Architect’s Time On-Site

During Construction

100% 0 to 6%
Tony Ristola Typical
LEADERSHIP DRIVEN GOLF COURSE ARCHITECTURE

MY PHILOSOPHY
1 0 0 % FR O M D E S I G N T H R O U G H C O N S T R U C T I O N
AND BEYOND

A superb property is not enough to deliver a great golf

course.

Golf courses considered truly great (as opposed to those

marketed as great) have had the architect deeply involved in
the construction process.

My method of 100% dedication, focus and continuity of effort

from design through construction is designed to make
human strength effective and human weakness irrelevant.
It’s a powerful, common sense and historically proven
approach.

Money has its limitations; while it may buy

quantity there is something beyond it and
that is quality.

Frank Lloyd Wright

DESIGN
The real challenge in crafting a golf course lies in detecting
the subtle discontinuities that may undermine its perfection,
and finding the opportunities to make it that much better.

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Such challenges can only be answered during construction
because no architect has or ever will produce perfect plans,
and the builder would never construct the course as the
architect envisioned when left alone for days, weeks or
months at a time.

There is no technique or program for achieving perfection

beyond a sharp mind in touch with the situation on an all-
day, everyday basis, and a line of continuity from:

• Site Inspection
• Planning
• Construction
• Post Construction

SITE INSPECTION
I spend as many days as necessary to thoroughly explore,
make notes, and photograph the property. These days or
weeks of exploration and analysis reveal a variety of
conditions and intricacies (details), which are lost on even
the best topographic maps or aerial photos.

By comparison a “Signature” architect may have written into

his contract one site inspection (photo op) before
construction. Some may never see the property!

PLANNING
From the time invested exploring the property, collecting
information, and the mass of hours thinking about what I
have seen and experienced, I personally draw the plans. This
is continuity from Site Inspection to Planning.

By comparison, most architects will have a team of designers

in an office a world away that have never seen the property,
producing plans for your project.

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CONSTRUCTION
THE MOST CRITICAL PHASE OF DESIGN

Site Inspection, Planning and Construction are separate parts

of the same job; they are not separate jobs. Construction
is the most expensive, permanent and critical design
phase.

The scale and detail of a golf course prevents perfect plans

from ever being drawn. Opportunities are always overlooked
or unforeseen during planning, and are discovered during
construction. Also, opportunities never reveal themselves
according to a schedule, so the architect must be on-site to
take advantage of them. If the architect is not present the
minute opportunities are revealed, they will most likely be
lost forever.

Even though Site Inspection and Planning permit the

property to be observed for weeks, construction provides
months of further exploration and understanding, allowing
for continual enhancement.

Because golf courses aren’t built using fixed angles, but

leave much to the personal interpretation of the builder and
his men, ten different companies or individuals left alone to
interpret the architect’s plans will produce ten variations of
the architect’s intent.

Genius is 1% inspiration
and 99% perspiration.

Thomas Edison

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Due to my all-day, everyday leadership, communicating the
design details face-to-face, and monitoring this work in real-
time, I am able to integrate every opportunity to improve
the project. There is no more efficient or better method of
constructing a golf course. It results in projects which are
not just “good enough,” but the purest definition of my
vision.

This is continuity from Site Inspection to Planning, and

Planning to Construction. 100% commitment and continuity,
but it does not stop there. There is post construction service.

By contrast, most architects will visit infrequently during

construction, if at all. The industry standard of one “site-
visit” per week, month or quarter, 0 to 6% involvement
during construction, is not enough to communicate the
design-intent to those crafting the course. This leaves little
time for delving into the critical detail excellence requires. It
is like driving a car by only looking into the rear view mirror.

How can someone expect great golf courses to emerge from

such “part-time” efforts?

POST CONSTRUCTION

I work with the superintendent to ensure the vegetative

details are clearly understood for the short and long term. If
he is present during construction this allows him to gain
months of valuable insight.

In time, several days may be necessary to update a new golf

course superintendent regarding the design-intent. This
“Lifetime of Service” brings continuity from Site Inspection to
Planning, Planning to Construction and Construction to
Maintenance…for the life of the project.

I am able to offer this type of service because I design and

construct only one-golf-course-at-a-time...a total of 30 to 50
projects in my lifetime, an effort unmatched in the history of
golf course architecture.

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 Wonderful things happen when people talk face
to face. Deals are made. Decisions are made.
Obstacles are cast aside. Whatever the job, the
job gets done face to face.

Granville N. Toogood

agolfarchitect.com
Leadership Driven Architecture
...Because Vision and Leadership are Inseparable
Tony Ristola
agolfarchitect.com
agolfarchitect@yahoo.com
+1 909.581.0080
Design and construction are not separate jobs, but different parts of the same job

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