A golf course architectural restoration-modernization design

Abstract

Classic golf course architecture includes designing with the land; abstracting a course from the landscape. The classical principles of historic courses such as St. Andrews of Scotland, envelope ideas of naturalistic design. Issues of orientation, views and vistas, sensitivity to topography, and the preservation of natural features, have all been vital to classic design. Many American courses of the early 1900's held strong ties to those created overseas by naturalistic designers. Architects such as Donald Ross, Mister MacKenzie and Perry Maxwell emphasized the classical principles of golf course design in their creations. Throughout time, however, some of these early American courses have fallen to change, stylistically. Indian Hills Golf Course of Catoosa, Oklahoma was one of the first designed by Perry Maxwell, famed architect of the Midwest. Through time, the landscape has naturally evolved and has been altered. By analyzing Maxwell's style and principles along with those of other significant golf architects, models of design may be created that reflect early architects' visions of classic design.A revival of the classic design principles originally found in golf course architecture is fundamental while also addressing modem ecological principles that apply in overall design such as wetland implementation and wildlife preservation. The Kampen Golf Course in West Lafayette, Indiana by architect Pete Dye, is an excellent modem course to study in its consideration of environmental principles of design. Contemporary issues of safety and length of holes must be addressed to accommodate the latest in technology in golf equipment. Sand Hills Golf Course in Mullen, Nebraska designed by Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore considers length, tee position, and green size for today's players while respecting the land, and retaining important historical principles. The design coincides with the natural terrain and pays great attention to the detail of main features such as bunkers. Prairie Dunes of Hutchinson, Kansas is a fine example of a course that Maxwell designed later in his career that differed from Indian Hills. Elements of his latest style may be implemented at Indian Hills in an effort to merge two diverse styles of one great architect.In this project, I analyzed classical golf architects and their design standards to create models of their style representative for the Indian Hills site. Additionally, I created my own set of design criteria applying the historical golf principles and the naturalistic standards of Frederick Law Olmstead. While the historical principles serve as a foundation for the study, modem issues were addressed and utilized to form contemporary principles for golf design. This included an assessment of ecological and technological issues. Using all of the above information, a new set of design criteria were formulated that acknowledged the past while designing for the future of golf.