The Glamour of Golf Design

[Jeff_Brauer]

This week has highlighted the potential downsides of gca for me:

One site visit in 113 degree heat......

One meeting on a political hot potato remodel.....in 107 degree heat... and with a reducing budget by the minute......

Two nights (Including tonight) writing specs for an upcoming project.....

One last minute six PM meeting to listen to the pitch of an irrigation company.... at least I got a nice dinner out of it, but I missed my workout and had Italian - about a 5000 calorie swing to the bad, and at home. That happens on the road far too much.....

Here is a sample of the non-scintalting writing I am doing tonight off of the Atlas - boring but necessary:

2.  Lake Excavation

The specifications in Section C-100-A and C-100–B shall govern operations for Lake Construction.  In addition, the following conditions shall apply:

A.   Staking.  The Contractor shall stake both proposed water level and top of bank.  

Contractor shall avoid:
•   The tendency to “straighten” curving shorelines to maintain desired artistic effect of lake.
•   Excavating a lake further in front of a green or tee than depicted on plans.  
•   Over-cutting and refilling lake banks.  If this occurs, Contractor shall notify Golf Course Architect or Owner’s Representative immediately.  All parties shall cooperate to redesign the lake to new contours, or provide adequate compaction on fill banks to prevent future bank sloughing and erosion.  All work shall be done at no cost to Owner.

B.   Grades.  All Lake Banks below proposed water level shall be cut at an approximate grade of 3:1, or as steep as possible given the native material.  If a safety ledge is required by an appropriate agency, it will be depicted on the plan.

C.   Method of Work.  Contractor shall determine best excavation method for lakes.  However, additional compensation shall not be allowed for incidental work like top loading, pumping, dewatering, use of specialized equipment if it becomes necessary during the work.  These costs will be considered incidental to the cost of construction and included in the bid price.  

D.   Material Unsuitable for Fills

a)   Contractor shall de-water any wet material through conventional means of its choosing such as rim ditching, pumping, cofferdams, channels, flumes, drains, sumps, and/or temporary diversions, before earthmoving operations.

b)   When excavation material is too wet to suitably place and compact in fills, Contractor shall first place fill material in thin layers in open areas to dry before placing in structural fills.

c)   Wet or other unstable material shall not be placed under cart paths, bunkers, greens or tees. Unstable material shall be spread under fairway mounding areas, similar to debris burial.

E.   Protection of Property.  Lakes are designed in conjunction with the Owner’s Consulting Engineer to prevent back up of water on adjacent property.  Changes of elevation in field may affect adjacent property.  Contractor shall build lakes to elevation, plan size and freeboard depth shown on plans to meet engineer’s and/or Golf Course Architect’s design objectives.  Specifically, the 100 year spillway must be a minimum of 2’ below the lowest point of golf course property line in that watershed.  

F.   Clay Sealing – There is an allowance on the bid form for clay sealing random areas of the golf course and Irrigation Lakes utilizing on site clays. If more areas require packing, Contractor shall work with the Owner’s Representative to measure such work, and shall be paid for it in accordance with those measurements and the unit price agreed to for such work.

Testing for Water Holding Capacity

Prior to or just after lake expansion or construction, and if requested by Owner, the Contractor shall take a minimum of three (3) soil density tests per acre of lake, and submit them to a qualified soil-engineering lab for standard density testing to determine water holding capacity, and make recommendations based on those tests for appropriate construction methods, which may be different than those specified herein. The Contractor shall locate test areas in areas which visually appear to not hold water and at the direction of the Owner’s Representative or Project Engineer.  

Clay Sealing Materials
 
Clay material utilized for the impervious pond liner shall be approved by the project soils engineer, and generally:

•   Be constructed of CL or CH soils when classified in accordance with ASTM D2487, “Classification of Soils for Engineering Purposes.”  
•   Have a plasticity index (PI) of greater than 20 and a liquid limit of 50% or greater.  
•   Have a coefficient of permeability, k, of not more than 10 – 7th cm per second, when tested in accord with the Corps of Engineers manual “EM 1110-2190 6, Laboratory Soils Testing.”

If requested by Owner, the Contractor shall take a maximum of three (3) soil samples of the proposed clay liner, and submit them to a qualified soil-engineering lab to confirm they meet the water holding capacity specifications above, and recommendations as to installation procedures, depths, and other matters.

