Build it right: Part 1

One consequence of golf’s current good moment — unprecedented interest, participation and demand — is the need (and resources) to renovate existing courses. There’s also been a promising bump in new builds, but this two-part column is for any of you whose courses might be under consideration for a renovation, restoration, “reimagining” or whatever it is the industry is calling rebuilds in this heady climate.

There are dozens, if not hundreds, of concerns the superintendent at an existing course needs to think and worry about when facing a rebuild. I’ve loosely divided them into before, during and after the process, but you’ll quickly see that the timeline is fluid and you must be alert to possible trouble from the first moment you hear about an upcoming project until the work is done and your golfers are back on the course.

Before listing some of the concerns to be aware of, here is the single most important one at every moment of the process: From start to finish, you need to be aware of what’s happening, involved in all decisions and not shy about speaking up. Your golfers are going to want a spectacular redo of the course they love and some architect is going to want to build his résumé with an inventive design. But you — and only you — know what’s best for the environment, topography, climate and infrastructure of “your” course. And you — and only you — will be responsible for maintaining what others want to build. If you let them create something that you can’t properly maintain within budget, who do you think is going to take the blame?

Let’s examine what to consider before a project begins.

Attend every meeting you’re invited to. And if you hear that there’s a meeting and you’re not on the invite list, ask why not. When in a meeting, listen carefully, write everything down and be prepared with questions. If anything doesn’t sit right with you, raise your objections and make sure they are understood and addressed. If necessary, follow up after the meeting with notes to all in attendance about your concerns.

Build relationships with the other key stakeholders in the project: committee members, management, architects and builders. Make sure they all understand that you have only the best interests of the club or course at heart, and that your questions and concerns are for the long-term health and success of the project.

Whether it’s a big-name celebrity architect or someone you’ve never heard of, your club thinks this person is a “creative genius” who will put the course on a path to awards and recognition. In other words, they’re giving the architect artistic license to do almost anything, and I’ve too often witnessed these “geniuses” not know that a particular type of turf won’t grow in a particular climate or their bits of homage to Ross, Tillinghast, or MacKenzie are going to eat up valuable work time every day for your already undermanned crew. Most architects know how important the superintendent is to getting the work done right, which ultimately reflects back on the brilliance of the redesign. If they don’t come looking for you from the get-go, you’d better go find them and talk to them.

The shaper, builders and subs are going to be the ones “in the dirt.” You know what’s both above and underground and where the trouble lies. Build a bond with the guys doing the work by sharing with them everything you know about the land. You may need to assign members of your staff to interact with the contractors; if so, make sure they remember who they work for and how important it is that they share everything with you every day. Just as they are your eyes and ears on what’s happening, you are the eyes and ears for the owner, board or municipality.

Once there’s a contract and the project is officially authorized, make sure you know the level of investment. And as soon as possible, start planning, based on order timeframes, permit windows, climate, the project timeline and supply chains.

What sort of logistics will you be dealing with? Securing contractor bids and commitments; applying for and receiving permits; sourcing and purchasing material; identifying and/or creating storage locations; communicating with members, management, neighbors, and local officials; coordinating with the golf professional. And that’s just to begin with.

If the money is available, it might be wise for the club to hire a project manager, someone who has overseen this type of work before. That person probably won’t be on site every day, but will come by occasionally, checking on the work and keeping everyone honest.

Next month, we’ll offer final pre-project reminders and then attack what must be considered during and after construction.