on plant and room for ■ Is there ■ Tall grasses, and their change and adjustment? animal species. Rare plant species and grassland proximity to frequent play ■ Quantify the grade and ■ Fairway widths site constraints communities were actually enhanced, improving Pace of Play has become a household term in golf. What was ■ Hazard difficulty ■ Quantity soil types, vegetation and firmness overall animaloncehabitat. of the thegroup Nantucket regarded asCreation “something only ahead could solve” is now ■ Forced carries being tackled by all of golf’s major organizations. ■ Tree overgrowth Golf Club became a model for subsequent projects The members of the American Society of Golf Course Architects C.The Design Intent (blind areas, visibility) are uniquely qualified to assist course owners and operators of the Course attempting toin(ASGCA) blend world class golf facilities ■ Hole locations improving pace of play at their facilities. Getting players to move ■ History and legacy ■ Firmness, roll, lies faster — andenvironments. smoother — involves five basic ingredients: with unique natural Golf and the the essential ■ Identify (1) Course design — The key variable that sets it all in motion. design characteristics G. Follow-up environment can(2)co-exist, compromising How the coursewithout is being managed (e.g., the starting time interval, ■ How does the design ■ Master planning relative sequencing at the first tee, assisting players, etc.) dictatethe set-up? integrity of either land use. to Pace of Play solutions (3) Course set-up (e.g., tee flexibility, hole lengths, hole placement, etc.) ■ How does the design dictate maintenance?
(4) Maintenance and Turf Conditions (green speeds, rough heights,
■ Turf area evaluation
tall grasses, visibility, etc.) ■ Tee addition planning The starting point was consultation with numerous the design limit ■ Does (5) Player abilities, and the varying types of players on a course at any flexibility (tees, lengths)? Produced in cooperation given time. environmental experts, interaction with local with the United States Golf ■ What changes to the The gravel layer inAssociation a USGA green helps the root zone mix retain sufficient moisture The goal is to create an even flow of golfers as they play the game, design environmental intent would be and special the experience.for healthy turf while minimizing wait timesinterest and creatinggroups, a more enjoyable allowing rapid drainage of excess water. possible and beneficial? www.usga.org/paceofplay Your Golf Course Architect also has the goal of preserving the spirit type of golfers ■ What involvement of a variety of governmental agencies (Hcps.) do you cater to? of the game — to make sure that your course offers the fun and challenging aspects that lure people playproperty time and timeand again. input from the general island community. with jurisdictional authority over tothe © 2014 ASGCA
For more information visit: www.asgca.org
The final plan achieved the desire of a world-class golf experience, while also accomplishing the following environmental objectives: By implementing a thoughtfully designed program, increased the total acreage of rare, “Sandplain Grassland” and “Coastal Heathland” vegetative communities No net loss of wetlands A “Secondary Rough” component, comprised primarily of native grasses, was created to buffer the routinely maintained and “in-play” areas of the golf course, from the undisturbed, adjacent grasslands and wetlands. An on-site, “rare plant nursery” was developed to accommodate transplanting of “State – Listed” rare plant species during construction, as well as to promote future propagation of rare plant seeds. An Integrated Golf Course Management Plan was developed to reduce reliance on chemical methods of disease and weed control, as well as to establish appropriate thresholds dictating future use of herbicides and pesticides on the golf course. Groundwater monitoring wells were established throughout the project site. The golf course architect and golf course builder worked together to achieve the desired design intent and meet the environmental objectives for the project. During construction of the project, the golf course builder was diligent in maintaining delineation and protection of the sensitive environmental areas. Over 80 acres of the site were protected by fencing and remained in a completely undisturbed condition.
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