Clay Sealing Operations

If and when encountered, sand seams shall be thoroughly excavated to a depth where suitable clay sufficient in character to hold water is found.   Where required, the Contractor shall install select on site clay material in the affected areas, using the following methods:  

•   Remove rocks, tree roots and organic material from the area,
•   Scarify the soils to a depth of eight ( inches, with a disc, roto-tiller, or similar equipment.
•   Compact the sub-grade soil under optimum moisture conditions to a dense, tight layer with four (4) to six (6) passes of a sheep foot roller or other compaction equipment,
•   Spread the selected clay seal in layers not exceeding eight ( inches each, to a minimum compacted thickness of twenty-four (24) inches.  
•   Compact to a minimum ninety-five percent (95%) of the ASTM D698 (Standard Proctor) with moisture content of the material at 0-3% above the optimum moisture as determined by that specification.

Final Testing of Clay Sealing

When construction of the impervious pond liners are complete, each pond shall be filled with water and kept full for at least forty-eight (48) hours prior to making the test of impervious........

There are 125 pages of technical specs similar to this, and:

2 pages of instructions to bidders,
5 page bid proposal,
10 page contract,
3 more pages of bid clarifications like machinery hourly rates, 49 pages of General Conditions governing the contract,
8 Pages of Special Conditions, which are very specific to the Project
15 pages of appendix with soils info and other data for the contractors to use in preparing a bid, which are not a part of the contract.

Its not a part of this contract, but we often have to include  a bidders qualification package, bonding materials, and other items, like special supplementary conditions required by many municipalities......

The worst is, reviewing this post, I notice that there are some mistakes to correct, lest the contract be wrong.......

Oh, the glamour of golf design.....

[Mike_Young]

And last week I sat in  a planning commission meeting where a lady told 200 attendees how her cow had used this particular creek for years and how the church across the street had been there since 1844 and golfers did not like church people or cows.....and then another needed to know if he could deer hunt on the new course and if he couldn't "those ATL people need to go back down there" "we don't golf up here...we target practice"....And this went on until 1am ......yep....glamour....Oh...we got permitted...

[paul cowley]

Jeff...God bless you my friend.....you aren't responsible by any chance for the criterion to go from Assoc. to Full member in the ASGCA, cause if you are I need some Cliff notes....and I pay well ....[but not something that could be considered compensation beyond value paid [if you get my drift] about what 'others' might pay for valuable advice and experience that YOU have earned and have full right to sell...right?

Thanks in advance....p :)ul

[Jeff_Brauer]

Paul,

Huh? Have you been hitting the wine tonight?

As you probably know, I was once ASGCA membership chair, and did some surveys (two actually, in 1994 and 1999 as Long Range Planning Committee) to decide what members thought should be various requirements.  The BOG made the final recommendations, and I think they have changed them slightly since then.

Short version: I'll take your money but can't help you......and I think I heard some talk that you are already in the rare "double secret probation" situation within ASGCA.

[paul cowley]

...maybe.....but Miss dawn is here with me and she sends her regards .

[paul cowley]

OK,Karnac the Great, Dear Sir: Paul Cowley.... ASGCA Associate member......and "double secret probation"(does this mean he offered money and services for acceptance - lol).... What do these three have in common? (Hopefully - full member) But unfortunately, I won't offer money or services for the answer?
aka "The Looker" - not "The slasher" or better yet, not "The Hooker"!  Oh, yea! - and not the "Wino" either!

[Jeff_Brauer]

Paul,

Say hi to your lovely bride for me. The way I hear it, the only reason you aren't on triple secret probation is because she is such a sweetie.

That's also the reason (and the smidge of good taste that I do have) that I didn't follow the "hidden gems/what resides beneath Paul's Kilt" with a Carnac joke that started, "The crack of dawn......"  If you aren't careful, and don't toe the line, Dawn could be the "new Judy Bickler" of ASGCA.

PS, still don't really understand your posts, but there are smarter guys than me......

[RJ_Daley]

Jeff, isn't word processing wonderful?  Aren't the bones of the language of specs in a contract akin to the block inserts of AutoCad?  You can cut and paste them, then tweak them to fit the current project.

Now, as to the 100+ temps, what you take on at the free restaurant irrigation pitch - and miss taking off at the workout, melts off at the site visit.  No, you don't have it all that bad.  There isn't an armchair archie on GCA.com that is crying about how tough you got it.

[Jeff_Brauer]

RJ,

yes, most is what we call boiler plate. However, they have important legal consequences and I don't just throw them in there without going over them.  A former employee did that and speced a sand from Nebraska on a Texas Project because he didn't update them.  And a former secretary (who are now useless now that I can do my own dox) was not too dedicated to proof reading, leaving that to spell check.  As a result, for years I meant to say "free from defects" but my specs called for the Contractors to install "free form defects."

