Valerie Richardson, Author at Forrest Richardson Golf Course Architects

Municipal Golf: The Best May Be Ahead

By Forrest Richardson, ASGCA and Richard Signer, National Golf Foundation (Reprinted from Parks & Recreation Magazine, ©2008 all rights reserved) When golf arrived in the U.S. it did not catch on immediately. In the early years the transplanted game from the British Isles was reserved for the wealthy. Van Cortlandt Golf Course in New York City would be the first of many "municipal" courses, open spaces that were truly "open." But it took some time for the words "public" and "golf" to be fully joined. While many classic courses were created during the 1920s and 30s, a whopping number were [...]

Municipal Golf: The Best May Be AheadValerie Richardson2025-04-09T03:34:32+00:00

Reflections: Mira Vista Golf & Country Club

Written November 2011 by Forrest Richardson and Mark Fine, following the completion of restoration of the c.1920 Mira Vista Golf & Country Club Every golf course is special in its own way, but sometimes you uncover a design that is truly one-of-a-kind. That is what we discovered at Mira Vista while performing our initial research and discovery - Mira Vista has a pedigree like no other. The course is the one and only original design of Robert Hunter, noted author, golf architect and one of the great minds from the "Golden Age" of golf course design. This puts Mira Vista in a [...]

Reflections: Mira Vista Golf & Country ClubValerie Richardson2025-04-09T03:34:33+00:00

Reducing Cost and Improving Quality — the One-word Solution

An article written by Forrest Richardson and Bill Yates, adapted from Club Management Magazine ©2009 all rights reserved In the an earlier article, Reducing Cost and Improving Quality — The Odd Couple, we presented basic concepts, general steps and benefits of building and engaging your staff to help you take on the cost escalations that are affecting the golf businesses today. We challenged you to adopt a "take action" mentality, to train your staff team to have a continuous improvement focus about their daily responsibilities, and to partner with your team to reduce cost. And we made the bold prediction that [...]

Reducing Cost and Improving Quality — the One-word SolutionValerie Richardson2025-04-09T03:34:33+00:00

Reducing Cost and Improving Quality — The Odd Couple

An article written by Forrest Richardson and Bill Yates, adapted from Club Management Magazine ©2009 all rights reserved Now is the time to pull your staff together, work as a team, and get "back to basics" to solve today's problems. In a recent golf industry survey, 58.6% of golf course owners and operators, and 65.8% of golf management company executives, believe that rising operations costs will be a critical issue in the coming year. Some predictions suggest that larger operators may have the resources and expertise to offset the rising costs of doing business and still maintain quality while smaller [...]

Reducing Cost and Improving Quality — The Odd CoupleValerie Richardson2025-04-09T03:34:33+00:00

A Bay Area Public Golf Gem Emerges (May 2018)

The San Francisco Bay Area is well-known among golf aficionados, with exclusive private golf options like the Olympic Club and San Francisco Golf Club, and premium public golf facilities such as Half Moon Bay, Presidio and TPC Harding Park. Still, the southern Peninsula and South Bay region has for years been in need of high-quality, affordable public golf. Enter Baylands Golf Links, the long-awaited re-imagination of the City of Palo Alto’s municipal golf course.

A Bay Area Public Golf Gem Emerges (May 2018)Valerie Richardson2025-04-09T03:34:33+00:00

Baylands Golf Links Nears Completion (Oct. 19, 2017)

Anchored in the heart of California's Silicon Valley, the long awaited remake of the old Palo Alto Municipal Golf Course, now called Baylands Golf Links, is finally nearing completion. Golf Course Architect Forrest Richardson, ASGCA began the project nearly six years ago after being awarded the assignment among a field of golf course architects shortlisted by the City of Palo Alto. “It began as work to make way for flood control,” notes Richardson. “We quickly focused on how the community could benefit in many more ways, such as returning the environment to natural habitat and opening the golf course to more diverse use.”

Baylands Golf Links Nears Completion (Oct. 19, 2017)Valerie Richardson2025-04-09T03:34:33+00:00

Richardson Publishes Course Brains to Measure Club “I.Q.” (Feb. 2013)

Course Brains™, a new book by golf course architect Forrest Richardson, allows golf course operators and club members to gauge their course's I.Q. through a series of 25 topics. The notion for Course Brains came to Richardson following several years of meeting with clubs about ways to stimulate revenue and get a handle on operating costs. "A common theme in operating a golf course today is balancing the asset with the need to reduce cost and increase revenue," notes Richardson. "My goal with the Course Brains program is to stimulate thinking that leads to positive change.Using 25 separate topics, Richardson reaches out to superintendents, professionals, club managers and members in a clever way. Topics range from managed turf area planning to the nuances of course policies. In each, a case is presented for why the area of concern is important. At the conclusion of each section the reader is asked to assign a grade — self assigned by the reader — that fits their idea of the course being evaluated. By assigning an A, B, C, D or F, the reader is formulating a final score — the Golf Course I.Q. for their particular course.

Richardson Publishes Course Brains to Measure Club “I.Q.” (Feb. 2013)Valerie Richardson2025-04-09T03:34:34+00:00

Phoenician Resort Gets New Finishing Hole (Nov. 10, 2012)

As part of a major addition for its new Camelback Ballroom, Starwood's flagship Phoenician Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona has completed work on a major upgrade to its golf courses. The 27-hole luxury resort - with its Oasis, Desert and Canyon Nines - is now home to Arizona's only "Sand Island" green.Golf course architect Forrest Richardson oversaw development of the work in conjunction with Troon Golf, long-time operating manager of the resort's award winning golf facility.

Phoenician Resort Gets New Finishing Hole (Nov. 10, 2012)Valerie Richardson2025-04-09T03:34:34+00:00

Restoration of Mira Vista Golf & Country Club Brings 50 New Members in 12 Weeks (Feb. 10, 2012)

Following a complete restoration of their historic golf course by golf architects Forrest Richardson and Mark Fine, Mira Vista Golf & Country Club has announced the addition of 54 new members since the grand re-opening this past November.The membership of the club undertook the bold initiative to restore the golf course to its original splendor while also working on a long term arbor plan to preserve the health of the great stands of trees that define the course's setting in the hills above Berkeley, California.

Restoration of Mira Vista Golf & Country Club Brings 50 New Members in 12 Weeks (Feb. 10, 2012)Valerie Richardson2025-04-09T03:34:34+00:00

Forrest Richardson to Renovate Palo Alto Golf Course (Sep. 2011)

Golf architect Forrest Richardson has been selected to reconfigure and provide a new routing for the Palo Alto Golf Course, a Bay Area course established in 1956. Palo Alto Golf Course was established in 1956 and designed by the father and son team of William P. and William F. Bell. The senior Bell, known as "Billy Bell Sr.", passed away before the course was opened in 1956. The younger Bell went on to design scores of courses throughout the west. Palo Alto remains one of the last courses designed by William P. Bell. Now, nearly six decades later, Forrest Richardson, ASGCA will undertake a re-design project to help make way for an expanded floodway project adjacent to the course.

Forrest Richardson to Renovate Palo Alto Golf Course (Sep. 2011)Valerie Richardson2025-04-09T03:34:34+00:00

About Valerie Richardson