I enjoy the sharing of ideas and the opportunity to learn from others much more than in the past. I have had the privilege of working with several different architects and designers over my 25-year career. Each one has provided an opportunity to learn new truths about dealing with people in addition to new ideas on golf course design. I find myself seeking the opportunity to collaborate on future projects. Of course, collaboration can take a number of different formats but ultimately it should lead to a better finished product for the client.
“Bunkers, if they be good bunkers, and bunkers of strong character, refuse to be disregarded, and insist on asserting themselves; they do not mind being avoided, but they decline to be ignored.” – John Low
Think about it, we all collaborate in some form or fashion on most of our projects even if it doesn’t involve working with another golf course architect. The really successful courses are always a product of people coming together to find solutions to design, permitting, planning, construction, management and maintenance issues. The difference in this type of collaboration versus working with another course architect usually involves two main issues - ego and finances. Of course, these are two pretty big items that must be worked out in order for a collaboration to work successfully.
“There are two ways of widening the gap between a good tee shot and a bad one. One is to inflict a severe and immediate punishment upon the bad shot, to place its perpetrator in a bunker or in some other trouble demanding the sacrifice of a stroke in recovering; the other is to reward the good shot by making the second simpler in proportion to the excellence of the drive.” – Bobby Jones
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