I also modify them to learn from how the Contractor (or Owner) got away with something on the last job, and was trying desparately to simply the writing with bullet points and avoid the repetitive "in order thats" and "in such a fashion that" etc.  I got them from 132 pages to 125 with some serious editing!

[Norbert P]

The Party of the First Part

Scene Transcript

Groucho Marx: Now pay particular attention to this first clause, because it's most important. There's the party of the first part shall be known in this contract as the party of the first part. How do you like that, that's pretty neat eh?

Chico Marx: No, that's no good.

Groucho Marx: What's the matter with it?

Chico Marx: I don't know, let's hear it again.

Groucho Marx: So the party of the first part shall be known in this contract as the party of the first part.

Chico Marx: Well it sounds a little better this time.

Groucho Marx: Well, it grows on you. Would you like to hear it once more?

Chico Marx: Just the first part.

Groucho Marx: What do you mean, the party of the first part?

Chico Marx: No, the first part of the party, of the first part.

Groucho Marx: All right. It says the first part of the party of the first part shall be known in this contract as the first part of the party of the first part, shall be known in this contract - look, why should we quarrel about a thing like this, we'll take it right out, eh?

Chico Marx: Yes, it's too long anyhow. Now what have we got left?

Groucho Marx: Well I've got about a foot and a half.

Groucho Marx: Now what's the matter?

Chico Marx: I don't like the second party either.

Groucho Marx: Well, you should have come to the first party, we didn't get home till around four in the morning. I was blind for three days.

Chico Marx: Hey look, why can't the first part of the second party be the second part of the first party, then you'll get something.

Groucho Marx: Well look, rather than go through all that again, what do you say? (Groucho tears off first clause)

Chico Marx: Fine.

Groucho Marx: Now I've got something here you're bound to like, you'll be crazy about it.

Chico Marx: No, I don't like it.

Groucho Marx: You don't like what?

Chico Marx: Whatever it is, I don't like it.

Groucho Marx: Well don't let's break up an old friendship over a thing like that. Ready? (another clause torn away)

Chico Marx: OK. Now the next part I don't think you're going to like.

Groucho Marx: Well your word's good enough for me. Now then, is my word good enough for you?

Chico Marx: I should say not.

Groucho Marx: Well I'll take out two more clauses. ( tear, tear) Now the party of the eighth part --

Chico Marx: No, that's no good, no.

Groucho Marx: The party of the ninth part --

Chico Marx: No, that's no good too. Hey, how is it my contract is skinnier than yours?

Groucho Marx: Well, I don't know, you must have been out on a tail last night. But anyhow, we're all set now, are we? Now just you put your name right down there, then the deal is legal.

Chico Marx: I forgot to tell you, I can't write.

Groucho Marx: Well that's all right, there's no ink in the pen anyhow. But listen, it's a contract isn't it? We've got a contract, no matter how small it is.

Chico Marx: Oh sure. You bet.

[JohnV]

Jeff,  Interesting to see what you go through, but I'd bet a lot of people on this site would trade places in a New York minute.

Perhaps I'll do a similar post on the Glamour of Golf Officiating.
I'll start with the phone call I just got from a player who isn't on the list the USGA gave us for the US Am qualifier on Monday and swears that he signed up on their website.

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Poor Jeff Brauer.....

You know Jeff, I was on this job the other day and I was making note of this laborer. This guy worked his ass off more then any laborer I have ever come across. He does it for $18.58 an hour, doesn't complain one ounce and only wants to go home at night to his family and live a good life.

In the meantime, we are trying to reward him by having him thrown out of the country. Not trying to get political, I do think this hilights some of the problem with that argument, but let's not go there, other then to view his life compared to yours.

Paul, you can attest to having seen the break neck hard labor some of those guys are performing down there in the heat of Mexico, do you feel that maybe you guys might be taking yourselves a bit too seriously? Listen, I know its tough being away from home, friends and family, missing your beautiful little girls soccer game because your fighting to catch that next connection to some remote location that you want to get in and out of as quick as possible.

However, remember that the next time you put a paycheck in the bank. You guys are doing what you love, but it isn't curing brain cancer, and frankly if you wish to tip a hat, do so to Dr. Childs who is trying to find a cure to cancer as we speak.

You know Jeff, I understand that the specs are as interesting as watching molassis move but this is what your job entails. I just find it implausible for you to even complain. Your doing a job a lot of people would be more then happy to do beause they love it, not because they fall asleep while trying to write specs after being wined and dine on a diet of high carbs, while piling on frequent flier miles to the account.

Give me a freeking break! There are 1500 guys in this discussion group that work for a living too. Do you see them complaining?

