Innovations in golf course construction

Below are excerpts from an article that originally appeared in Golf, Inc..

Before a summer trip to Brazil to visit a client’s course, Jason Straka reflected on how much his job has changed in the past decade.

Ten years ago, he and his Fry/Straka Global Golf Course Design team would have walked around a client’s property with a paper map in hand, trying to identify roughly where they were standing on the planned course.

Today, while they still carry stacks of course layouts, golf architects also use GPS on iPads. Innovative software allows an architect to locate exact spots on the property and determine proposed routings. While on the site, a designer who finds a unique landform or a dramatic view can easily make a note of it, with plans to put a tee or green there.

“It doesn’t make it faster, but it makes it better,” Straka said.

During the past decade, innovations in golf course construction have included everything from better GPS applications for course design to custom-made sand for bunkers. New products and techniques aim to make customers more satisfied with their experience and reduce the amount of maintenance courses need.

Improvements in technology also can improve communication between architects and contractors. Such aid can help complete renovations faster by coordinating the efforts of various work crews.

“We used to have three or six crews working on an 18-hole course,” said Jeff Cordes of Landscapes Unlimited. “Now we have three or six crews working on a single green.”

This helps meet the demands of clients who want projects completed quickly.

Here are some areas of construction that have seen the biggest changes.

Bunkering

Bunker care has traditionally been one of the most labor-intensive aspects of golf course management, but newer products last longer and require less maintenance.

“People are looking at ways to save on labor; they’re looking to drive down maintenance costs,” Straka said. “The lack of labor is the No. 1, or close to the No. 1, most important issue facing construction and maintenance of golf courses. So, when you’re talking about trying to send 15 people out to repair bunkers after a rainstorm, you just don’t have that labor.”

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