German Golf Association Wrong Again

The DGV has admitted one error and is replacing it with another of equal magnitude. Until now, many architects' blindly followed the DGV by placing the ladies (forward) tees at 12% of the men's tee... Now the 12% rule will be changed to a new and improved system'. Any systemization' can only produce less than ideal golf courses and therefore should be ignored.

Unfortunately the 12% recommendation/rule' has bored its way deep into the flesh of German golf like a worm in an apple as the vast majority of courses have been built using it. The result? Many courses which are simply too long for most ladies, beginners, some juniors and seniors. In such cases the game has been reduced to a bout of slogging rather than a game of strategy, skill and enjoyment. The new and improved' recommendation may seem better on the surface, but like a worm eaten apple, it is not.

In 1933, Dr. Alister Mackenzie one of the giants in golf course architecture made two statements which are relevant: ...it is most unsafe to generalize on length'...and His (the designer's) knowledge of the game should be so intimate that he knows instinctively what is likely to produce good golf and good golfers.'

It is impossible to use a magic formula' for each hole on every course without sacrificing the quality of design. The scope of golf course design is far too broad and complex for such generalizations. Every hole has its own premium formula' and it is up to the designer to find' the solution through thorough analysis of each particular hole and how it interacts with the others. That is a serious and significant part of our work. I find it humorous to think the great architects would allow anyone, especially someone unfamiliar with the property or its existence, to dictate the design of their golf courses...especially the critical aspects of strategy and flow!!!

As an expert player requires a test which includes length, I strongly believe shorter, more interesting golf courses are absolutely critical to making golf more pleasurable and attractive for many groups. This is based on today's scientific data and two decades of intense observation. A.W. Tillinghast, a historic architect, stated in an article For the Good of the Game - The Fetish of Length: for the day-in and day-out play of the modest ones, who yet delight in calling themselves golfers', considerably less length should be offered'...(italics are mine)...further...'But when the shorter ranges are not considered, or not possible because teeing areas are restricted, then the situation is deplorable'...and...It isn't how far but how good!' (Italics by A.W. Tillinghast!) Even though written in 1935, it is still an accurate and seemingly timeless analysis.

The foremost goal of any conscientious golf course designer is to establish the absolute highest standards of quality possible for his client. Strategically this means designing courses which play exceptionally well for the entire golf population...creating facilities which are all inclusive. To accomplish this goal the architect must be an expert about golf and how it is played by all classes of players.

As George Thomas Jnr., another design legend wrote in his landmark book Golf Architecture in America: Its Strategy and Construction (1927); to learn architecture one must know golf itself, its companionships, its joys, its sorrows, its battles - one must play golf and love it.' There is no substitute. If the designer is truly an expert, formula's are unnecessary and are instinctively' abhorred...if not, the individual in question has no business designing golf courses. One must remember golf courses are multi-million DM investments which compete amongst each other for current and future members.

For those courses recently constructed to the old formula'... is it not possible they will be subjected to marketing strategies by newer clubs claiming the competitors design is obsolete'? That the new designs are more enjoyable, fun, thrilling, and manageable? Who takes responsibility in such situations? The DGV...or the architect'? Such situations are avoided when arbitrary formula's are abolished.

Eighty plus years after the great golf minds began their noble battle to free golf of arithmatic design, and where there is no precedent by known' golf architects current or historic to systematize the tee placements or any aspect of design, German golf courses continue to be built by formula'...creating less than ideal circumstances for almost half the golf population.

The solution is simple... Eliminate any such recommendations. The qualified designers are the experts, not amateur sports organizations.