Slag, tell them what life was like roasting like a chestnut in the cab of that crane....

LOVE what you do. Be THANKFUL that your doing it. Why? Because no job last forever and someday you might be looking back wishing that your were still dealing with the monotony of those specs.

[George Pazin]

I'm guessing Jeff does love what he does. In fact, I remember him posting saying that he'd give up playing before he gave up designing.

I'm reminding of a recent funny clip on Friends that almost made me spit out my drink:

Jennifer Aniston's character was setup on a bind date with Jon Lovitz. She said she'd been told he owned a restaurant, he said he lost it due to a drug problem. She asked him what he did now and he said:

"I print t shirts."

JA: "Well, that must be fun."

JL: "Yeah, it's great doing something you hate for no money."

 

P.S. Great to see Slag post.

[Jeff_Brauer]

George,

I do love it, including spec writing, more than golf itself. I guess I have a little clubhouse lawyer in me, but if you look carefully, my time spec writing the other night was to get rid of (to the extent practible by law ) the language in the Groucho Marx routine and shorten it.  I managed to shorten the tech spex by about 5%. If I had a lawyer look at them, they would lengthen by 15% but say no more, and no more clearly.


Tommy,

Sorry that it seemed like I was complaining that badly, but your response was, IHMO, "I'm grabbing a 220 volt live wire" over the top......Its hot everywhere, but you can chill, and vent about illegal aliens and our policy towards them in another forum. At least my post was gca related!

I actually just wanted to take a break, and possibly edumacate the 1500 of you who think you want my job.....

[Tommy_Naccarato]

George, I have no doubt that Jeff loves what he does. I just think he should take others into account when he is complaining about it.

Another thing is Jeff is to be credited for realzing his dream at building golf courses. He is doing what he really wants to do and that's a good thing, and as Judge Smails once said, "Well the world needs ditch diggers too...."

In actuality the guys I really loathe are the Skilling's and the Lay's of the world, speaking of which, I hope Lay is medium to well done by now..... I'm not putting Jeff in their category..yet!

This also reminds me of the time I was working in the middle of the night on the runways of LAX in winter of 1995/1996. The wind blowing cold air off of the ocean, sticking my hands into the junction boxes that houses the recessed runway lights that had live rubber-coated transformers with the potential of 3000 volts. All the while, 747 cargo jets taxiing around you and making big money to save up for a life long dream of getting to Scotland.

What I wouldn't give to be on that very same job right now! Iw as actually thankful that night for being an electrician. I guess that's what I was born to do.

[Tommy_Naccarato]

Jeff,
Well the 1500 GCA faithful should be grateful for your expertise. However, you should really open your eyes to the job the guys are doing for you, not always so much trying to catch the type of work thay are getting away with. The same goes for them vice versus. Quality benefits the company and those who strive for it.

I already know what you mean having been in a spec book or two in my life. Our careers maybe be different, but the job is much the same. Your just writing the spec book, I'm the one trying to change it.

[Keith Williams]

Jeff,

Educate all you want, I still want your job  

You write specs and then get to go out and design golf courses.  I write specs and then have to turn around and work on lame engineering projects that have nothing left in the way of schedule or budget (yet somehow I still find time to check in here  )

btw - 3:1 lake grading beneath the water line - do you also specify a total depth to keep the contractor honest in making him move the appropriate amount of dirt?  And how much does your typical sub-water pond grading design play into getting the appropriate amount of fill to utilize above water?

Keith.

[Jeff_Brauer]

Keith, we have budgets, too! However, as one city manager said at a recent opening, "we don't get this type of crowd for opening a sewer plant".

The lake grading plan does specifiy minimum depth - any thing less than 8 feet allows sunlight to penetrate for algae growth, and the lake bottom often needs a 1% slope to the overflow outlet (or irrigation intake) for drainage to a low spot.  As for cut and fill, it can vary if they need more dirt, but we do try to calculate where all that fill will go and size lakes appropriately to provide it, in addition to any irrigation storage requirement, detention requirements, etc.

BTW, there is always a huge difference of opinions between contractor and gca about how much dirt is coming out of those lakes. Most contractors tell you they have moved more earth than called for on plan before even getting out of the truck!

Tommy,

Can we agree that health is more important than all?

I can hear you cussing under your breath when reading spec books, like all in the field personell do.  I appreciate them more than most, have worked construction and make my apprentices spend some time out there to gain appreciation for it, but there is always a difference of opinion between planners and builders.  

