The ideal structure

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Following on from the debate about private clubs:

You are given a large sum of money from a wealthy charity to establish the game of golf in a country which has no golf - Bulgaria perhaps.  Despite its past history, the country is not averse to western influence (its successful wine industry being an example).  You have in your gift the establishment of the country's golfing ethos, the direction in which it will go in the next 25 years, the nature of courses and/or clubs, the encouragement of the natives to take up the sport.

What would you do?  What would you avoid?

[Donnie Beck]

I build an extraordinary golf course and invite only my wealthy friends to join.

[TEPaul]

Mark:

Interesting you'd ask that question. Wayne and I met with a very interesting architect the other day who has just built what may be the first golf course in Slovakia. We asked him how that happened and who actually plays golf in Slovakia. I believe he said as far as he could tell no one really does.  

He showed us some photos of the course and I must say the hole he showed me looked really good---extremely natural lines and such. I asked him who in the world he got in there to do the shaping and he said the crew and the shaper were brought in from England. He said the shaper was either drunk or massively hung over just about all the time but despite that he was the most talented and fastest shaper he'd ever seen. The work he did in that photo was amazing---very hard to tell if shaping was done or where it stopped and started.  

[ForkaB]

I build an extraordinary golf course and invite only my wealthy friends to join.

Donnie

Does it matter whether or not they know how to play golf?

Let me answer my own question with a resounding "No!"  The ideal member would bring a lot of money to the table but not be so presumptious as to wantg to clog up my golf course.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

Tom, don't they say that the best greens were built by Irishmen who were instructed to lay out each green dead level?

[JESII]

Iii reshennt thaat  

[JESII]

1) I would be sure there was no mention of par on the golf course(s) I were involved with!

2) I would assemble a comprehensive collection of books pertaining to all aspects of the game - instruction, architecture, history and the people.

3) Develop a strong caddy program in which a caddy goes out with every single player.

[Bill Gayne]

I'd want the course to be in the top 100 so I would hire Tom Fazio, a good United States PR firm, and stop serving cabbage in the clubhouse. I would also name the course Bulgaria National Golf Club by Fazio.

[JESII]

4) All caddies would be required to work one day a week on the grounds crew (and get paid), and each grounds crew member would be required to caddy one day per week.

5) No half way house!

6) Efficient clubhouse structure - small locker room, modest sized restaurant, small bar (with good booze!)

[ChasLawler]

4) All caddies would be required to work one day a week on the grounds crew (and get paid), and each grounds crew member would be required to caddy one day per week.

A better rule would be that all members be required to spend 2 weeks per year on the grounds crew (and get paid).

[JESII]

I certainly understand your point, but I don't see that happening. Maybe since this is all hypothetical, we can throw out all sorts of off the charts ideas but I feel the caddies and grounds crew members switching places from time to time would really help their appreciation of the complete golf experience.

I think all members should have the ability to understand the goal of my exercise without actually doing it. Perhaps because they did one ot both as a young man.

7) Attached to and affiliated with the main course, I would have a 10, 12 or 14 hole course intended for beginer use (not an executive course though) for children, and novices in general, to learn the game on.

[Mark_Rowlinson]

This was not meant as a trivial question, and had no political stance. What really matters as far as establishing golf is concerned?  What are the true values of golf?

[Tommy Williamsen]

Tom Paul, There actually are a few courses that pre-exist the new one.  Peter Bondra, the hockey player, plays  with some friends when he returns to Poprad.  they are in poor condition and according to him not very crowded.

[Bill Gayne]

Mark,

I'll give something beyond my earler "trivial" response. My focus would be to build a learning facility that included the best practice facility and a great course to learn on. Make it affordable and be inclusive rather than exclusive.

A course similar to Pinehurst #2 that is possible for a rank beginner playing from the proper tees can get around albeit with a high score. As the player progressed it would continue to challenge. The course would have minimal penal design features. A par three course would also be built.

I would recruit a pro staff that really enjoyed teaching and was dedicated to growing the game. Take the promising students and send them to the British Isles to learn the game and have them come back and teach their fellow country men. Much like CB McDonald did to grow the game in the United States. Then endow these pros to get out and build their own courses.

I would locate on the outer reaches of urban areas much like many of the early American courses. Leaving plenty of room for expansion.

[Mark_F]

Mark,

As a model for a course, you couldn't go past Royal Melbourne.  Wide and playable for the beginner/occasional player, more challenging the better you want to score, not so fearsome you would be hesitant for another round, inspiring enough to make you want another round.

Ethos?  I would have a club attached, with perhaps a few tee times reserved for their use, if for nothing else to foster a camaraderie and love of competition, but you would have to really want to be a member of a golf club, as opposed to being a member because you could be.  You would have to play a minimum number of rounds per year, perhaps.

Emphasis on etiquette.  Self-explanatory.

A junior program. Ditto.

A caddie program. Keeps them away from those other evils of Western culture, like McDonalds, Computer games and rap music.    

[Jason Topp]

I have recently been reading a book about Chay Burgess which is unevenly written but provides an interesting description of the mass importation of Scottish golf professionals into the United States and the rise of American golf from nonexistent to dominant in about a 20 year period.  The book describes the role of the Scottish professionals as more of a mentoring role, with much of the teaching taking place on the course rather than the practice tee.

I think that this sort of mentoring relationship is critical to developing golfers.  It takes forever to learn the nuances, the etiquette, not to mention the skills associated with the game.  Almost every golfer I know has either had a father or an experienced player that took an interest in their game at some point after they started and provided at least an example of how the game should be played.  In most cases, that relationship has been extremely rewarding for all involved.

Some ideas:

I would not develop executive or par three courses.  In many ways, these facilities serve to segregate golfers.  I know I almost never play such courses.  You have to wait forever, the courses generally are not interesting and you always have the possibility of getting beaned by a wayward ball.  With two kids and a two lawyer parents, I am sacraficing some other obligation almost every time I play.  Noble thoughts aside, I doubt I will change my ways any time soon.

Instead, I think the notion of a course that is playable for beginners but interesting to the better player is the model I would use for course design.  There would be more contact and more opportunity for mentoring.

Affordability would be critical.  I would try and figure out how to build and maintain courses as cheaply as possible to keep prices low.

I would revise the role of the assistant professional.  I would hire more of them, pay them a salary to replace lost lesson revenue and expect them to spend a lot of time playing with customers or members.  I think this model would help foster mentoring and make the job more enjoyable for the assistants.

I would have a caddy program but would make the pay pretty low, with corresponding benefits of unfettered access to the course when off duty.  I would prefer to limit caddies to those under 18 years old.  If one wants to continue after that time, he or she should become an assistant pro.

I would design competitions or outings with the goal of fostering mentoring in mind.  My 9 year old son and I sometimes play 9 holes of alternate shot.  It is more fun for both of us.  For me it speeds up play and requires some interesting shots.  For him, we are a team and he is not struggling to keep up.  If you want to practice playing under pressure, try having a five footer for a "new record" after your son just blew a one foot putt past the hole.

I would also try and get seniors and juniors paired together.  When I was a kid there were steeply discounted greens fees for kids and seniors early weekday mornings.  I got to meet some interesting people and see how a guy who only hits it 120 yards could kill me with a decent short game.  

I would also consider any other idea to keep a bunch of older players with time on their hands to hang around the course and interact with kids or beginners.  The most effective idea I can come up with (with obvious downsides) would be free drinks.  I'm sure there is a better idea but I can't think of it right now.