Master Plan - Is there a definition we can frame?

[Jeff Schley]

Lately I have seen the word "Master Plan" when courses are starting their work on some type of renovation/restoration. Most recently Keith Foster at OFCC is being brought in for this (membership hasn't voted however).  What exactly does this mean?  Is it a way of saying this guy is our consulting architect to do a multi year renovation/restoration?


It seems code for saying that this one person will be doing work over multi years on a scope that may not be 100% clear at the outset and may not have a hard end date?

Thoughts or feedback on this?  For you architects when do you have call it a "Master Plan"?

[Ally Mcintosh]

A Master Plan is simply an overarching concept / strategy / guideline for a club or course that all future development projects should adhere to.


It ensures a consistent approach that should save money and mistakes.


General examples of clubs who are keen to do work but are without master plans are those where every new captain comes in and wants to get his pet project approved, quite often in a completely contrary style or method than those that have just come before him... That’s why it’s useful for a lot of clubs to have a consistent consultant architect also: as much to come once a year and stop the club doing something they shouldn’t.

[Thomas Dai]

Go along with what Ally says.
A slight aside though. Committees or individual strong personalities who push for Master Plans change and the desire to follow-through on the Master Plan can wither and die or change direction based on the incoming individuals.
Is continuity on the Committee better or is it better to have lots of rapid rotation so the incomers spend their time squabbling and by default the Master Plan happens in the background? I'm not sure there's an answer, although Toms recent thread on club politics may have a few tips as to how to handle such situations!
Maybe when the membership first approves the Master Plan the then Committee should be cute enough to get all the necessary contracts signed immediately with penalty clauses for changes or cancellations that future Committees or individuals are unable to get out from?
Strange beast are private members clubs.
atb

[Mark_Fine]

Every course should have a Master Plan which is really no different than a business having a Business Plan.  Generally the golf course is the most valuable asset of any club and it is silly to manage it on the fly as many clubs do.  A Master Plan provides a road map for the well thought out management of that asset.  It should have majority buy in from the heart of the membership and the leadership of the club.