Excerpt:

To start the planning process, I recommend envisioning the facility you want as if you have no boundaries or constraints. Imagine your ideal practice facility with every desired feature. Once those goals are determined, allow your designer to incorporate as many of those things as possible into the final design. Things like budget, space, safety, and feasibility of construction will of course be determining factors in the design, and a design professional can show you the best ways to marry your desires with the realities of the site.  

The most important budget consideration is that it be realistic. Your designer can lead you to lower-cost construction alternatives that don't sacrifice quality, and the final practice facility design will largely depend on what can be accommodated financially.  

Read the entire piece in the July issue of Golf Course Architecture magazine.

Independence: More than Renovated; A Golf Course Redefined

Excerpt:

The success of the project in speeding up play is clear for all to see. A study of starting and ending times before and after the renovation shows almost a full hour's reduction in the length of an average round. Visitors who knew Independence in its prior configuration took note of the many speed-enhancing changes and improvements and expressed their gratitude.

Taylor has appreciation in particular for the look George gave to hole No. 11, a par 3 that was bunkered all around, almost moat-style, in the original design.

"Lester removed three of the four bunkers," Taylor says, "but you still stand on the tee feeling that you need to play away from sand. He also added some length, but that's fine because now you can land short and run the ball up. Every time I look at what he did with that green site I think, 'Man, that looks good.' "

When the course reopened for play in the fall, golfers raved about the changes. They could find wayward tee shots and advance the ball from the rough. The average round time was reduced by nearly an hour, to four hours, five minutes, which meant that up to 10 more groups could play on any given day.

Read the full article on the Independence Golf Club website:

In case you missed the article about Lester in The Virginia Golfer, you can read it online here.

Seeing The Old Course Through Architectural Eyes

(AP Photo / David J. Phillip)

Lester comments on the architectural features of The Old Course at St. Andrews.

Excerpt:

I was most favorably impressed by the Old Course when I finally got to play it.  It is absolutely one of the most fun golf courses I have ever played.  I was particularly enthralled with how much it demands that you consider all the approaches to the hole.  Going "to ground" became the preferred approach inside of eighty yards because of the wind, and it made for a really enjoyable experience.

Looks can be deceiving. The Old Course has to played to be completely appreciated. It was a game-changer for me. Bobby Jones, whose worst indiscretion in golf occurred when he walked off the course out of frustration, later said, "I could take out of my life everything except my experiences at St. Andrews, and I would still have a rich and full life."  That says it all.

Read the full article on The Epoch Times website.