Did you ever design your own course?

[PEZGolf]

I have---9 holes. About 30 years ago, I put together a group of investors to try buying a 9 hole course where my Dad and I learned to play this great game. There was enough land to construct a second 9.  My buddy ,who has a degree in turf management, was to be the Superintendent. He and I laid out the plans for the new 9. It was to be carved through the hardwoods and pines! We would have retained the name-----_Maple crest--- where a scenic view welcomes you! The family politely declined our purchase offer and still oens it to this day!

[Coronagolfman]

Used to design lots of courses on the old Jack Nicklaus Course Designer Software from Accolade. 

Great piece of software - pretty much allowed you to build whatever terrain features you wanted simply and easily (latter versions of course designer software way too complicated).  Then you could play the course using the Nicklaus game program.

Loads of fun - perhaps when I retire I will take a run at trying to get that older program to work on current systems (I'm guessing that older software will not just easily drop into more modern systems) or just find some older system to run it on again.

[Patch]

I have helped to build a couple of courses but no designing. Close as I have come to designing anything golf related was a putter, and my own back yard practice area.

That practice area was 40' X 40'. Had everyting I needed from long shots to the shortest of putts. Even had a bunker, and a small water hazard. Best part about it was the putting area was adjustable, and all my chips and short pitch shots were hit off real turf. 

[Golfingdad]

I used to design layouts in my notebook while bored in college sometimes, does that count? :P

[WUTiger]

3 hours ago, Coronagolfman said:

Used to design lots of courses on the old Jack Nicklaus Course Designer Software from Accolade. 

Great piece of software - pretty much allowed you to build whatever terrain features you wanted simply and easily (latter versions of course designer software way too complicated).  Then you could play the course using the Nicklaus game program.

Loads of fun - perhaps when I retire I will take a run at trying to get that older program to work on current systems (I'm guessing that older software will not just easily drop into more modern systems) or just find some older system to run it on again.

I did the same in the old Accolade JN-5 golf game.

The layout was called Union Park GC, designed for a recreational to competitive-amateur clientele in mind. (If someone actually build Union Park, it would never host the US Open.)  I initially built the 18 holes, and then went back and tweaked each one. 

I found I had to fine-tune the sand bunkers with the screen blown up to 200%, or I sometimes ended with sand surface that was higher than - rather than lower than - the surrounding fairway. Overall, I had about 60 hours of time devoted to building and enhancing the course.

But, I got a Windows upgrade circa 2006, and the Accolade module would no longer work at all.

[saevel25]

3 hours ago, Golfingdad said:

I used to design layouts in my notebook while bored in college sometimes, does that count? :P

I had a whole course designed in high school in one of my note books. It was very much a US links style course 

[Ernest Jones]

I'm downloading The Golf Club as I post, so very soon the answer will be yes. 

 

[PEZGolf]

3 hours ago, Golfingdad said:

I used to design layouts in my notebook while bored in college sometimes, does that count? :P

Sure. It is a start!

[LeftRightLeft]

On ‎1‎/‎3‎/‎2016 at 0:21 PM, saevel25 said:

I had a whole course designed in high school in one of my note books. It was very much a US links style course 

LOL, just saw this post.  I did too, and I still dream about it.   There was a course near where I grew up that just begged for a makeover.  In a Junior High art class (1973) I drew each hole, following the existing routing. 

The course is built on peat/sand.  It drains really well, and was the go-to course after a rain.  There are very few trees.   It's located in the Sacramento Delta region (quite foggy in the winter), tends to be windy, so it just begs to be modeled on a minimalist links course.  Which is exactly what I designed based on photographs of St Andrews and other Scottish links courses.  I drew new green complexes, the green views from the fairway, plus the overhead hole layouts.  Well, my teacher said it wasn't "art".  Philistine.   

About ten years later, the owner of the course obtained drawings from an architect for a remodel.  Traditional BORING crap adding water hazards with fountains and such.  Just like every other course from the '80s.   The remodel never happened.   I just heard that it shut down last October.  I found out on LoopNet they want $22m for the land.  California real estate.   Yikes.     

[VIBlackfish]

Designed a course in college for a drafting design class. Don't think it ever got built. I did build a driving range and redesigned a couple holes at a course where I was Superintendent .