Four EIGCA first year students attended the second of five workshops at the headquarters of the European Institute of Golf Course Architects near Guildford, Surrey. The workshop was designed specifically to encourage the students to think in three dimensions and to provide practical experience of working with contours on site. To aid this students were tasked with a clay modelling exercise of one of their green designs from a recent design project. Models were then progressively submerged in water to help students visualise different contour lines, enabling them to better understand the shaping and to produce detailed green designs. The EIGCA Education Board have found that exercises of this type are important in further developing the students understanding of various golf course design issues.
As part of the workshop students also visited Woking Golf Club where Senior Member Tim Lobb and Course Manager Jon Day gave a guided tour of this historic course, including Tim’s recently completed construction of the new 16th green. Students were able to learn about the project, its planning and construction. The students then surveyed the new green, plotting actual contours onto the putting surface and comparing them with the working drawing.
The Education Board also spent time critiquing the students latest design project, preparing them for next term’s study topics and reviewing their workbooks. Following the two day event Education Board Chairman Gary Johnston commented, “Students seemed to both enjoy and importantly learn from the topics covered during the workshop and benefitted greatly from the input of EIGCA members Ken Moodie and Alan Walker. The understanding of contouring and topography is of fundamental importance to golf course architecture and the exercises we have developed are an important stepping stone for the students and their progression on the EIGCA Vocational Qualification programme.”
For further information about the Education Programme please contact EIGCA Executive Officer, Julia Green, at Julia@eigca.org
EIGCA www.eigca.org