[mike_malone]

  My architecturally astute playing buddy absolutely raves about your bunker work at Paxon Hollow. Thanks.

[George Pazin]

Am I correct in assuming this is Jim from Hanse Golf Course Design?

Regardless, welcome.

[JNagle]

Now TEPaul can really get confused!

[Dan Herrmann]

Jim - please report in

[D_Malley]

#12 before


#12 after

[D_Malley]

#10 from 2006 just after soddded

[D_Malley]

sorry forgot to paste the pic
#10 from 2006 just after sodded

[D_Malley]

the first bunker in the pic of #10 is about 20 yards short of the green and jim wants this bunker to have fairway on either side. the other two bunkers are greenside.

[Jim Wagner]

Sorry to let you down guys, but I am not the Jim Wagner from Hanse Golf Course Design.  However, I am in the golf course design business working for Nicklaus Design in our Hong Kong office.

Jim

[John Kavanaugh]

Sorry to let you down guys, but I am not the Jim Wagner from Hanse Golf Course Design.  However, I am in the golf course design business working for Nicklaus Design in our Hong Kong office.

Jim

Jim,

Quite the opposite...You made my day.  How did you prepare to work in Hong Kong?  Do you know the language, did you take your family?

[Joel_Stewart]

Sorry to let you down guys, but I am not the Jim Wagner from Hanse Golf Course Design.  However, I am in the golf course design business working for Nicklaus Design in our Hong Kong office.

Jim

You're a bum.   Just kidding.

Jim:  What is the state of golf course construction in China these days?   Is it still booming?    As you know, golf course construction has slowed in the US to a trickle.   

Another question.   Last year or so we had a discussion if a minimalist course could work in Asia?   Something like a Sand Hills or Bandon model.  Do you agree or disagree?

[Jim Wagner]

John:  To be honest, I didn't really do anything special to prepare for working in Hong Kong.  I sold most of my stuff and my car, but mainly I just packed up my stix, two or three duffle bags, my laptop and hopped on the air bus.  I knew none of the local vocabulary (Cantonese) before coming here and to this day I can probably count my cantonese on two hands.  The Brits did such a wonderful job here during their occupation and as a result daily life is fairly easy for most expats living here.  Everything is convenient.  Every neighborhood has its own markets and transportation is hands down the most organized and efficient I have seen in the world.  I rarely find myself struggling to communicate with the locals as well.  Work for me in Hong Kong was just a continuation of what I was doing for ND in Florida and maybe that is why the transition went so easy for me.

Life is very good here.  If you are ever planning a trip to Asia, Hong Kong is a great place to start. 

Joel: The China market is gradually getting stronger for us.  I cannot speak for other firms, but I don't think it had been the slam dunk we were hoping for until the last year or two.  We now have over a handful of signed deals in China and more and more "honest" prospects seem to be popping up there.  I would imagine most firms (including us) working in China struggled about three years ago during the governments ban on all GC construction for one year.  Fortunately for us we had a great deal of success in Korea during that downtime in China and now Vietnam seems to be gearing up.  We have four JWN Signatures in Asia at the moment and the remainder of our work in Vietnam, Korea, Cambodia and China is at the Nicklaus Design product level. 

As for your second question, the minimalist approach can probably work over here.  You would need a client who understands the purpose for using this style as most of the golfing public in Asia love big, wide and lush fairways.  Secondly, you would need a site where that style would fit of course.  Sites like Sand Hills or even Dismal don't come around everyday and probably less frequently in Asia as the potential owners do not necessarily realize what they are looking at when selecting a site.  I think as people become more educated on the history of golf and the different styles of golf courses that exist throughout the world, they will begin to welcome the concept.     

Has anyone read Bob Cupp's book, "The Edict: A Novel from the Beginnings of Golf"?

Jim

[John Gosselin]

Jim, welcome. Sounds like your on a great adventure.

What is the market for seasoned US superintendents? Is there a market? Is there a need for someone to manage a course for the first couple of years after opening to train and then turn over to the locals? 

[mike_malone]

 You should at least take credit for that bunker work anyway; it is marvelous.

[George Pazin]

Sorry to let you down guys, but I am not the Jim Wagner from Hanse Golf Course Design.  However, I am in the golf course design business working for Nicklaus Design in our Hong Kong office.

Jim

This isn't a let down at all, we need more folks overseas and we need more folks from other firms.

Welcome to the site, please don't be shy.

[Jim Wagner]

John G:  We try to help western superintendents every chance we get.  It's benefits everyone!  Sometimes we are successful in landing them an opportunity to interview and other times we have no luck.  It really comes down to the owner realizing the value a western superintendent can bring to the project.  We can try, try and try to educate ownership teams with reasons why to use a western super, but to often owners over here are content with hiring someone locally to save money.  When this happens we are always thankful that we have an agronomist on almost every project.  Our agronomist will work with the person the owner has hired locally throughout grow-in, until whenever his contract is up (which could be two years after opening in some cases).   

[John Gosselin]

Jim, thanks for the information. 

Thanks again

[John Kavanaugh]

Is there a minority class of people in Hong Kong that does the grunt work similar to the Hispanics in the U.S.?

[Dave_Miller]

Sorry to let you down guys, but I am not the Jim Wagner from Hanse Golf Course Design.  However, I am in the golf course design business working for Nicklaus Design in our Hong Kong office.

Jim

Jim:
Very cool to be working in the business in Hong Kong.  Welcome post often and don't let Mucci and TEPaul intimidate you
Best
Dave

[Melvyn Morrow]

Welcome Jim

GCA.com is great; you will have some fun and many enjoyable
conversations. Great bunch and always happy to pass on their
advice. 

Only one problem, I was told when I joined that they all knew
something about golf, boy, like me you are in for a big surprise.

Watch out for Alfie, he’s into Hickory and limiting technology,
Now Bill, what can you say about him  - err - he keeps us on the
right path, unlike his golf. The rest, you will get to know and
understand them in due course, so keep your head down. 

Oh and me – I’ll just bore you with the good old days, controlling
technology, Buggies, carts, Links golf, long courses, removing cart
tracks, reminding all that I am anti carts, did I say I hate buggies.   

Congratulations on joining a great group of interesting and talented people.

Just e-mailed Jack re Askernish, but he never returns my e-mail! 

[Jim Wagner]

John K:  Most of the construction is done with one or two western shapers, a couple of local dozer operators and local farmers or people from local villages doing the hand labor.  In Korea you will see more companies, such as Samsung, that operate their own engineering and construction groups within their umbrella.  In both cases there is still a great deal of effort that goes into educating the laborers proper golf course construction methods and the details that go into the finish work.  It never gets easy. 

Jim

[Forrest Richardson]

Jim — I have a copy of Bob's book to take on a scheduled flight a couple of weeks from now. I am looking forward to it, especially since I will meet him for dinner together while in Scotland.

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