“Ah, the glamorous life of a golf course architect!”
That’s a line that I have shared with my colleagues in instances when we are fighting our way through a sea of cobwebs and biting flies in a virgin forest, or up to our knees in heavy, sticky mud on a rain-drenched construction site. The life of a golf course architect is one that can vary greatly from day to day.
Some days are glamorous – like getting to ride in the gold-trimmed helicopter formerly owned by the son of the Sultan of Brunei.
Some days are mundane – like driving four hours from Toledo to Pittsburgh to meet for two hours to discuss the placement of a few trees and then driving the four hours back home.
Some days are scary – like being robbed of everything in your possession, including your passport, outside Budapest, Hungary.
The day in Budapest was the adventure that was the inspiration for this book. It was a day to remember. After I told the story to others, they would usually tell me that I should write a book about the experience. I reasoned that others in our profession must have equally enthralling stories that they tell to their families and friends. I wondered what had been the most incredible days in their architectural careers. Those were stories that needed to be told.
Please enjoy this collection of tales from our members. Golf course architecture is a most rewarding profession. It has its demands, but the benefits are pretty amazing sometimes. It’s true that there are scary, mundane, and glamorous days, but it’s the rewarding ones that we remember most – like when members praise a design at a grand opening or professionals battle it out on a finishing stretch of holes in an important tournament. Whatever kind of day they’re having, golf course architects are trying to create beautiful playing fields on which people can get away from the pressures of everyday life and enjoy the great game of golf.
– Steve Forrest, ASGCA
2007-2008 President
American Society of Golf Course Architects