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The existing Landscape and its features are a vital component of a golf course as it shapes how the course looks and plays. Retaining existing landscape features from craggy rocks to natural areas of scrub all help in creating a character that is both sympathetic to its surroundings as well as helping to maximise the visual splendour needed for that arrival experience for the golfer.
All golf projects are different with sites often having new and unique features. These features allow us as Golf Course Architects the opportunity to be creative and design the golf to work with the features therefore adding or creating a unique character to the course and landscape.
Although one might think designing a golf course on a site void of any landscape features would be easy and straightforward, in my experience, this is not the case what so ever.
When viewing a site from the air with existing trees, rocks and other vegetation winding through, often natural clearings are apparent which lend themselves to bunker locations, green locations or even fairway landing zones. These locations, combined with the topography, start to stand out and almost naturally make a golf hole/course on their own, it is this vision that golf course architects need in order to design beautiful and challenging yet fun golf courses.
In order to harmonise golf with the existing landscape we as golf course architects must harness the beauty of the landscape and emphasise what is naturally beautiful, on any given site.
