Economical Golf Course Design

[Justin Zook]

This idea has probably come up before but why is it that design and I suppose contruction costs so much these days?  Perhaps I am exposed to only a small portion of the new designs, but it seems that the new courses are getting more expensive to build.  Or do I have this wrong?  Is it that because the people who commission a golf course have so much money that a designer has many more possibilities of what he can do.  Each arguement seems valid.  Is it because of these huge budgets that design today seems generally more artificial and therefore poorer quality?  I understand there are always exceptions to every rule, so those who are architects on this site needed be worried.  I haven't forgotten about you.  Blame inflation or another factor but it seems the great old courses didn't require as much money as the courses of today.  I am anxious to hear all of your thoughts and shed some insight to the questions.  

Justin Zook

[John_Conley]

Justin:

My recent post "Which course in Orlando plays like St. Andrews" refers to St. Cloud GC.  Reed Berlinsky took the lower-cost approach and it worked.

Just a nice place to play, without all the glitz.

The next wave of new course construction may see more and more like it.

[Tom Doak]

Justin,

Some of it is the result of modern "necessities" which the old courses didn't have:  wall-to-wall cart paths, deluxe irrigation systems.

Some of it is the influence of contractors:  25% profit on top of everything you do, and naturally they try to convince you to go the extra mile.

The rest is ego, whether the client's or the architect's, plus profit motive on the part of the client.  Everyone wants to build "the best" nowadays; not many clients ask us to build a golf course for a reasonable green fee.  Sad, but true.  Even muncipalities get caught up in building "the best."