Damian Pascuzzo, ASGCA

ASGCA invites you to get to know Damian Pascuzzo as he shares some of his thoughts about golf course architecture and insights into the industry. Damian first joined ASGCA in 1985 and served as ASGCA President from spring of 2001 to spring of 2002. He currently practices with his firm Pascuzzo & Pate, Golf Course Architects headquartered in California.

Damian Discusses his design influences in golf course architecture…

I think I am influenced to some extent from everything I see—both inside and outside of golf. From things as mundane as the planning and architecture of towns and cities to the design of every course I play. I always like to look at how people respond to different environments whether they are playing the fifth fairway or standing on Fifth Avenue. How do they respond to color, texture, shape and scale? I think much our enjoyment of golf is derived on an emotional basis as well as an athletic basis and so I try to evoke different emotions in the player through the design of each hole. To do that I draw from things I have seen all over the world.

Certainly, you remember all of the things you liked on courses that you have played and I think most of us will try to incorporate some of those things into our own work using our own interpretation. But sometimes its not a specific feature that strikes me, rather it is a particular design approach to a project. The way an architect took the project conditions and responded in a bold fashion, or perhaps took a simpler, subtle approach. That is what sticks with you and makes you think about what you would have done.

What one thing would Damian do if he were the “golf czar”…

I’d round up every golfer who has never been to St Andrews and take them over to play The Old Course. I think it would be wonderful for them to experience golf in such a pure form. It might also change some attitudes about what golf in American should be like.

Popular misconceptions Damian faces about his job as a golf course architect…

Most people think we spend our days out on beautiful pieces of property waving our hands directing bulldozers—nothing is further from the truth. For the most part, we’re small businessmen…getting invoices out, paying the bills, marketing, handling human resource issues. The travel is interesting, but can be taxing on personal and family life. A small percentage of our time is actually spent on “the fun stuff” of design. The months and years of planning, meetings, design, coordination and the host of other background tasks that goes into the job before we’re out on the project moving dirt is not seen, or understood, by most people.

Damian’s thoughts on restoration projects…

It’s a popular debate. In my opinion, restoration can get overly romanticized. For most classic golf courses, they’ve gone through a depression, a world war and countless green chairmen. All of which have had an impact on the golf course. Golf courses are living things that naturally change. If you want to “restore” an 80 year old golf course, to which era of its existence do you want to restore it to? I’m amazed by hard core restorationists that think things should be exactly as they used to be…if you’re going to do that, as Alice Dye, who is much smarter than I am, once told me, pull out your modern irrigation system and get rid of your modern maintenance equipment, because they didn’t have those things when many of the classic courses were being built.

I think it’s far more important to understand the original designer style and design philosophy, but make it relevant to today’s equipment, players and maintenance practices.

Damian talks about challenges to growing the game…

Competition. That’s the major challenge today—there are so many more options for us to spend our recreation dollars and our time. Golf continues to be perceived as expensive, time-consuming, and difficult. I’m not sure there’s one national answer…but there is probably a thousand local answers. As designers, we need to keep exploring ways to get more utility for our clients out of their traditional 18-hole facility other than just playing nine or 18 holes. But, there has to be a willingness from developers and operators to explore non-traditional options. It is something we have to work together on.

Internationally we need to keep reminding the developers that it not all about the high end player. Keeping golf affordable for the masses in these emerging markets is what will drive demand.

Damian looks into the future…

I’ve said this many times, golf needs a revolution like snowboarding was to skiing. I feel more strongly about that than ever. I’m not sure what form that revolution takes, perhaps a game played with fewer holes, or fewer clubs, or an emphasis on speed and time. As an industry within the US, we need to find ways to expand golf’s appeal by trying to make it fit in better with today’s lifestyle. We’re living our lives in these two-hour increments, so to take four to six hours to spend on the golf course is difficult for anybody. Architects, though, are not well-positioned to lead the charge. We don’t have the resources to promote alternative forms of the game although we can help with their creation. Snowboarding took years to catch on, but when it did, it spurred all sorts of other innovation in winter sports. For golf to go through a similar change and expand its customer base it’ll take a Nike, or Adidas to get behind it. The benefit to them would not only be new customers, but alternative clothing lines and equipment. I see it as no threat to the existing game, but a way to stimulate interest in the basic game to new, younger audiences. I don’t see how that can be bad for anybody.