Niall - If I was your architect I could quite happily work to that brief and I have walked away from many.
And I'd be very happy to have you as the architect. Tell me this though, when you designed the Players course, how much of the design was dictated by commercial concerns and how much by what you wanted to do ?
Niall
I have designed 20 courses, counting 36s and pretty much always I ask their budget and design to that. Most people just trust, so I have always reasonably done what I want to do, I have only ever lost four jobs to another architect but I am very much on budget side of doing things so I get loads of work if I want it, I don't skimp on greens though. I reckon I can move soil cheap because I don't do things like the PRO golfer names that move mountains of material because it is the 16th and it needs to be 450 yards and 375 is too short, I very much design to the land and I never joined the European Architects Ass because back in 1989 I wanted to design and build which did not fit in with their manifesto. Plus I also thought they were really crap (back in those days).
Commercial thinking is important if it needs to make money or break even, there are not groups of gentleman anymore that start a golf club, it is individuals that think they can work financially. There may be an odd person that wants a trophy of course but he is not going to have me as his archie.
I would never advocate building a 9 hole course, not enough want to play 9 holes twice, they always struggle financially and the income is 50% and the costs are probably 75%+...you can't buy half a tractor sort of thing.
In the UK I would not bother with fairway irrigation anymore, it is rarely needed but a main down the side of the fairway with valves to attach 100 yards apart may be a cheap option.
Obviously if you can get inert material involved into building the course then it can be built very cheap and in some/many cases I can build the course for a minus figure.
Returning nines is a good idea commercially, it means more people can play, it means you can feed people after nine with the same staff.
Closeby practice range to the clubhouse.
A clubhouse that is in harmony with the course, ie overlooks the final green, The members stay longer than a house with no view.
The course needs to be decent to a level it can stage a county championship, condition needs to be good, dry soil is much better, location to houses is good, location to a motorway junction is good. Course at 7000 yards from the back tees is important. Course needs to play at 5750 yards but the golfer thinks he is playing 6750. Course needs a fun element. Course needs variety.