The problem with armchair architect contests is the first word. Golf course
architects are supposed to get their boots dirty. Amateur architects, even the
winners, never have to take off their slippers. You can draw holes on paper all
you want, but the real fun of golf course architecture is creating something out
of the dirt: There is no sense of accomplishment quite like building an actual
hole that will challenge, delight and even frustrate thousands of golfers.
So with the help of Arthur Hills and Westhaven Golf Club in Franklin,
Tennessee, the LINKS Magazine Design Contest is inviting you to design the par-4
13th hole at Westhaven Golf Club, a course that is scheduled to break ground
this spring and open in 2009. After choosing the winning design, Hills and his
senior design partner Chris Wilczynski will actually build the hole, so you can
see your idea literally take shape.
“We’re excited about what the
entries will look like,” says Hills. “I would encourage contestants to be bold
and innovative, even whimsical. However, I would recommend that the designers
gain some familiarity with our design style through our Web site and that their
ideas are in alignment with the high quality of design that we have outlined for
Westhaven.
“I look forward to working with the enterprising person that
produces the best design—good luck to all the designers.” In addition to
being recognized in the July/August issue of LINKS, the contest winner will
receive two trips to Westhaven. The first will be a site visit with Hills and
Wilczynski during construction; the
second will be for the course opening in
2009.
So if you’ve ever looked at a hole and said, “I can do better”; if you
want to create a lasting monument to your skills as a connoisseur of
architecture; if you want to create a hole that will challenge the pros and be
enjoyable for amateurs as well, pick up a pencil and show us what you’ve got.
Your design should complement the community and the rest of the layout,
based on the pictures, plans and descriptions provided. Tear out the entry form
along the perforation, draw your hole(including greensite) in the spaces
provided, fold it as shown, tape it closed, place a first-class stamp on it and
send it. The deadline for entries is March 1, 2008.
Please send questions to: designcontest@linksmagazine.com
