It was U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower who made “the domino effect” a part of popular language. In 1954 Eisenhower reasoned that allowing even one country to fall to communism would open the door to others. He likened the threat to dominoes falling — set one in motion and the others follow. Considering Eisenhower was an avid golfer, the metaphor of falling dominoes as it relates to golf improvement projects is well suited.
In golf renovation and remodeling, the “threat” of a domino effect obviously doesn’t rise to the level of world peace and stability. But if even a small part of your responsibility is to watch the dollars, it’s important to understand. We all want to get the most out of the investment being made to the course. The interrelationship between each part of a golf course, and how changes to one area nearly always cause an effect in another, should not be underestimated.
Golf courses are the sum of many parts. If you consider just the primary components — tees, fairways, bunkers and greens — and then add in the many other details and infrastructure, you’ll get a large number of components. Golf courses live both above and below ground. A golf course is part garden, part playing board. Each course is kept running through sophisticated systems. It’s not unlike the utility infrastructure we all take for granted in our neighborhoods. What we can’t see from the surface is what makes golf courses healthy. Irrigation, drainage and root zones are then joined by such aspects as safety (liability), pace of play and the overall intrinsic value the design has to offer. That’s just a partial list. The numerous parts of a golf course create an exponential list to consider — many dominoes.
As just one example, when we go to add a forward tee, as simple as that may seem, we should not move forward without paying attention to the irrigation system and drainage. Where will the soil come from to shape that new tee? Will the soil and location suffice to grow quality turf? Will trees need to be removed or added? Will that bunker on the left be appropriate from the new tee? Indeed, it’s an exponential list.
The many decisions that must be made during a golf course renovation or remodeling project take foresight and planning. We all want to get the most bang for the buck. But, far too often, we set in motion the spending of money without considering the big picture. That’s what often leads to dominoes falling.
This is why the following list can be helpful. It’s a consolidated list that I’ve refined over the years. It’s best referred to early on, when any change is being considered. The intent of the list is to get everyone thinking — to hopefully allow you to get it done right, not just get more done. There is a vast difference.
1. Irrigation. The most common mistake is deciding to invest in a new irrigation system without considering what else should happen along with it. Can turf be reduced? If so, it may lead to less irrigation to replace. Turf reduction translates to less water use, less electricity to pump water, and often fewer irrigation components to carry forward in a capital expenditure plan. Drainage may be highly efficient to install along with irrigation. After all, both involve trenching. Bunker work performed later often requires new irrigation to be ripped out and moved. That’s rarely in the budget, and it rarely makes sense. But sadly, we see this often.
2. Golf course architect, irrigation designer, owner and builder. This “fab four” will create better results than relying on just a couple from the list. While not every project can bring the construction team on board early, it’s always a good option to consider. When you plan carefully upfront, you get a better result. The superintendent, professional staff and leadership of a club benefit from bringing this team on board early. The vision is the responsibility of the golf course architect. This exponential list is how we roll. It’s our job to bring everything together and then to help sort out the final scope. We do that by helping to realize return on investment (ROI), by working within parameters and ultimately by guiding the project based on reality to meet goals.
3. Mission statement. It may sound corny or like overkill. But arriving at a simple statement that defines any enhancement project is a great way to get everyone on board.
4. “You can’t manage what you can’t measure.” This quote, attributed to management consultant Peter Drucker, sums up the importance of planning the golf course renovation or remodeling project with plans. Without well-thought-out plans, the quantities of materials, labor hours and number of days the course may be closed are all guesswork. Or even worse, those factors will be thrown out as mandates. Improving a golf course is rarely determined by simply assigning a dollar amount and calling it a day. The best outcomes involve understanding what needs to be done and then arriving at a warranted investment. That requires teamwork to meet goals and stay grounded in reality. The temptation to try and arrive at a monetary amount without the benefit of working with a team (no. 2 above) is a bad recipe.
5. Longevity and capital planning. Two of the most overlooked factors in investing in a golf course. Today most improvements come with longer-lasting methods and materials. High-density polyethylene (HDPE) irrigation pipe lasts longer. Bunker liners mean less uncertainty as to the need to keep adding sand, and they reduce the chance of soil and rocks mixing with the sand. Irrigation technology saves water and allows us to manage for the best quality turf with fewer artificial agents. You will do well to look at making things last longer and factoring those decisions into the replacement lifecycle. More important, you will do well to communicate the difference between cost and value. What may cost less may not be the best value.
6. Liability. If there is one takeaway on liability and course changes, it is that any modification to a golf course may open the door to future liability. Where courses exist adjacent to other land uses, what has been in play for many years can turn into an entirely new matter, even after what seems a simple change. Without professional guidance, errant balls, new bunkers and trees removed or added can all become problematic. Take the example of relocating a tee. That can bring about a claim that the change caused damage or injury. It is much more common for a course to become the subject of a lawsuit after a change than with a condition that has been in place for decades.
7. Accessibility compliance. In the U.S., we know it as the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Most are unaware that there are specific ADA requirements for golf courses. It’s rare to find any facility fully immune from compliance because nearly all golf facilities cater in some way to the public. Without getting into the legal details, any significant changes to a golf facility that is not in compliance with accessibility requirements can often bring about the obligation to become compliant. This gets back to planning.
8. Pace of play. A great outcome of work to a golf course is better flow. When players are not waiting to hit shots, they are happier. It’s better for everyone. There is no better book to read before starting a project than Out of Time by the late Bill Yates. You can still find it, even though it’s out of print. This overlooked consequence of course remodeling can also result in slower play and worse flow. Don’t let that happen.
9. Return on investment. Without ROI, the golf improvement project has a steep hill to climb. The equation of potential savings (reduced or redirected labor, fewer inputs, less future capital cost, and more) and the calculation of additional revenue is a crucial exercise.
10. Make the golf better. The alternatives are making things worse or leaving them basically the same. Neither should be part of the renovation or remodeling work. The overriding goal should be to marry the financial with the quality. In the end, the result where the golfer notices the difference will nearly always win out. The goal should be to make it work better, look better and play better.
11. Repeat no. 10 above.
(This story originally ran in the September/October 2025 issue of Golf Inc.)
