Stephen Kay, ASGCA

Stephen Kay, ASGCA offers creative ways to bounce back in a struggling economy, and shares who inspires his designs. Stephen has been as ASGCA member since 1995 and is Principal of Stephen Kay/Doug Smith Golf Course Design, LLC of Egg Harbor, New Jersey.

A solution to consider in the recession....

Early in my career, I built a 9-hole course near Millerton, New York, but I didn't just do two sets of tees to make an 18-hole course; I did two greens on some holes, or I did big double greens, so the course had 18 tees and 18 pins, greens, and flags, but only nine fairways.

I think constructing a course in this way is especially appealing in a recession, as courses are able to save money while still providing interesting and affordable public golf. It is a nice, inexpensive compromise for a municipality that has issues with space or a developer with housing. While it costs a little more to maintain than a traditional 9-holer (there's more green), such a course is often more marketable despite that.

The art of restoration...

In tough economic times, restoration of classic courses is often an appealing option. With all of the technology advances that have taken place since old designs were constructed, restoring a course so it is challenging to the best golfers can be a bit of a test. In trying to balance the restoration of a course to its old design with recent technological advances, I always consider: "Is the old style from someone famous? Is it worth preserving?" Then, I investigate whether the architect was actually on the site, or if he did the work by mail. (Architects often did more ornate work when they were on site.) If an architect wasn't on site much, I tend to make a design a bit more ornate when restoring, in an attempt to create what the original architect would have done if he was actually on site.

Occasionally, I also need to move something to get more yardage for the course and to get the bunkers back into play for who they were intended to be in play. First, I try to move tees, and then I'll move the bunkers if I can't move the tees back. All of this is done with very conscious thought, as I try to imagine what the original architect would do if he came back today to renovate his course.

But first and foremost...

Above all, a golf course architect's first duty is to design a golf course that's safe. Clients won't be left with a design where people are ducking balls and feeling like they need a batting helmet. Personally, I will walk away from the job instead of risk someone getting hurt on a cramped site.

The ultimate inspiration...

I think learning from the "masters" of golf is a valuable experience, no matter what your role in the golf world is, or how long you have been involved with golf. I studied the architecture of old master designers like Ross and Tillinghast, collecting photos and books, going into the field to compare pictures with real life, and studying architectural drawings.

Probably because of this, some of my favorite architects are Ross, who used land well and routed his courses well, and Tillinghast, who did great-looking bunkers. I also like Devereux Emmet, who did interesting putting surfaces, and Macdonald/Raynor/Banks, who did the same 25 holes but made every course feel different and have a great variety and character of its own.

Content for this piece was taken from an article on GolfObserver.com, titled, "Talk with course architect Stephen Kay." To read the article in its entirety and learn more about Stephen Kay, please visit here.

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