46 Bill Coore, Ben Crenshaw, Trevor Dormer and Scotty Sayers on site at Torch Cay, which is under construction in The Bahamas Photo: Jim Kidd to any perception of golf architecture being the domain of solo geniuses, it is collaboration – at every level – that produces the best work. “Collaboration is one of the most important aspects of golf design,” he says. “Having a synergetic relationship with partners in a design firm, project managers, or the labourers digging in the bunkers, plays a massive part in the overall success of a golf course. That said, the final decision must be made by the golf architects. Ultimately, the owner has hired the designers to create something special, and the architects must be happy with the result. The routing process can be solitary in the initial stages of working a topo map. I prefer to scour over the topo map and digital elevation model (DEM) alone to start, uncovering circulation patterns and exciting features. After we have had time to process on our own, my partners and I start to riff of each other. Rob and I have done a few routings using a ping-pong format where one of us starts it and we send it back and forth to each other until we have come up with a routing of both our minds. We have also done totally separate routings and then merged them to find the best option, but still a joint process. As far as crafting the course goes, a smart architect will feed off the creativity of the shaping team without giving them too many parameters. Striking the right balance between providing guidance and allowing total creative freedom can be challenging though. Once the first draft is in the ground, sharing ideas and cooperation amplifies. Everything gets better!” Dormer says that collaboration throughout the design and construction team is essential, and perhaps this explains why firms like C&C – who tend to have the same people shaping jobs – emphasise collaboration. “Over the past five years, I have been blessed to work beside the same construction team on a few courses, which has allowed me to form long lasting relationships with the team,” he explains. “Getting to know each member of the team personally COLLABORATION
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