Bruce Matthews, ASGCA, will teach Golf Course Design and Construction at Beijing Forestry University this Spring. The two-credit class is part of the Michigan State University curriculum for a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in Crop and Soil Sciences, Turfgrass Management option.
The class includes a history of golf and golf course architects and a broad overview of the design process from elements of design to environmental design. Methods of golf course construction are explored, including drainage, tee, green and bunker construction. Upon completion of the course, students will have a basic understanding of the development process of building a golf course and the roles and responsibilities of the owner, contractor and golf course architect.
Students of Turfgrass Management – China, take core classes in Language, Arts, and Humanities, Economics, Chemistry, Algebra and Trigonometry at Chinese Universities (32 credits). The students then receive two years (30 credits) of instruction by Michigan State University Professors and Instructors in classes ranging from Turfgrass Physiology, Entomology and Irrigation to Golf Course Design and Construction. Upon successful completion of classes, students receive a Bachelor of Science from Michigan State University.
Bruce Matthews has been teaching the course at Michigan State University for three years. A third-generation member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, Bruce has designed 40 golf courses and over 100 remodeling projects in the Great Lakes Region and Canada. His work has included remodeled and restored courses of Golden Age Architects Ross, Langford, Colt and Alison and Stanley Thompson.