Written by Coach Payton
In the world of sports there are many games played, all of which have their own limitations but none are like the sport of golf. Golf is a dynamic sport, in which change is often embraced; especially by the architects that develop the golf course.
Golf architects are the brilliant minds that design and develop golf courses by arranging landscape elements to facilitate playing golf. Essentially, golf architects create their own playing field, with mutable characteristics and varied limits. How privileged are these individuals? They labour in an environment where they create works of art with the beautiful elements of nature. Golf architects combine their knowledge of landscaping, and their creativity to design a course that golfers will most certainly enjoy. The architects use everything from the aesthetics of the course to its playability to enhance the experience of golfers.
The geniuses behind the sport that we love cease every opportunity to give golfers a better experience whether it creates shouts of joy or cries of despair. They put thought to how the course challenges golfers as well as how the natural elements of the course can be used to evoke feelings like delight, joy, doubt and even anger. This is what makes golf architecture so interesting. Golf architects use the course to challenge golfers to focus on different aspects of their game. For example, on some courses there are wide fairways and small putting greens, to focus on approach shots to the green as opposed to a drive. Meanwhile others have very narrow fairways, and large greens to focus on drive shots. Some golfers play these courses really well and some of them not so well. However, their overall enjoyment is still at an increased level due to the course design and this is seen when they frequently revisit to conquer the course. The thorough process of designing a golf course that intrigues golfers brings out the beauty in golf architecture. Whether a golfer wins a round or faces defeat, they will always be able to enjoy the breathtaking views of water bodies, greens, flora and fauna on the course. That being said, it’s safe to say that without great golf architecture there would be no great golf or experiences on the golf course.
