Thoughts On An Olympic Golf Course...

Since the International Golf Federation navigated the murky waters of IOC politicking, they must now aid the Rio planning committee in finding a venue suitable for golf. That likely means retrofitting an existing course, or, most likely, build one from scratch.

They have a wonderful opportunity to make a statement for golf course development and re-development of existing courses throughout the world. With that kind of precedent setting power in mind, I'd first suggest they read Tom Friedman's Golf Digest interview to get in the right frame of mind before considering a few dream parameters. There is the obvious caveat that many of these factors are site driven if you hope to fully embrace the local environment and contain costs.

Here goes:

- Build 18 holes with a nice range. 36-holes is not needed, especially since land is at such a premium anywhere near Rio. Because the format is a stale 72-hole stroke play event for both men and women, there is no need for the two courses that a round robin match play or larger field event would have required.

- Include a par-3 course. Keep the holes 60-140 yards and use the par-3 course to host a pre-Olympic first round exhibition to help legitimize the pitch and putt course around the globe as an ideal starting place for new golfers. It would also leave behind a nice spot for locals to have some fun after the games have left town (assuming this is a public facility, maybe a First Tee or some other kind of learning center?).

- A less than 7,000 yard course. Even if it's 6,995 yards. Yes, a proper challenge can still be created. We've been told the groove rule change will act as a backdoor ball rollback, so let's work under the assumption this is true. Put the focus on strategic golf via an abundance of short par-4s, a couple of wild under-160-yard par-3s and in general, a course filled with plenty of risk-reward holes. Pace of play issues caused by an abundance of par 3 1/2 style holes should not be an issue with only a 60 player field (finally, a perk with the mundane format). A shorter course will also make it a easier to accommodate both men and women as long as rough harvesters aren't doing the setup. Even better, under 7000 helps reduce acreage and improve the chances of leaving a smaller footprint behind…

Natural material paths and golf in a native setting at its finest: Cypress Point (click to enlarge)-Under 200 acres! Depending on site elevation changes and environmental issues, any attempt to keep the course on no more than 175 acres would set a nice example, but ideally if we could get back to the days of 150 acres proving ample for golf it would be a huge win for the supposed worldwide development explosion some are predicting. Remember, many of the world's best designs are under 150 acres, but that was before liability lawyers started winning cases against golf architects.

-No cart paths. If you have carts, they should be solar-powered and riding along a natural surface that can handle Rio's more formidable weather.

"Crunchy" areas like this off of fairways mean less maintenance and a better penalty than manicured rough (click image to enlarge)- As little maintained turf as possible. It would be wonderful to see a well publicized, self-imposed Arizona-style cap on watered acreage, something like 90 acres of fairway maintained rough, and 50 or so acres for non-irrigated native areas. Even less maintained turf would be wonderful if the site allowed, but just re-establishing another late 20th century maximum would do wonders for future and existing developments that aim to limit resource waste.

- Organic maintenance practices if possible. It'll be a Bermuda grass setting which makes a full-fledged organic golf course impossible, but this will be a great opportunity to introduce Paspalum on a big stage and to tell its story. While it's not great for fast and firm golf, this more recent strain of Bermuda can tolerate reclaimed water and still requires the use of modern insecticides and herbicides. It's a less intensive grass to maintain and another great way to send a signal that Olympic golf is sympathetic to the environment.

- A small, solar powered clubhouse incorporating Olympic themes. Perhaps there's a permanent medal stand and international flag display in view of the entrance drive or 18th hole to reflect this once-in-a-lifetime event, but keep the building simple and send a message that clubhouses do not have to be titanic in scale.

- Absolutely no bunkers in the shape of the Olympic rings. And no bunkers shaped like the inevitable cutesy Rio mascot. Also, please, no Gold, Silver and Bronze pot bunker patches.

We'll tolerate Gold, Silver and Bronze tees. But that's it!

