[Adam Sherer]

We are experiencing a trend of "minimalism" today in gca with Doak, Devries, Hanse, C&C as the forerunners. What will be the trend in 2050? What will be the design style, strategic features, construction methods, architects at the halfway point of the 21st century?


Adios

[Joe Hancock]

In 2050, I'll be 89. Go easy on me.

Seriously, I think the trend towards mininalism is a trend based on logic, functionality and stewardship, i.e. our responsibility to use the land wisely. I don't think it will be a passing trend.

However, there will always be someone trying to reinvent the wheel. What the fad will be at that time is anybody's guess, but I wouldn't be surprised if some yet-to-be invented technology isn't a part of that equation. Holograms of waterfalls, balls with secret remote control capabilities or fairways and greens with magnetic field technology(to control the ball speed on the surfaces in an artificial way) are perhaps the things that will infiltrate the game.

What do you suspect will be out there?

'Til Tuesday,

Joe

[JSPayne]

As sad as it may be, we're already partially on the path......

.....I wouldn't be surprised to see full regulation length courses entirely of artificial turf.

AND.....fully lighted golf courses to be able to play golf 24/7.

Even if water conservation and environmentalism are the trends right now, at some point people will be looking at golf courses as wasted use of land that people could be living on. Take a close look at a world population trend graph and ask yourself "Where are all those people going to live?" Let alone all the other necessities of life that will need to be provided......

[Adam Sherer]

WOW! Joe that is more than I expected!  That sounds like a combination of Rodney Dangerfield (caddyshack) and Bladeruner...

JSPayne: I was thinking the opposite.  I was thinking more of what Mike Hurdzan prophesized about the "pendulum" of golf swinging back to the roots or golf (ie lack of irrigation, playing "through the green", golf for the people, etc.).

I think that we can all agree that the game of golf will not meet the goal of expected participants in the near future (as predicted by the NGF "Golf 2020").  So where does that leave the sport?  What does golf have to do to adjust to the modern day participant and economy?

[Andy Troeger]

Adam,
You hit on the point I'm wondering about. I have to wonder in 2050 if we'll have as many golf courses as we do now. Will most of the work at that point deal with working on courses already built? Will these outlying areas such as Marquette, MI and Holyoke, CO and Bandon, OR still be the middle of nowhere to most of us? Will there be more golfers, less golfers? Hard to say.

[Jonathan Cummings]

Funny, I wrote an article a few years back about golf in 2050.  My conjecture was that much of the mid-century golf would be virtual.  JC

[Jeremy Rivando]

I figure by then all the courses will be organic.

It's hard to imagine the strategy of the game will differ but I guess that all depends on the future of the game's technology, I really hope it doesn't go any further.  Let's bring back the persimmons but improve the balata ball.

As far as design goes, let me quote MacKenzie

“The chief object of every golf architect or greenkeeper worth his salt is to imitate the beauties of nature so closely as to make his work indistinguishable from nature itself.”

I can only hope every new course follows the good doctors advice.

[RJ_Daley]

I'm afraid that if they can't make golf as a game of wide popularity and access by the masses, and courses as a part of an overall accepted concept of worthy land/resources use, it will be a rarity available only for the elete.  Golf could become an obscure and anacronistic activity by 2050.  It may become an anti-social practice due to use of dwindling resources.  Golfers may be viewed as a horrid wealthy diletante wasters of resources if they play golf on the remaining enclaves where it is harbored. 

Or,

It will become so wildly popular now and into that 2050 era, that people won't put up with any diminshment of the game, will crave more, and the industry will be forced to come up with creative ways of making golf work for society and enviromentally as a benefit.  For instance; as happens now, a user of effluent waters.  The more people on the planet, and they will demand more recreation.  So, golf will have to find a way to accomodate more people on perhaps smaller land tracks using resources in a beneficial or zero impact way, and find a way to push more people through the golf courses more efficiently. 

[Jim Nugent]

I figure by then all the courses will be organic.

Can you explain what you mean? 

[John Kirk]

I predict by 2050 gasoline will be more scarce, and a far more valuable commodity.  For starters, all unwalkable courses will be NLE.  There will be fewer high end clubs with expensive maintenance practices, and fewer people will play the game.

[Jeremy Rivando]

Jim,

I figure by then there will be no chemical use of any sort on the properties, utilizing advancements in turfgrass research to find strains that will function well with effluent water and captured rainwater on site.  Drought tolerant grasses will be critical, and the grass will never be as green as you find it today.  EPN's will also be prevalent by then to fight off disease.

Environmental restrictions would possibly be such that new courses would not be able to have any negative impact, either through development into wetlands or other existing water features.  Minimal earth movement would not impact the native soils on or around the the playing corridors and the design would be a reflection of the property being chosen, designed by Mother Nature, exposed by the architect.

I think it will become much more important to only build on property's that seem destined to have become a golf course.

[Ian_L]

I figure by then all the courses will be organic.

Aren't most courses organic?

[Matt_Cohn]

Agronomists will develop turfgrasses that naturally grow to heights of 1/10", 1/2", etc., significantly reducing the need for mowing and maintenance.

[Michael]

where will the equipment be at 2050? how will that effect the courses that already feel the pressure of becoming "too short"..

[Rick Sides]

Well I don't know how bright the future looks.  The economy really seems to be impacting golf as we know it.  Many clubs are closing or really reaching out for memberships because people are cutting out extras like golf memberships.  I think a wave of golf courses will be built in Asia.  You have to wonder as the earth grows will in th next 40 years will a lot of courses also sell their land and you might be left with a smaller number of US courses.  Look at Beechtree!

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