London-based golf architecture practice Lobb + Partners has expanded with the addition of Dr Sergio Carballo as a golf course architect. Carballo, who holds a doctorate in architecture and urban planning from the University of A Coruña in Spain, where he is still based, has recently completed the two year European Institute of Golf Course Architects (EIGCA) training programme, at the completion of which he was awarded a distinction.
Carballo was born and raised in northwestern Spain, and began playing golf at the age of six, shortly after the country hosted the Ryder Cup in 1997. He studied architecture, with a focus on landscape work, at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, and attended landscape architecture school at the University of Parma in Italy.
“Taking golf architecture as my career is the natural outcome of having structured my academic studies and personal development around my passion for the game for many years,” he says. “All of us who love this sport know the sacrifice involved in mastering a technique and that it is not possible without commitment and training. The exact same thing happens when you want to do golf architecture, and attending the EIGCA course was undoubtedly what has allowed me to reach professional standards. The two-year program has provided me with a unique state of affairs to hone my skills, learn from the best designers in Europe and get started in the industry.”
This appointment means that Lobb + Partners, alongside its office south of London, now has a presence in Spain, as well as Canada and South Korea. Firm principal and founder Tim Lobb says: “Some months ago, it became clear to me that the sheer volume of work we were facing meant we would need additional design support. I met Sergio during his training, and during my time as President of EIGCA. I was on the committee that assessed the final stage of his course and was very impressed with it and by the man himself. He will be a great asset to the firm.”
Carballo, who is fluent in English and Italian, as well as his native Spanish, has already been working with Lobb on the firm’s recently completed project to rebuild all eighteen greens at Javier Arana’s Aloha course in Marbella, Spain, and is also hard at work on other projects around Europe. He added: “I have very much enjoyed my two years studying golf design on the EIGCA course, and I am looking forward to putting what I have learned to use. I’m grateful to Tim and Lobb + Partners for giving me this opportunity, and I can’t wait to get going. Lobb + Partners has built a really strong operation over recent years, and I think we will be able to do some great work together for clients all over Europe and beyond.”
