Golf Architecture

This assemblage of beautiful essays and photos looks at the science and art of golf architecture through many different perspectives. Some of the most knowledgeable voices on the topic of golf-course design, including award-winning architects, past presidents of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, and golf magazine editors express their viewpoints on the subject. Among the variety of issues discussed are the placement of hazards, the effects of technology, restoration versus renovation, and the importance of the rhythm of the course.

In the first of four volumes, an essay contributed by Tom Doak, the founder and principal of Renaissance Golf Design, explores the meaning of what a golf architect does and is. Doak discusses the extensive use of mathematics required to evaluate variables in the landscape. An essay contributed by Bill Amick, who designed more than seventy-five courses in eight countries, presents the topic of how designs lend to the affordability of membership. In order to achieve cost-efficiency, golf architects must employ a sharp mind and good business sense.

Paired with professionalism, golf architects must also have the soul of an artist and a passion for the game. Inspired by the work of Alister Mackenzie, Todd Eckenrode, the U.S. Public Links 1998 Medalist, addresses his affinity for slopes, contours, and a variety of tee shots. Thomas McBroom, who won Golf Digest's award for top course in 2002, includes an essay regarding the dramatic effects of bedrock, and how the traditional obstacles can be utilized for beauty, character, and strategy. Despite the importance of ingenuity, the spirit of creativity remains an important asset.

ABOUT THE EDITOR

Paul Daley is the author of Links Golf: The Inside Story, which was the second-place winner for the USGA's Golf Book of the Year Award. He is a member of several organizations, including the U.S.-based Tillinghast Association, the Golf Society of Australia, Australian Golf Writers Association, and the Australian Society of Authors. He is also the managing director of Full Swing Golf Publishing. Pelican has also published volumes two and four of Daley's Golf Architecture: A Worldwide Perspective. A member of the National Golf Club in Melbourne, Australia, Daley plays from a handicap of seven.