Thoughts On An Olympic Golf Course...
/Since the International Golf Federation navigated the murky waters of IOC politicking, they must now aid the Rio planning committee in finding a venue suitable for golf. That likely means retrofitting an existing course, or, most likely, build one from scratch.
They have a wonderful opportunity to make a statement for golf course development and re-development of existing courses throughout the world. With that kind of precedent setting power in mind, I'd first suggest they read Tom Friedman's Golf Digest interview to get in the right frame of mind before considering a few dream parameters. There is the obvious caveat that many of these factors are site driven if you hope to fully embrace the local environment and contain costs.
Here goes:
- Build 18 holes with a nice range. 36-holes is not needed, especially since land is at such a premium anywhere near Rio. Because the format is a stale 72-hole stroke play event for both men and women, there is no need for the two courses that a round robin match play or larger field event would have required.
- Include a par-3 course. Keep the holes 60-140 yards and use the par-3 course to host a pre-Olympic first round exhibition to help legitimize the pitch and putt course around the globe as an ideal starting place for new golfers. It would also leave behind a nice spot for locals to have some fun after the games have left town (assuming this is a public facility, maybe a First Tee or some other kind of learning center?).
- A less than 7,000 yard course. Even if it's 6,995 yards. Yes, a proper challenge can still be created. We've been told the groove rule change will act as a backdoor ball rollback, so let's work under the assumption this is true. Put the focus on strategic golf via an abundance of short par-4s, a couple of wild under-160-yard par-3s and in general, a course filled with plenty of risk-reward holes. Pace of play issues caused by an abundance of par 3 1/2 style holes should not be an issue with only a 60 player field (finally, a perk with the mundane format). A shorter course will also make it a easier to accommodate both men and women as long as rough harvesters aren't doing the setup. Even better, under 7000 helps reduce acreage and improve the chances of leaving a smaller footprint behind…
-Under 200 acres! Depending on site elevation changes and environmental issues, any attempt to keep the course on no more than 175 acres would set a nice example, but ideally if we could get back to the days of 150 acres proving ample for golf it would be a huge win for the supposed worldwide development explosion some are predicting. Remember, many of the world's best designs are under 150 acres, but that was before liability lawyers started winning cases against golf architects.
-No cart paths. If you have carts, they should be solar-powered and riding along a natural surface that can handle Rio's more formidable weather.
- As little maintained turf as possible. It would be wonderful to see a well publicized, self-imposed Arizona-style cap on watered acreage, something like 90 acres of fairway maintained rough, and 50 or so acres for non-irrigated native areas. Even less maintained turf would be wonderful if the site allowed, but just re-establishing another late 20th century maximum would do wonders for future and existing developments that aim to limit resource waste.
- Organic maintenance practices if possible. It'll be a Bermuda grass setting which makes a full-fledged organic golf course impossible, but this will be a great opportunity to introduce Paspalum on a big stage and to tell its story. While it's not great for fast and firm golf, this more recent strain of Bermuda can tolerate reclaimed water and still requires the use of modern insecticides and herbicides. It's a less intensive grass to maintain and another great way to send a signal that Olympic golf is sympathetic to the environment.
- A small, solar powered clubhouse incorporating Olympic themes. Perhaps there's a permanent medal stand and international flag display in view of the entrance drive or 18th hole to reflect this once-in-a-lifetime event, but keep the building simple and send a message that clubhouses do not have to be titanic in scale.
- Absolutely no bunkers in the shape of the Olympic rings. And no bunkers shaped like the inevitable cutesy Rio mascot. Also, please, no Gold, Silver and Bronze pot bunker patches.
We'll tolerate Gold, Silver and Bronze tees. But that's it!
Otherwise, keep it quaint, keep it classy, keep it fun, keep it site-specific and avoid the pricey kitsch that all too often defines modern golf development.