THE PLACE TO ENJOY

GOLF AT THE HIGHEST LEVEL

Part 2

The Schloss Pichlarn Golf & Country Club is currently undergoing a comprehensive redesign and aims to become one of Austria’s best golf clubs and pave the way to becoming a Leading Course.

Toni Ortner from our partner Olazabal Design, the internationally renowned golf architecture firm, spoke with us in Part 1 of this interview provided us with interesting insights into the redesign of the Golf & Country Club Schloss Pichlarn and the Olazabal Design firm. Learn more now about his work at the IMLAUER Hotel Schloss Pichlarn golf resort and the new driving range.

What specific projects has Olazabal Design already completed in Austria?

At the Eichenheim Golf Club in Kitzbühel, we have built two new holes (holes 2 and 11) and renovated two others (holes 1 and 10) in recent years. In addition, we’ve built a new, state-of-the-art driving range featuring TrackMan® technology, as well as a fantastic short game area and a putting green. We’re now doing the same in Pichlarn; more on that in a moment.

In 2023, we developed what is arguably Europe’s most modern indoor training facility—the “Performance & Competence Center” (PCC) in Fontana—for the Austrian Golf Association, creating a central hub for European golf, which was officially opened on March 5 of this year. The “PCC” offers state-of-the-art, year-round training facilities as well as high-tech analysis tools, providing unprecedented opportunities for training management and player development. These facilities will benefit not only players from all over Austria—helping to develop the next stars of international golf—but also international golf associations in collaboration with national and international institutions.

In Tillysburg, we renovated the driving range and the 4th hole in 2021, thereby resolving existing issues and improving playability and strategy, and in 2023, we completely redesigned the mowing patterns, layout, cutting heights, etc. in collaboration with the local greenkeeping teams and our agronomy partners. We also carried out the latter in Mondsee in 2023. Just as we did in Pichlarn, we developed conceptual master plans for both clubs in previous years, outlining detailed and comprehensive improvement measures that will be implemented over the next few years.

In addition, we have built modern short game areas at the Mieming Golf Club (2013) and, in the winter of 2020–2021, at the Schloss Schönborn Golf Club, both of which have proven very popular.

ÖGV Training Center Fontana PCC

You don’t just design and build golf courses; you also provide comprehensive consulting services to the clubs—what does that look like in detail?

That’s right—in addition to our core business of planning and design, we have been providing consulting services to GC Linz Tillysburg and GC Am Mondsee—in addition to Pichlarn—since 2021 and 2022, respectively, covering all aspects of agronomy, greenkeeping, irrigation systems, and machinery and equipment. We do this in close collaboration with our internationally renowned partner “TAS – Turf Agronomy & Services” (which, among other things, was responsible for greenkeeping before, during, and after both Ryder Cups at the courses at Golf National in Paris and Marco Simone in Rome).

My idea behind this holistic consulting approach was—and still is—first, to bring world-class greenkeeping expertise to Austria and to align our design work with the needs regarding greenkeeping and maintenance, construction materials, irrigation, machinery, and investment plans—so that everything meshes seamlessly—and to offer the best possible world-class service as well as a closely coordinated, holistic total solution at every level for upscale golf clubs, including those in Austria.

All of this is done while taking into account the relatively high labor costs in Austria and in coordination with our clients’ resources and financial capabilities. And the results in Mondsee and Tillysburg prove our success! In Pichlarn, the same team is at work using the same approach, and the plan this year is to actively and intensively tackle the greenkeeping area and lead it to success.

What changes will be made to the training facilities as part of the redesign?

At the driving range, the tees and tee huts are being redesigned to include a Performance Center featuring Trackman® Range technology, as well as the construction of a spacious, multifunctional short game area/practice area. This provides top-notch practice facilities for both golfers and the golf school.

The goal is to create a practice area where you can simulate every playing situation you’d encounter on the full-size course, —lie positions, shots, bunkers, sloping lies, flat and sloping fairway and rough lies, uphill, downhill, short to long bunker shots, chip-and-run, and lob shots — can be practiced in a targeted manner. Within a distance of up to 80 meters, these playing situations are simulated and replicated so that players can practice all shots in a compact practice area. Ultimately, the multifunctional short game area can also be used as an entertaining compact par-3 course.

