Greetings Golfers,
Once in awhile, you meet someone who “gets it”.
Well, I didn’t meet Forrest Richardson, however, I just watched a video he made about golf course architecture … and he “gets it”. Not just golf architecture … but the game of golf.
Richardson is the new president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects. His love of golf … and his understanding of why people play golf and why it is important to our society and our planet is mind-boggling and inspiring.
In the film he says “The game of 400 years ago was nothing like it is today. The term ‘golf course’ meant nothing until the game had been played for several hundred years.”
More: “We need to keep looking at new formats for courses. We’ve had such a great run of looking at designs that break the mold. Our creativity needs to ramp up as we define what a golf course is and what it can be. Exciting stuff is happening across the world, but I’m certain not everything has been done or considered when figuring out how we design holes or how these new courses are going to look.”
Richardson is not a “change for change sake” guy … he wants golf course designers to ‘keep thinking’.
In fact, he says ‘Less is More’: “Playing the game does not rely on hundreds of acres. That model will live on, but we need to plan smaller footprints or even not leave a footprint at all … rethink the water, the materials, the labor, the resources we use to build and maintain a golf course. The same creativity holds true with practice. Whether indoors or out, fun is now part of the program.”
“Let’s start asking whether there are new ways to play the game, and also the wheres, the whens, and the who? The game itself is where we can make a difference, and creativity is where we will help mold the game to fit an entirely new generation that has yet to come to golf. Golf courses of the future should be different, and they will be. We have the opportunity to ensure that difference will be more fun, more enjoyable, more diverse and inviting”.
See what I mean? … he gets it.
Please hit the link and watch the video. His passion comes through … with intelligence, creativity, and a love of people and golf.
Cheers,
Tom Abts
GM/Head PGA Professional
tabts@deerrungolf.com
Deer Run Golf Club
8661 Deer Run Drive
Victoria, MN 55386
(952) 443-2351
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