Time for a (re)think on golf design
Irish talents are making their mark on world game
MAJOR winners like Rory McIlroy and Pádraig Harrington are world renowned but Ireland is also home to some great golf architects, and a new wave of Irish talent is leaving its mark all over the world.
Two of the best – Jeff Lynch and Paul O’Brien – work for the burgeoning full-service global golf course design company (re)GOLF Design, which has offices in Ireland, Canada, Sweden and Switzerland.
And while their portfolio includes traditional renovation projects at venues such as Callan, Hermitage, Naas, Edmondstown and Killiney (to name only a few), they have also given free rein to their creativity abroad with innovative projects such as the “Volkswagen Golfarena” in Sweden, an example to what can be done with a little imagination and careful planning.
The Swedish project is a 17-hectare, links-style “practice landscape” that includes a Practice Range, Academy Course, Short Game Area, Himalayas-inspired putting course, chipping and putting greens and a facility clubhouse with a fully equipped gym, conference space and fully equipped golf studios.
There are also dormitories, which means that golf teams or national federations can rent out part of the facility for intensive practice sessions.
While there is no demand just yet for a similar facility here, golf clubs need to open their minds to “outside the box” projects that can make their facilities even more attractive, creating pitch and putt courses and putting courses to service demand in an era when participation numbers are dropping due to lack of time.
“Most of our work these days is renovation work,” explains Jeff over coffee in the refurbished splendour of Hermitage’s old clubhouse. “We’ve loved doing the renovation of the bunkers here and we’ve really pushed the boat out with the latest materials, using synthetic bunker edge, which gives a very clean edge that looks great and is very easy to maintain.”
Made from recycled material recovered from former sports pitches, it allows architects like Jeff and Paul to create dramatic new bunker shapes, adding hugely to the aesthetics and playability and easing maintenance.
Having cut his teeth with Jeff Howes Golf Design, Lynch founded (re)GOLF Design with his Swedish business partner Christian Lunin in 2010 before O’Brien joined as a partner in 2013, having worked his way up the ranks with Jeff Howes, becoming a Senior Design Associate in 2004.
The Sports Capital Grant Scheme has been a big bonus to companies like (re)GOLF, who are best placed to advise clubs on how best to invest precious funds and make their clubs even more attractive for members.
And while drainage, greens, tees and bunking are the popular upgrades, there are many other ways to make a club more attractive to members.
“Our heart is in this,” says Jeff, who knows how difficult it is for clubs to make ends meet as he’s a member of the management committee at his own club.
“The design fee is actually the smallest part of the budget for any job. It’s the materials and the contractors that make the price go up but if you want a plan for the future, a blueprint for what you want to do and where you want to go, that’s not expensive.”
Short game areas are a booming business for design companies. But with many clubs losing members because they don’t have the time to play due to family commitments, interest in short courses or pitch and putt courses is growing exponentially
“We did one in Norway last year at a campsite where there was no golf,” Jeff explains. “The owner wanted to attract some golfers so we built a nine-hole pitch and putt course and it’s worked very well.”
The giant Himalayas putting green at St Andrews is hugely popular and (re)GOLF has built four similar facilities in Europe (including an Alps putting course at a club in Switzerland), making those clubs more attractive for older golfers and members with young families.
“It’s all about fun,” Paul says. “And the great thing about those putting greens or the pitch and putts is that they get kids into the game and give Senior members the chance to go out and play 18 holes.
“It keeps everyone involved from six to 96 and people have great fun and they are happy to go down to the club, which is what you want. You can now pop up to the club for an hour and still have your day. Or just offer membership of the putting course, or the pitch and putt course, to people who might be thinking of giving up their membership.
“If you lose the client, it is hard to get them back. But if you can keep them involved, even if only as a member of the putting course, that’s huge.”
It’s not all about blueprints and design plans but getting your hands dirty with shovel and rake in hand.
“That’s the fun bit,” Paul says. “We just love doing what we do. And it doesn’t always have to be something hugely costly to improve the playability of a course, improve the shot values and reduce maintenance costs. It’s what we do and we wouldn’t want to do anything else.”