Constructing a Future in Golf Course Design

Their names have become synonymous with the game of golf as the legendary figures and champions that tread upon the hallowed grounds they've carefully created.

Alister MacKenzie, Donald Ross, Robert Trent Jones, Pete Dye and Tom Fazio are as recognized in the realm of golf as Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer.

Today, course design is hardly an afterthought. 

"You know how Arnold Palmer brought golf to television," said Bruce Charlton, a member of the American Society of Golf Course architects." I think that Pete (Dye) is one of the icons in our industry that has brought the awareness of golf course architecture to a much higher level."

Certainly golf course architecture has come a long way since Dye, who was recently inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame, watered the greens at his father's nine-hole course in Pennsylvania with just a garden hose.

There are a variety of different paths one can take in hopes of becoming the next Pete Dye or Donald Ross. Here is a look at the skills necessary to attempt the trade and how one man, Hilton Head-based designer Clyde Johnston, made his way to the industry.

ASGCA Member Clyde Johnston's Path to Becoming a Golf Course Architect

Creating a golf course has become an almost religious experience for those associated with the game, and if ever there were a guaranteed way to attract visitors to your golf club, it's anchoring the place to one of the aristocrats of golf course architecture.

However, if your last name doesn't reflect a certain pedigree for golf course design or you haven't won a major championship, breaking into the field might be a tougher task than teeing it up on the PGA Tour.

"It's a difficult field to break into, especially now," explained Clyde Johnston, a Hilton Head-based architect who is also a member of the ASGCA. "Courses were overbuilt in the mid-90s when there was a big run of construction. Now the market is real soft."

A shrinking market for a profession with already limited opportunity is bad news for aspiring architects and designers dreaming of breaking into the exclusive trade.

Johnston says while the market is now at a standstill, the game of golf certainly won't be disappearing from public view anytime soon and more opportunities will eventually present themselves.

"I think you have to be good at what you do," Johnston said. "But if you're talented and persistent, you can still get into the business."

If you're still adamant about entering one of the job market's most competitive and select fields, here is a look at some of the steps and necessary sacrifices one should be prepared to make.

Landscape Architecture - it was then and remains today as the most direct and related path to someday drawing up plans for your own 18.

Simply defined, the concentration is the art, planning, design, management, preservation and rehabilitation of the land and the design of human-made constructs.

A number of large universities, in particular many schools in the Southeastern and Big Ten Conferences, offer degrees in Landscape Architecture.

This background gives a designer the unique vision needed to transform a virgin piece of land into a picturesque setting.

"It's more about aesthetics now then it was 30-40 years ago," Johnston stated. "I attribute that to Landscape Architecture backgrounds which have had a lot of influence. It became an art form in the 70s and 80s."

Turf Grass Management is another recommended area of study, but the accompanying subjects that are useful is a broad list.

Engineering ability, specifically Hydraulic engineering which works with pumps and motors is desired. Also helpful is Agronomy, the science of soil fertility and drainability, and Agrastology, the science of turf culture.

But why stop there? A prospective designer might also want to brush up on his or her chemistry, cost accounting and knowledge of earth-moving equipment and its operation.

That sounds like a lot, but with a steadfast dedication, it is possible to achieve over four or five years in a university setting.

Now here comes the hard part, and maybe the most difficult of the extensive list of desirable skills mentioned up to this point - a thorough understanding of the game, including its history and rules.

For Johnston, a 1973 graduate from North Carolina State University with a Bachelor of Environmental Design in Landscape Architecture, his upbringing was well-suited to his eventual career path.

Clyde's father was Clement B. "Johnny" Johnston,  PGA Professional and one time golf coach at Wake Forest from 1947-51, where he coached Palmer.

Johnny Johnston also dabbled in golf course architecture, designing several courses for no fee, just to promote the game of golf. His preliminary work for a municipal course in High Point, N.C., and the construction of a golf course nearby were key factors in Clyde's decision to pursue golf course architecture as a career.

Clyde recalled the days in the basement of his childhood home, peering at his father's topographic maps of golf course. He spent some time working with his father on construction sites and at the age of 13, piloted a tractor over some rocky terrain that he would eventually clear by hand to make way for a fairway.

Little did Clyde Johnston know at the time, but this was the beginning of his specialized training.

"One day we were in the basement when my dad looked up and said, ‘one day, you could make a career out of this'," he recalled.

It would be 14 years following his college graduation until Johnston opened his own design firm.

Post-college, the overwhelming majority of golf course architects work as apprentices for established ASGCA members for 10 years, usually more. The first solo golf course design normally occurs while they are in their mid-30's after substantial experience working for a seasoned architect.

Johnston trained under the watchful eye of Willard C. Byrd. He worked with Byrd on the initial 18 holes of the Heather Glen Golf Club in Little River, SC.

After a series of apprenticeships, Johnston left his position with Byrd's design firm and embarked on his own career, a move that is considered the hardest step along the way that often is not financially beneficial at first.

"I left my job with Willard Byrd on March 1, and come December, I couldn't pay the mortgage," Johnston said. "Finally, I was hired for a project and basically got two design commissions in the span of a week and never looked back. I came real close to not making it."

Now with many successful years of solo design projects under his belt, Johnston fondly looks back on his past with a sense of relief and accomplishment.

"It's a nice feeling to be able to look down that road and consider how many brand new courses and renovations I've done," he added.

Johnston has designed a number of renowned courses including Heather Glen, Old South Golf Links, just outside of Hilton Head Island, River Landing Country Club in North Carolina and Cherry Blossom Golf Club in Georgetown, Kentucky.

While Johnston is one of the success stories, odds of becoming a world-class architect are very slim.

Out of the roughly dozen aspiring young architects that have worked under Johnston since his design firm started operation in 1987, he estimates that only one member of that group is still remaining in the business. Others left because they didn't' see a future in the business or didn't have a knack for it.

However, Johnston is hopeful that when his time in the business draws to a close, he will find a suitable person to carry the torch.

"I'd like to leave a legacy behind," he said. "Someday, I'd like to have a partner. I hope to find a young person capable of taking over someday."

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