1 WELCOME ADAM LAWRENCE Virtual design Golf course architects have used technology to help them in their work for a long time. Computer aided design (CAD) systems are not universal across the industry – if you are working in natural sand on a property that requires only shaping, rather than actual grading, a CAD system is probably more trouble than it is worth. But when a substantial earthmove is needed, and earthmoving is charged by the cubic metre, CAD can help calculate the earthworks required, ensure that the finished course will drain properly, and make the production of construction drawings much easier. So, designing on a computer is nothing new. Designing for a computer though, is rather different. There have been course design tools available for popular golf computer games for some time. But the launch, a couple of years ago, of the TGL simulator golf league backed by Tiger Woods has raised the profile of ‘virtual’ course design. When designing holes that will likely only ever exist on a computer screen, the practicalities of construction, routing and so on do not exist; the only limitation is the architect’s imagination. TGL holes such as Agustin Piza’s ‘Cenote’, inspired by Yucatan limestone sinkholes and featuring an island green on top of a rock stack, with a large grass ‘funnel’ beyond it, enabling the player either to fire straight onto the green itself, or to play onto the funnel and have the ball release back to the putting surface, could obviously not exist in real life: not least in terms of permitting. Constructing something on that scale would also be financially inconceivable even in today’s crazy golf market. The question is, are there lessons that real-world golf design can take from the virtual environment? One does not have to replicate something to be inspired by it. And if virtual golf encourages architects to create something new and different, rather than just building another Redan, will that be a good thing?
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