Otherwise, keep it quaint, keep it classy, keep it fun, keep it site-specific and avoid the pricey kitsch that all too often defines modern golf development.

Comments

[Benjamin Warren]

Hey Geoff,
Few more thoughts on important Copenhagen decisions, and some solutions for showcasing socially and environmentally responsible golf here:

http://www.golfenvironment.org/about/news/view/sport-and-environment-spotlight-shines-on-denmark

And background environmental engagement with the IOC / UNEP here:

http://www.golfenvironment.org/about/news/view/golf-in-focus-at-olympic-conference

Enjoying your take on this subject. Cheers,

GEO

[Scott]

It will be fun to look back at this list 5 years from now when the course is built to see how many of these things they actually did.

What would be the opposite Olympic Golf Course?

7,600 yards, holes far away from each other requiring carts, lots of home sites, 54 holes as one course would be named the Gold Course, another the Silver Course and the last one the Bronze course. Gee, sounds like a Rees Jones type of place.

[RM]

Good stuff. Good list of things to do, but you forgot to list the most important thing not to do: Don't hire Rees Jones (or Fazio, Cupp, Palmer, Nicklaus, etc.). They need to get Crenshaw/Coore down there.

[Bif]

How about this. Use the course that's there. Let people score low. Play the rounds fast.

[MacDuff]

And the architect of Stadio Golfo Olympico will be...Dai Laughing all the way to the bank.
Makes sense to have a South American golfer though, a Cabrera or Villegas or a collaboration.
A Brazilian lady architect would be my obviously-liberal-biased choice.

[Ky Laffoon's Ghost]

Geoff, you are such a dreamer! Keep it up.

[Mike T.]

Classy and Olympic appear to be mutually exclusive terms. The chances of something as modest and, dare I say it, responsible (socially, economically and environmentally) as you describe it being constructed are about the same as me making a double eagle during my next round.

But as KLG says, dream on. It can't hurt to articulate the vision.

[Joe Jemsek]

It would make sense to hire a South American golf course designer, maybe former dye protégé, Dan Blankenship. He has lived down there for +15 and has a construction team in place. A truly environmentally friendly golf course wouldn't have it’s architect flying around the world in private jets.

[Aunt Blabbie]

4 holes. The likes of which the world has never seen.

[doug]

How about playing it on the Par-3 course... 3 clubs and putter... it's not like you see more than putts on a telecast anyway...

... or 6,000 yard course w/ 3 clubs and a putter...

[JohnR]

Doug, Best idea yet.

[Erik J. Barzeski]

I think they should hold the tournament on alternating days, too. Men can play on days 1, 3, 5, and 7, with women playing on days 2, 4, 6, and 8.

That'll introduce a weird quirk, too - do you "work on" something on your day off, or do you just play whatever you've got?

I like all of your ideas about the course. Except maybe the limiting it to 18 holes bit. What's about building an "Olympic Course" and a "Little Olympians" course (ok, the name sucks, but hear me out)? To truly build something for the First Tee, build a course that's 4000 yards and includes par threes, fours, and fives. A "Honey I Shrunk the Golf Course" course. It'd be a great way to learn the game and not much harder to build than a par-three course. If an adult ever wants to play it (with his kids or whatever), they could use the Cayman balls that are still sold around the world or something.

Even kids would get bored playing little par threes all in a row.

[MacDuff]

afterthought: should've been Campo Golfo Olympico,,,but Stadio will be more apt i warrant.

[Frank]

Being an avid golfer myself I of course think it's great that golf is again included. However, it's going to be the same professional golfers playing at the Olympics who already play against each other almost every weekend. In addition we already have a number of international events for the pros, i.e. the Ryder Cup, the Presidents Cup etc. I would have much preferred to see top talent golf amateurs from all over the world competing against each other. In the distant past the Olympic Games were only for amateurs, but nowadays it's just another media events with the same professionals that get paid huge fees for their appearance alone.