Page 24 - GBC Fall Eng 2016

Tim Lobb
Tim is the Principal and golf course architect for Thomson Perrett & Lobb (TPL). TPL is based in Surrey, UK and works with many golf clubs to achieve their goals. Contact Tim at tlobb@tpl.eu.com or www.tpl.eu.com. .
Over the years, all golf courses undergo some form of change. Often the change is deliberate, generated from owners, member committees or other influential parties, such as greenkeepers, golf pros, managers, and golf course architects. However, often nature creates change that literally, takes its toll on golf courses.
between these terms to determine the best approach for the individual course.
In the end...“Every precaution should be taken to ensure that any changes to be made shall be of a permanent and lasting character.” – Dr. Alister MacKenzie.
restoratioN
Restoration has become increas- ingly popular around the world. Restoring a golf course involves bringing it back to a ‘former and more desirable condition’ and will aim at recreating the exact look and layout as it used to be. Restoration projects are normally only done on courses of significant historical and architectural value.
Restore,
Need for chaNge
Nature causes erosion problems, soil changes, and invasion of unwanted grasses and vegetation that maintains a constant threat to the uniformity and playability of the golf course and its playing characteristics.
Many golf courses adopt a ‘no change’ policy to try and preserve the course as it is. This often means prohibiting change within the playing areas. While this can be a good policy, it is often forgotten that the landscape changes constantly and an effort will have to be made to preserve the characteristics of the golf course.
There is no advantage to having the same contours within the fairways and greens if the character of the course has been lost as a result of landscape changes. For example, if heathland has changed to parkland, or an open landscape is becoming suffocated with trees and shrubs.
Choosing to improve an esta- blished golf course should always aimattherelativelysimpleambition of maximizing the potential of the golf course. To achieve that, a multitude of factors must be analysed and addressed.
A considered approach, from a talented, knowledgeable, and well educated golf course architect, can not only help the course reach its full potential but also provide an unbiased outside opinion which can be a good driving force in the overall process. There are, generally speaking, three methods of improving established golf courses:
• Restoration • Renovation • Redesign
While most redevelopment projects incorporate a mixture of, or all of these methods, it is imperative for the golf course architect and the course involved to understand the differences
24 Golf Business Canada