Hello,
This is a follow up and an inquiry to my last posting which asked about routes into the field of golf course architecture. I recently was asked by Mid-America Golf to work on their crew on a Jeff Brauer design called "The Wilderness" in Lake Jackson, Texas. I gladly accepted, knowing that a few years of construction would do well towards my future as a designer. I have a BLA from the U of Illinois, interned for Robert Trent Jones II previously, and had a pretty strong career as an amatuer tournament player. My path into the field of golf course architecture looked almost inevitable.
Now that I'm here in Texas, working outside every day in the perfect weather, helping to create, with my own physical effort, something as grand and visually spectacular as "The Wilderness" is shaping up to be, I am wondering if I will ever want to be a designer. Is there anything better than knowing that you're own blood and sweat were born into a piece of land that will eventually become a place where dreams are harboured, lives are changed, and happiness is found?
Do I want to be in an office? Do designers feel the same satisfaction as I will when their project is finally conceived? Will I ever become out of shape, unhappy, or frustrated with everyday obstacles or problems as long as I am here. I doubt it. Maybe some day when I am old and crippled I will design full time, but until then, I will be out where the action is and where the comraderie is thick. I'm having a blast, but I'm tired now and I have to go. I worked eleven hours today, and my head is getting heavy. Surprisingly, the vertebrae I fractured when I was sixteen feels better than ever. Amazing.
Derek Deschler