The practice range will be built on the site of the existing driving range, featuring new tee huts and a performance studio. The alignment will be rotated a good 30° to the left in the direction of play, and where there used to be a spruce forest in the marsh on the left, the outfield will be redesigned with target greens. The detailed plans for the range’s outfield are currently still under discussion. In terms of location, the range and the short game area in front of it are situated in the entrance area to the hotel resort, where we can also make a significant visual impact. Overall, this is one of the flagship projects of the redesign at GCC Schloss Pichlarn.

Renovation Work on the Driving Range

What is the playing experience like in a short game area?

Golfers can practice various shot scenarios from point A to point B. However, it’s also possible to get creative—with or without a pro’s guidance—and choose your own shots, directions, and targets or flags, in consultation with other players on the course.

The short game area, covering a total of 7,800 m², is divided into an existing practice green measuring 1,600 m² (of which approximately 300 m² is the green itself plus the surrounding area) and a newly constructed short game area measuring approximately 6,200 m². A 700 m² practice green is being built here for all types of approach shots, complete with 3 bunkers (totaling 155 m²), featuring a variety of terrain variations and mowing heights around the practice green, which is relatively long and equipped with many pin positions. In addition, we are creating a dedicated putting green measuring 335 m² adjacent to the driving range. Ample space will be provided for both individual practice and group lessons.

We’ll also make it possible to play this short game area as a par-3 course. This means that, on this course—with various flag positions and tee positions (ribbon tees on the fairway)—you can play a 6- or 9-hole par-3 course. So, in consultation with the client, we’ll provide a suggested layout for how this compact course could be played—for example, as a fun way to cap off a day of practice while playing for a beer.

Basically, after the driving range, the Short Game Area is also the first opportunity for beginners to actually “play” golf without having to go out onto the full course. For kids or people just starting out in golf, the leap from the driving range to an 18-hole course is often a huge one. And that’s where the new Short Game Area helps bridge the gap.

What does this new practice area mean for the Schloss Pichlarn Golf & Country Club?

A quantum leap! Pichlarn will feature state-of-the-art practice facilities. It features a driving range with TrackMan® technology and a Performance Center, a putting green, a chipping green, and a multifunctional short game area with an integrated short course—allowing players to entertainingly replicate and practice every situation they might encounter on the course, under the motto “every shot imaginable.”

The purpose of this investment in the future is to create a practice area and, at the same time, a par-5 course that is second to none—a place where advanced players and professionals can specifically hone their skills, where beginners and children can feel more comfortable playing on the full-size course, and where club pros and external pros can offer groups the perfect practice opportunities. And let’s not forget: a “golf playground” that’s fun and introduces new people—including hotel guests—to the sport of golf!

In general, what details should you pay attention to when redesigning a golf hole?

Everyone! The field of golf course design is a niche within landscape architecture that requires countless technical solutions, starting with creativity, an understanding of the game of golf and architecture itself, as well as a solid knowledge of master planning and spatial planning, soil science, surveying, agronomy, botany, hydrology, hydraulics, and electronics as they relate to irrigation and drainage, civil engineering for roads, paths, and bridges, … and, last but not least, greenkeeping and overall maintenance, as well as strong communication skills.

Safety is always a very important issue—both internal and external safety. Internal safety concerns the golf course itself, the players’ interactions with one another, and the course staff. It means that when a player hits a bad shot, they can warn others of the danger. And that’s where good visibility helps. Or planting a protective tree or hedge so that players are less likely to hit the ball in that direction, or guiding a player to play in one direction rather than another. Incidentally, you should always play away from hazardous areas such as houses or roads.

Then there’s also the question of what climate conditions, prevailing winds, and soil conditions I have; how and where I get my water supply; and how I ensure good drainage and sound agronomic growing conditions for the turf. I need a minimum slope of 2.5 to 3% to allow water to drain off the surface of the fairways. Standing water, constant shade, and poor air circulation are disastrous, not only for play but also for the turf itself.

Also, that the course is strategically designed, fair, yet still playable—for all skill levels and age groups, from pros to advanced amateurs to seniors and children; in other words, even for players with a short driving distance or low swing speed, while still offering an exciting experience. Just as it should be interesting and challenging for the best players. Of course, all of this involves some stark contradictions. To be honest, achieving 100% is never possible here, but the goal is to get as close as possible to the ideal.

