Jeffrey D. Blume, & Company
Design Philosophy

  Golf Course Architecture in its simplest form is a delicate balance between engineering and artistry. Every great course in the world today has achieved its status by providing the player with a varied tactical challenge, in combination with surrounding him or her with unsurpassed natural beauty.

During the profession of Golf Course Architecture’s infancy, the charge of the architect was to create challenging and beautiful courses on the property of their choosing. Most commissions included site selection provided by the architect, and the constraints on the design were primarily due to budget and the limits of the construction capabilities of the time. Simply put, golf courses were designed and built for the golfer.

By contrast, the golf courses of today are built for a variety of reasons including marketing real estate, leveraging property values, land fill reclamation, and defining resort facilities. Until the recent development trend of daily fee public golf facilities, few courses were being built simply for golf. In addition to the extended role of the golf course, the constraints on design have increased significantly. Rarely does the architect of today choose the site on which he will have to work. More often then not, the site selection has already been determined prior to the architects involvement. Governmental regulation has also increased with regard to environmental issues (wetlands, wildlife habitat, erosion control, etc.), land use requirements, and resource conservation. All of these constraints and requirements might seem to limit the quality and creativity of contemporary golf course designs, and may indeed be confining to some modern day architects.

At Jeffrey D. Blume & Company, we strive to create world class golf courses regardless of the constraints placed on a project. In most instances, what might seem to be a detriment to design can be turned into an advantage. Often times, environmental constraints and requirements can be used to create variety, which is the cornerstone of any great golf course.

Variety, as it relates to golf course design, can come in many forms. Our philosophy is that visual, topographical, directional and tactical variety are the framework on which every design should be based. If variety can be achieved in all four of these conditions, the golf course design will be a success.

Visual variety in a golf course constitutes the creation of eighteen uniquely different images, which are molded together to form one well balanced composition. We achieve visual diversity through the enhancement of the natural setting, and the manipulation of the various golf course elements. These elements include earth forms, sand and grass bunkers, water features, walls, and landscape features and textures.

Additional variety can be achieved by shaping the earth forms to harness the ethereal quality of light, as it pertains to the casting of shadows. The most dramatic time to be on a golf course is the early morning or the late afternoon. This is because the low rising and setting sun generates the longest and deepest shadows, giving the golf course its greatest visual contrast and mysterious quality. We endeavor to create and arrange the earth forms to take the maximum advantage of these qualities of light, and extend their influence into the late morning and early afternoon.

Topographical variety in a golf course constitutes using a sites natural contouring to create a balance of level, up hill, and down hill examinations to test all players abilities. When a site has little natural topography, earthmoving must be done to achieve the necessary variety. Depending on a sites location, what qualifies as an uphill or down hill examination is highly variable. For example, a site which possesses significant natural topography may allow for elevation deviations of more than fifty feet. By contrast, on a relatively flat site, changes in elevation of ten feet may seem significant. Regardless of a sites location, we feel it is imperative to incorporate topographical variety on a hole by hole basis to avoid the monotony of several contiguous holes with similar contouring.

Directional variety in a golf course constitutes creating a well balanced rotation of holes which turn left, right, and are straight. In addition, compass directions are considered as they relate to sun angles. Since all par three holes are straight, the turn of a golf hole only applies to par fours and fives. The ideal rotation of an eighteen hole golf course is to have six straight holes, six holes which turn to the left, and six holes which turn to the right. Obviously, the topographic relief is the overriding factor with regard to the directional layout of a golf course, however, we strive to manipulate the routing to best accommodate the greatest directional variety possible.

Tactical variety in a golf course is achieved when a diverse shot value examination is incorporated into the design. Shot values are determined by turn, trajectory and distance. Turn relates to a players ability to work a shot from right to left, or left to right. Trajectory relates to a players ability to hit a high or low shot. Both of these factors are
influenced significantly by distance. The longer the shot required, the more difficult the tactical examination will be.

We endeavor to create the maximum amount of tactical diversity in each golf course design. This is accomplished by requiring each player to use every club in their bag with a balanced variety of turn and trajectory. Each round of golf must contain peaks and valleys of difficulty, which culminate in the finishing sequences of both nine holes.

The placement of hazards on a golf hole relates directly to the tactical examination that is required of the player. Bunkers, earth forms, and water features are not intended to be penal, but are signals to the golfer explaining the proper method of playing the hole. They only become hazards when the proper shot is not executed. In this regard, hazards are placed to challenge the lower handicap players, as opposed to penalizing players of lesser ability.

As previously mentioned, the creation of a world class golf course is an even balance between the tactical examination of the player, and the beauty of the setting. The aesthetics take on a more significant role when the golf course is justified by the surrounding real estate. We believe that a golf course which is part of a real estate venture serves a three fold purpose. The first is as a marketing tool to leverage the surrounding property values. The second is as a major amenity for the community, and the third is as a buffer and green space between real estate parcels. In master planning a golf course/residential community, we strive to separate and envelop as many of the real estate parcels with golf as is possible. This affords the developer the luxury of being able to change product types from parcel to parcel without adversely affecting the neighboring development. In addition, it creates a significant amount of amenity frontage, which in turn enhances the properties marketability and value.

Finally, we strive to achieve the best possible results for our clients within their desired budgets. At Jeffrey D. Blume & Company, we realize that the most important aspect of any golf course development project is its economic success. With this in mind, we endeavor to produce the highest quality product possible, while advising our clients of the areas where they will receive the greatest value for their expenditure.