Tom Paul's thread on what one might learn by spending a week on a project site got me thinking (a quite dangerous thing I'll admit) about what we so rarely talk about on this golf course architecture website, that is, the architecture and engineering that go into building the design of the architect.
Having worked in the construction industry for a number of years I worked on many projects where an "Interior Designer" did the finishes. The problem was that in a number of cases the "Designer" had no real idea of engineering necessities involved in moving load-bearing walls, roof construction for drainage, hidden spaces into which proper plumbing vent pipes and a/c ducts could be placed, etc...
That is really how many of us on here are when it comes to understanding the necessary underpinnings of golf course construction that enable great designs to happen and mature into long-lasting works of art. Today a new golf course is not landscape architecture in an ultimate form; it is really a combination of trades working together that allows for that landscape architect's vision to be achieved.
So, I thought that we, the golf course architecture "Interior Designers" might call upon the those who actually work on the underpinnings of golf course construction sites, the undergarments as it were without which the Emperor's New Clothes would look like.. nothing, to enlighten us on some of these details and how, if done wrong, they can effect, long-term care and maintenance of a golf course.
So guys, where do we begin?