How much time should be allocated for a golf course project?

From the initial agreement or the start of planning through to the opening, we generally estimate that it takes between 3 and 6 years to build a new facility internationally—provided it is not a site in Europe subject to an environmental impact assessment (EIA) process. However, one of our projects in France for Catherine Lacoste (daughter of the great Henri Lacoste and herself the 1968 U.S. Women’s Open champion—the only amateur in history to have won the title to date) is still awaiting the start of construction after 15 years.

With an existing golf course, it always depends on the scope of the work. You can think of a redesign or renovation as similar to building a house. It’s much easier to build a new house than to remodel an existing one. Just like with building a house, basic information is often missing when it comes to golf courses—for example, what utility lines are actually there and where they run underground. And then you have to piece together the entire infrastructure to create a cohesive, functioning system again. That’s not always easy.

However, the biggest constraint on an existing golf course—aside from budget and land-use or property boundaries—is typically ongoing play, which, ideally, should be maintained throughout the season. But of course, the renovation should ideally take place outside the season, in late fall or winter; it’s just unfortunate that our grass varieties require soil temperatures of at least 15°C to grow, and a green takes about three months to become playable at those temperatures after seeding. Clearly, this inevitably leads to restrictions on match operations. The trick is to proceed skillfully within the framework of construction scheduling and logistics.

It’s also very important for us to make it clear that when building a golf course, you always have to plan and organize backward—from the end (the start of play / opening) to the beginning (the start of construction or planning). When there’s heavy rain and the ground is wet, this usually leads to widespread erosion, which is difficult to repair. In poor weather conditions, you can’t perform earthwork, nor can you prepare the planting beds for seeding. Furthermore, in my view, in addition to professional partners and construction companies, communication and transparency with the client, the contractors, and all other key stakeholders (including club members) are essential for success.

What are the current trends in the (re)design of golf courses?

Globally speaking, with the exception of the Arabian Gulf and Asia, the trend over the past decade has been moving back toward minimalist design and naturalness. Sustainability is a global trend that is often reduced in the mass media to just environmental concerns, but which, strictly speaking, consists of four pillars: the ecological—which is almost exclusively discussed—the human, the social, and the financial. Specific measures include: reducing intensively maintained play areas, using native plants (autochthonous), creating nutrient-poor meadows and seasonally wet biotopes, utilizing regional building materials, and practicing resource management in planning, construction, and maintenance. One trend, for example, is the use of electrically powered maintenance equipment.

By far the biggest issue on an international level, however, is the availability and careful use of water! While irrigation here in Germany is done with drinking water or groundwater, in Spain it has been mandatory for years to use water from wastewater treatment plants. While farmers in Italy are still fiercely resisting this practice, in France it was—until recently—even prohibited to use treated wastewater in agriculture and on golf courses. However, things are changing here. At the Education City Golf Club in Qatar, treated wastewater was used for irrigation instead of drinking water from an early stage—a measure that significantly reduced the course’s freshwater consumption.

In addition, there is a strong global trend toward top-notch practice facilities and short-game formats—that is, entertaining compact golf courses, par-3 courses, putting courses, and Himalaya greens. This is due in part—though not exclusively—to the many leisure activities people engage in these days and the resulting lack of time.

Lighting is another trend that makes it possible to play at night. Artificial turf is also gaining popularity, even though, unfortunately, many golfers aren’t ready for it yet.

And finally, in addition to entertainment (such as TopGolf ranges), there’s a huge trend toward indoor golf, performance centers, simulation and virtual golf, as well as tech tools and gadgets—from TrackMan to Foresight, TruGolf, Zen Green Stage, PuttView, Gears, Sam PuttLab, and more. Indoor golf, simulation, and golf in smaller spaces are becoming increasingly popular. The facilities we build, including training analysis devices and simulators, are suitable for both top golf pros and the average golfer among us. Of course, they need a little guidance on how to properly interpret and use the data, but every golfer can then make great use of the data provided by such a simulation (angle of arrival, shot distance, ball flight) to improve their game. This is interesting for everyone, and a good golf simulation is fun, fast-paced, and very close to the real game of golf. By the way, a golf simulator can also be combined in a variety of fun ways with other sports games—such as soccer, baseball, bowling, ice hockey, soccer golf, and disc golf—as well as with Wild West shooting games and more.