Contractors often say things aren't necessary - In golf trench settlement often provokes claims that "no one tamps trenches, and the rain will settle it" when my experience says otherwise and I hate year old courses with settled trenches.  If Owners listened to the typical (but there are some great ones in golf) contractor rip specs up and down as "impractical" they wouldn't get a very good product.

[Michael Dugger]

I would help Jeff out for minimum wage.

Seriously

And I'll even schlep the luggage......

[Marty Bonnar]

"free form defects."

Today I was specifying some 'Rootballed Trees' for a Landscape Project.
The damn Word Spell-checker refused to be convinced that there was such a thing and INSISTED that my trees were 'Footballer' trees. It took me several minutes and a large sledgehammer to convince it otherwise...

Idiotic software courtesy of Microsoft!

FBD.

[Jeff_Brauer]

Martin,

Give up and insert an unnecessary hyphen....

[John_Conley]

Sorry Tommyknockers.  You know I've always got your back, but I feel you missed the point here.

Many on this board over time have indicated they find Jeff's (and Tom's and Kelly's) job glamourous.  I have the benefit of a recent round of golf with Jeff where a conversation gave me some context for his post.  Obviously you weren't there, but maybe a summary will help you understand this context.

Some people feel that Jeff's job is what green goes here and bunker goes there.  In Jeff's eyes (I hope I'm getting this right, sorry if I don't Mr. B) that only happens after you've done the mundane work.  I believe he called it the "10% of the job that's fun".

For me, and possibly others, Jeff's narrative sheds light on the project.  I've heard of Brad's 7 years of red tape.  I appreciate this behind the scenes account of the "work".  Perhaps the reason his post struck a chord with you is that you are much more familiar with these necessary steps.

I think Jeff's post is for the benefit of others that may not be.

In a related side-bar, how many of Jeff's courses have you played?  You and I still haven't hooked up for a game and I'm thinking we can meet halfway for 18 holes at Indian Creek!!  (Jeff, I know you'll tell us to go to the Quarry.  You can't get there from here.   )

[Brian Phillips]

Tommy,

There is not one person on this site that cannot become a Golf Course Architect, you just have to have the balls, work ehtic and sacrifice to do it.

It is not a protected title so anyone can start.

...the difficult part is the willingness to re-mortgage your house, travel most of the week away from your family trying to get work....explaining to the wife that you cannot take out a wage this month because you didn't get that contract that you were 90% sure of getting...

It doesn't matter what part of the team you whether it is the dozer driver, drainage guy or CAD jockey, most of us are damn hard working guys that love our jobs....however, most of us have all made sacrifices, some personal some financially, so cut us some slack...

I get sick of hearing that 1500 on this site would swap their jobs for ours....bullshit...just go out and do it, no one is stopping anyone......as Jeff said to me four years ago...Brian, jump in or shut up....

To even bring up an illegal immigrant working his butt off in the same breath as Jeff is explaining one part of the mundane side of his working life is disrespectful to one of our most respected posters on this site...

To anyone else willing to 'swap' their life to become an architect...well, just do it...EIGCA run a great diploma course or go do a Masters in Edinburgh...or go work in construction for year and hope to picked up by an Architect....

[paul cowley]

Tommy....I'm not sure whose job you are confusing me with, but my work has always been 'brown collar' ....and the only difference between my work experience and any entry level laborer is a few more hard years and a lot of miles.
I've made my money the old fashioned way and as a result I don't look down on many because I've been there......

[Mike_Young]

Tommy....I'm not sure whose job you are confusing me with, but my work has always been 'brown collar' ....and the only difference between my work experience and any entry level laborer is a few more hard years and a lot of miles.
I've made my money the old fashioned way and as a result I don't look down on many because I've been there......

Tommy,
Same goes for me.....what I do is what I set out to do and I enjoy it....but the Title of the thread was "Glamour".....and as with many other jobs that have that perception..."it just ain't there"....specs are a necessary evil and something I would think this site would really question.  
But let me give you an example....I had a certified builder that bid a course for me in La a few years ago for a municipality.  My specification read that "tees were to be laser leveled at 1% away from the cartpath on the subgrade and level onthe finish grade.  The job foreman would always tell me they had lasered a tee and I could see it had not been.  I refused the tees and their defense was "laser was not defined" and they had a laser level set up they were using to spot check the tees but they did not use a laser level guided blade. They knew exactly what was meant by the spec but chose not to follow.  These guys did this because they found a way to get around the spec....and they did.....it cost the owner another $20,000 to laser the tees after these guys left.....so let JB do his specs .......I have ZERO use for a contractor trying to play with specs...if he has a better solution,he should ask...I would probably conform .....JMO

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