Copyright © Matkovich & Hayes, 2011

LISTEN TO THE LAND

God and nature shape our design – the land and nature must determine the shape, style and direction of play. The design must aesthetically enhance the nature of the environment, not detract from it – as if time and nature itself have shaped the golf course.

We spend a lot of time on site, ensuring we understand the features of the land, the slopes, wind directions, fauna and flora, water flow, views and sun angles. On certain sites, the features jump out at you, while on others, we need to listen more carefully, to ensure the golf course routing captures the essence of the site.

This is also what makes every course different and unique, and no two courses should look or feel the same – each course is “found” on another piece of land, with it’s own unique features. Today it’s easy to “build” any type of golf course on any terrain, thanks to modern technology, earthmoving equipment, and unlimited budgets. But that is not what we are about – although it is great to be able to work with a big budget, we still aim to capture the essence of the site, rather than putting our own stamp on the ground. When you listen to the land, you will inevitably create a course that is more affordable, that blends in with it’s environment, and looks as if it belongs there. We succeed when we “uncover” or “find” the course on each site.

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