Golf Architecture: A Worldwide Perspective – Volume 5

 

The fifth instalment of Paul Daley’s Golf Architecture: A Worldwide Perspective (Full Swing Golf Publishing, 2009) follows very closely the successful formula which has made the previous volumes in this series such a hit with golf course architecture aficionados in Australia and around the globe.

Since the first offering back in 2002, each volume has blended fascinating essays and stunning photography to provide an insight into the architectural elements and history of some of the world’s great golf courses. The latest volume, which opens with a foreword from respected Australian golf course architect Neil Crafter, continues that trend and among those featured are Machrihanish Dunes, Turnberry and Mike Kaiser’s new creation The Dunes Club in Michigan.

One of the great aspects of the series, however, has been the inclusion of smaller, less-recognised golf course layouts around the world and the often intriguing history behind their design, construction and development. In this volume several gems are brought to the reader’s attention, including a couple of Australian country courses – Yarram Golf Club, located in the Gippsland region of Victoria, which is completely run and maintained by volunteers, and the links landscape of Port Fairy Golf Club in south west Victoria.

Other Australian courses to feature in this volume include Royal Queensland (the essay looks at the recent redesign under the auspices of Mike Clayton), as well as picture essays of Peterborough Golf Club (another links course on the Victorian south west coast) and the beautiful new par three course at Barwon Heads Golf Club.

As well as devoting plenty of space to home grown tracks, the book travels well outside the traditional heartlands of America and the UK, taking in far flung places such as Uruguay, which is home to Alister MacKenzie’s little known Club de Golf del Uruguay, Poland (Sand Valley G&CC), The Netherlands (Royal Hague G&CC and the unique heather-clad De Ullerberg), China (Weihai Point Golf & Resort) and Iceland (Geysir GC).

The book includes an essay from US-based golf course superintendent Scott Stambaugh on the work to restore the A.V. Macan-designed Overlake Golf & Country Club, while the essay on Turnberry outlines the preparations in the lead up to the 2009 Open and the role played by then long-serving course superintendent George Brown.

This volume also includes contributions from Michael Hurdzan, who details his involvement in the remodeling of the Scioto Country Club where Jack Nicklaus grew up playing the game, a look into the work of Donald Ross, while architect Tim Liddy writes passionately on how vital the lessons of links golf and links golf architecture and course maintenance are to the future sustainability of the industry.