How Golf Courses are Saving Water and Saving Money Through New Technology and Conservation Efforts-- Water remains a precious commodity — and an increasingly expensive one — that the golf course industry needs to effectively manage and conserve. It’s an issue that touches every sector of the golf industry, from municipal and daily-fee courses to private country clubs and resort courses. The goal, says course architect Forrest Richardson, is to get the highest form of control so courses aren’t delivering any more water than is absolutely necessary. Today, this can involve drone mapping, new high-tech irrigation systems, and water-saving devices that measure soil moisture, plant health, and other aspects of the course.

By Forrest Richardson What are your memories of working with Arthur Jack Snyder? Well, when you spend 25 years with someone, the memories amount to a long list. More than anything I recall Jack as a good and honest man, and one who was passionate about making the game fun and enjoyable. We spent time traveling to job sites, meeting with clients and — perhaps the most difficult part — selling ourselves during a time when name-brand tour pros were the “in-thing” for developers. Jack had opportunities throughout his career to work with pros, but he chose not to. His [...]

A story delivered by Forrest Richardson at various occasions, as part of speeches and addresses. I am asked occasionally, about design. I have spent my entire life designing things. I began as a graphic designer, worked in television design, wrote ads, and finally returned to the design I loved as a kid — designing golf courses. Some of the projects I take confuse some people. Especially my peers. While many golf course architects hold out for perfect sites and a blank canvas, I have — for some reason — been attracted to all sorts of sites. Landfills, old Uranium mills, [...]

Adapted from a 1999 Interview of golf architects Arthur Jack Snyder and Forrest Richardson by Senior Golfer Magazine. SG: A lot of people want to know just how you go about designing a golf course. What is the first thing an architect will look at? AJS: First, we like to get a survey of the site for such basic information as property dimensions, whether the long axis is in a north-south direction (to keep east-west holes to a minimum so golfers are not facing into the rising or setting sun), if there are any areas whose shape or size might cause [...]

Speech delivered by Forrest Richardson in March 2001 at the Coldwater Golf Club, Avondale, Arizona Thank you for inviting me. There are many stories about what we've created here at Coldwater Golf Club. I look forward to hearing from you about what you like and dislike about the course and I will gladly tell what I liked and disliked about designing it! You can expect to hear this, however: creating a golf course on flat land is one of the most challenging assignments in our business. And, as Bob [the farmer who owner the land before it was transformed into a [...]

(A speech given at the V Jornadas Técnicas Campos de Golf Municipales, a conference held in San Roque, Spain on March 6th, 2009) Good Morning. It is a great pleasure to be here. Spain is a wonderful country, and it is not only your terrific land, your great food and your wonderful culture — but it is you — the great people — that make Spain so rich and interesting. I thank you for inviting me here, and I hope we can share even more great ideas as we continue to discuss golf and its future at this important conference. [...]