The ASGCA learning experience

I have attended over 25 of my 34 annual American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA) meetings, which have helped me in terms of continuing education, exposure to great golf courses and the ability to discuss relevant issues with my peers. This year’s meeting in Tulsa, Okla., was no different.

I love history. This year, we had presentations on the life and designs of Oklahoman architect Perry Maxwell and played many of his courses during the meeting. After the meeting, I was moved to stop at Dornick Hills in Ardmore, Okla., on the way home to see his grave situated above the sixth fairway. It was his family farm and first course design, and I partially renovated it years ago. I like seeing how my older work has fared, but I usually come away wishing for at least a few mulligans.

Like most industry conferences, ASGCA has shortened our formal meeting for time/cost reasons, but leave options for playing extra courses. Some ASGCA members arrived early for an opportunity to play a true Maxwell gem at Prairie Dunes in Hutchison, Kan. The highlight courses of the regular meeting were Maxwell’s Hillcrest, Muskogee and Southern Hills, and RTJII’s Patriot, which contrasted the modern and classic design styles.

Some learning comes in the form of “aha” moments. While I generally prefer playing classic courses, Southern Hills with its constant diet of narrow fairways and small, well-guarded green targets reinforced my belief that I will be designing easier courses in the future. Obviously, Southern Hills enjoys being a periodic major tournament site, making its design reasonable for them. In my opinion, courses like that are too hard for everyday play. And, while I enjoyed the Patriot, it convinced me that I need to keep pushing shorter and shorter forward tees because 5,600 yards is too long from the front tees, especially on a dramatic course with some forced carries.

Other sessions were devoted to brainstorming how to attract and speed up play. I was disappointed in these discussions. It’s amazing how every discussion goes quickly to both how far PGA Tour pros hit the ball or Augusta National and how well they maintain their course. To me, that has about as much correlation as talking about moon rocks when discussing Mount Rushmore. I don’t think we came out with any consensus ideas on these tough problems or, like most industry conferences that fire up participants who then go home to doing exactly what they always do, any practical way to implement those ideas. Golf seems to have no shortage of ideas, except in actually creating a mechanism to implement real change, even if we agree that change is really necessary. And we don’t. Read my column from last month.

On the technical side, the USGA’s Jim Moore presented on both drone technology to get real-time assessment of turf conditions and player monitors that might help us scientifically take more course areas out of turf to reduce irrigation.

The idea of giving players monitors was both intriguing scientifically and unsettling in a “1984” kind of way. They can measure all sorts of behaviors, which we can use in design, but it would have to make some golfers/customers uncomfortable.

Similarly, Moore’s take on reducing tee irrigation was stunningly simple math. On the typical turfed course, we water over an acre to produce about 6,500 square feet of tee surface, or about seven times the actual turf requirement. If we used desert style tee irrigation, with small pop up heads watering only the tee surface, we could easily reduce turf acreage by 10 to 15 acres per course with little effect on playability. Is it time for Midwest and Northeastern courses to adopt this style in the name of water conservation? If not now, then possibly soon.

And then, there were the after meeting discussions over dinner and drinks, which often provide me valuable design advice and life lessons. While I hang on every word from Tom Fazio, Pete Dye, Jack Nicklaus or Rees Jones, many lesser known members have offered great advice, too. The essence of the organization is to share experience and knowledge on design, which most do willingly. We spend 51 weeks a year as fierce business competitors and one week together as best friends.

Jeffrey D. Brauer is a veteran golf course architect responsible for more than 50 new courses and more than 100 renovations.  A member and past president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, he is president of Jeffrey D. Brauer/GolfScapes in Arlington, Texas. Reach him at jeff@jeffreydbrauer.com.