Golf Course ConstructionPlanning

TRF 250

Golf/Sports Field Construction

Introduction

• Tremendous under taking time and capital

• Requires dedication and attention to detail

• Pay me now or pay me later

Over all objective

• Construct greens, tees, bunkers, fairways, and roughs

• Construction of these areas must be in a fashion that will allow the area to be properly maintained

• These areas must also distinguish the golf course from outer courses

Good Golf Courses are the result of:

• Careful, detailed, and organized design and planning

• Good communication among all parties

• Attention to construction details and management

• Must have detailed contracts and specications

Golf course construction timeline

• 5 months – 2 years

• Construction should be finished before or at optimum time for establishing turfgrass

Property Selection

• Influences all areas of construction

• Unproductive land sites: strip mines, quarries, and land fills

• Residential or resort development

Principal considerations in Property selection

• Economics• Acreage• Topography • Soil• Vegetation• Environmental restrictions• Water• Utilities

EconomicsSupply and Demand

• Demographics (who are your customers going to be?)

• Potential demand

• Existing golf courses

• Cost associated for land purchases

• Return on ivestment

Acreage

• More the better 18 holes approximately 150 acres

• More acreage may be needed if wetlands and topography are and issue

• Additional acreage will be needed for roads, maintenance facility, club house and routing of golf holes

• Housing considerations

Topography

• Gives GC character • Determines traffic flow and layout of holes• Cost concerns if large scale earth movement is

required• Elevation changes of 150 feet or more can make

GC difficult to walk also can effect landing zone visibility

• Flat areas may need substantial earth movement to add character

Soil

• Drainage

• Coarse textured soils preferred over finer textured soils

• Drainage issues: carts, play, course conditions

• Sandy loam soil ideal ( good drainage and moisture retention)

Vegetation

• Natural vegetation adds to beauty of course• Vegetation will have to be cleared and cost

could be considerable• Environmental impact studies may have to be

conducted• Trees can be sold to offset some construction

cost• Vegetation can be cleared and burned if allowed

by law

Environmental restrictions

• Wetlands

• Floodplains

• Endangered plants or animals

• Areas with Archaeological or historical significance may also have some restrictions placed upon them

Environmental restrictions cont.

Wetlands may not be able to identify just by looking at them

A wetland is any area where the water table rises to with in 6 inches of the surface for more than two weeks per year

Environmental restrictions cont.

Wetlands:• Natural bodies of water• Marshes• Bogs• Seasonally flooded lands• Wet lands can not be filled (some states

allow wetlands to be filled if new ones are created)

Water

• 4000-10,000 gallons of water per acre per day in the summer

Sources:• Streams, creeks and rivers• Lakes and ponds• Drainage canals, wells • Municipalities and utility companies• EffluentClean salt free water is desirable

Utilities

• Electricity

• Fuel

Availability or distances from these services should be determined before construction begins

Golf Course Design

• Golf course architect there job is to rout golf holes to take advantage of property and to blend holes into the natural surroundings

Golf Course Design

• Architect uses natural topography to design interesting holes

• Uses topo maps to select areas for greens and fairways

• Slopes in excess of 5% for greens and 10% for fairways are considers too sever and make tying in those areas with the natural topography difficult

• Architect also must connect holes into suitable loops of 9 to 18 holes

Clubhouse selection

• Access to GC

• Room for expansion

• Two starting and finishing holes

• Parking lot

• Entrance road

• Fuel and electricity access

Maintenance building

Irrigation design

• Critical to success of golf course

• Hire a qualified irrigation system designer

Permitting and engineering

• Time consuming and expensive• Acquire permits as soon as possible prior to

detailed design• Wetlands and flood plains must be identified and

approval sought to utilize in course design• Other possible permits: water flow obstruction of

rivers and streams, land clearing, vegetation burning, proposed water use source, electricity and or other power sources

Meeting with local groups

Before or after permitting phase planning group should meet with :

• All regulatory agencies

• Environmental groups

• Interested citizens

To review and modify design using their inputs when ever possible