The art of project management

Golf course architects often act as a project manager, overseeing various phases of work from the early design concepts to the end of construction. Being a project manager requires many skills, such as planning, leadership, communication and quality control.

We also bring our own unique approach. For me, that comes from a deep commitment to delivering sustainable golf course design solutions that respect the existing environment and landscape.

In 2019, I became an official independent verifier for the GEO Foundation, and through my work at Leeds Golf Design, I have made sustainability and inclusion my mission. We are also supporting the R&A’s Women in Golf Charter initiative to assess, design and improve courses to promote women’s play and, ultimately, improve women’s participation and retention.

Most of my work is the renovation of historical courses, where the focus is to ensure they are up to date with modern technology and meet sustainability requirements. In preparing a masterplan, I often adjust hazards and tees to consider the shorter hitters like juniors and seniors. The right distances are crucial to avoid penalising beginners, which helps to contribute to attracting and retaining players.

An architect intuitively leads the design stage, moving from concepts to the detailed masterplan. Typically, the work shown on the masterplan is not undertaken all at once but is phased, depending on the club’s budget and other factors. From the detailed masterplan, I develop construction drawings for the agreed scope of work, including contour plans for the contractor to shape the course. Along with construction drawings, an architect prepares a construction specifications document and the so-called bill of quantities. This quantifies the work to be carried out and together with the construction specifications are fundamental documents to price the work – we can then spot any budget-related issues.

We designers lead a wide team of professionals, so a key part of our role is also dealing with other consultants. We’re in regular dialogue with a course manager and their team, irrigation and drainage consultants, ecologists and agronomists, planning officers and the contractor. Each of those can give valuable input for the final masterplan, especially the course manager as they know the course intimately and can provide a useful perspective.

Architects don’t stop advising after the planning stage. We continue to oversee these professionals into the construction, relaying questions, answers and requests from the club to all those involved. We are, in a sense, the link between all those advisors and the club, and much of our work is ‘translating’ the information coming from all the different professionals to the club and explaining why things are necessary or done in a certain way. So, golf course architects need to be good communicators and patient educators.

We deal with the entire club’s hierarchy, from the general manager and green committee to the captain, pros and other club representatives. Preparing presentations to explain the project to members and the community is another example of when top communication skills are needed. Technical plans often are difficult to read, so we prepare colourful masterplans and photomontages to show before/after proposals as well as creating 3D visuals and flythroughs to provide everyone with a better understanding of the work.

As soon as the ‘construction package’ is ready, plans and documents are submitted to the contractor – or contractors if we go to tender. If the latter, the golf course architect will be dealing with the different proposals supervising the process and advising the club if required.

When the contractor is appointed, and the construction window is booked, my work is primarily quality control. I supervise the construction phase from start to finish, ensuring the contractor is following the plan, specifications and the contract. Typically, this requires us to monitor construction on a weekly basis or checking in at key stages.

We are not on site daily, so course managers are our eyes when we’re not there. We’re in close communication with them, making sure things are getting done according to the plan. The aim is to move the project forward as smoothly as possible and to keep track of the progress.

So, we monitor the schedule, attend regular progress meetings and document activities to create a project record. We approve acceptable work and materials, note defective work to be corrected and we can reject work and materials that don’t comply or haven’t been corrected.

As a project manager, we also keep an eye on the expenses and bottom line of the project to ensure it is completed to a quality standard as well as within the agreed budget.

At the start of my career, I thought managing a design project from beginning to end was hard because of the many professionals you must speak with along the way. It can be overwhelming when you’re not an expert. But I soon realised how much you can learn from each other’s background and how rewarding leading an effective team can be. It really gives satisfaction when all the pieces come together, when everybody contributes to a successful golf course project and you, as the architect and project manager, facilitated that process.

This article first appeared in the July 2024 issue of Golf Course Architecture. For a printed subscription or free digital edition, please visit our subscriptions page.

Giulia FerroniGiulia Ferroni

Other posts by Giulia Ferroni

Contact author