Golf Course Design & Landscape Architecture - Part 1

Landscape Architecture encompasses the analysis, planning, design, management, and stewardship of the natural and built environments. This includes the design of golf courses, which are classified as recreational landscapes. The term Landscape Architecture appears to have been first used by Gilbert Meason, a friend and co-traveler of Sir Walter Scott, in his book “On the Landscape Architecture of the Great Painters of Italy” (1828). The title Landscape Architect was first used in the United States by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux for their plan of Central Park in New York City in 1858. The design of Central Park included approximately 800 acres of land. In 1899, the first professional body was formed – The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). In 1900, the first university course in Landscape Architecture was started at Harvard.



At nearly the same time the ASLA was being formed, the first golf courses in America were being built. Because golf was a new sport in the United States, most of courses were designed by professional or skilled golfers who knew the game from Scotland. Many of the methods for constructing the new golf courses were borrowed from the techniques of working Landscape Architects. Park planning and construction were often similar in both scale and scope of work. However, due to the “newness” of the sport in America, golf course design did not develop within traditional landscape architecture in the early period. During the golden age of golf course design (1919-1939) many of the Landscape Architects were working on urban parks, open space systems, National Parks, campus plans, cemeteries, and large estates. The development of cities and the desire of the growing middle class to live and find leisure time in organized spaces led to the advancement of the profession during the early decades of the 20th century. If not for the financial crash of 1929 and the ensuing Great Depression, it is likely that golf course design would have naturally merged into the folds of Landscape Architecture, and benefited from it. In fact, some golf course designers, such as Stanley Thompson - employed Landscape Architects in their office during the earlier period. However, during the great depression, golf course construction was nearly extinct and traditional landscape architecture was focused on public works programs, such as the Civil Conservation Corps (CCC). The CCC took advantage of Landscape Architects skill and employed them in designing new towns, public recreation facilities, and new highways were constructed as rural “parkways”.

In the next post, I will discuss the modern era of golf design and how the lack of Landscape Architectural training led to an era of generally poor and "uncreative" course design.