how to build a golf course in the desert

What makes a great desert golf course?

Desert features like sand dunes can really play a huge role in desert golf. The sand dunes can take the place of fairway bunkers. The sand dunes make for tough obstacles that are the worst thing to hit your ball into off of the tee box. The Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale might be the most famous golf course in the professional golf world.

How do I develop a golf course?

Top of the list for any potential golf course developer should be the engagement of a golf course architect (search the EIGCA member database ). Your golf course architect will lead your development from concept to completion and ease any bumps along the way, helping to avoid the project becoming unnecessarily complicated, drawn out and expensive.

How much does it cost to build a golf course?

Rounding off the build of the golf course is planting the grass seed and sods and the rough when a specific look and feel is required. Furthermore, the grass will provide the finished look of the course and determine the number of golfers the course attracts. This can range from $100,000 to well over $500,000.

What makes a good golf course design?

The ideal site has gently undulating landforms which can form natural locations for greens, tees and fairways. Once the feasibility studies are complete, the Masterplan investigates how the design concept will convert into a course people are able to play on and enjoy.

What kind of grass do desert golf courses use?

Bermuda grass thrives in the heat of the desert, but tends to go dormant in the cooler winter temperatures, particularly the nighttime temperatures. To be green in the winter, golf courses have to switch to annual grasses that do well in the colder desert temperatures of January and February.

How many acres do you need to build golf course?

HOW MUCH LAND DOES IT TAKE TO BUILD A GOLF COURSE? Most golfers expect a golf course to have 18 holes with a par of about 72, plus a practice range and practice greens. This typically requires from 140 to 180 acres of useable land. Nine holes with a par of 35 or 36 should take about half the acreage.

How much money does it take to build a golf course?

The median cost to build a golf course is $14 million, not including buying the land. The lowest-priced golf courses cost $7 million. Others cost as much as $25 million. Building greens is one of the most important tasks, and it can cost as much as $60 per square foot.

Is building a golf course a good investment?

Profitable golf courses are generally selling for six to eight times EBITDA, while courses that aren't profitable tend to sell at 0.8 to 1.4 times revenue.

How many acres is an average 18-hole golf course?

150 acresAt the individual level, an average 18-hole golf course covers 150 acres, approximately 100 (67 percent) of which is maintained turfgrass. This area is predominantly comprised of rough (51 acres) and fairways (30 acres).

How much water do golf courses use?

90 million gallonsIn California, an average 18-hole golf course sprawls over 110 to 115 acres and conservatively uses almost 90 million gallons of water per year, enough to fill 136 Olympic-size swimming pools, said Mike Huck, a water management consultant who works with golf courses statewide.

What goes into building a golf course?

These are just some of the many steps that go into building a golf course....Steps in the Golf Course Building ProcessGrading. ... Drainage. ... Rough and Finish Shaping. ... Green Construction. ... Tee Construction. ... Bunker Construction. ... Grassing and Seed Prep.More items...

Why do golf courses have bunkers?

Sand bunkers provide a psychological landmark. They accentuate the hole and provide targets for directing the golfer to a defined landing area whether it is the fairway or green. Sand bunkers provide safety buffers for adjacent fairways, tees or greens, both physically and visually.

How much does Jack Nicklaus charge for a golf course?

Taking Charge At that time, Nicklaus' basic design fee was worth $150,000 in the United States, $250,000 in English-speaking countries abroad and $300,000 elsewhere. If the course wanted to use Nicklaus' name and have him as endorser, clients would have to fork out an additional $1M to do so.

What is the profit margin on golf clubs?

After all expenses, the best golf retailers rarely profit more than 2-3% of the total cost of a club. However, as a whole, we can say that around 33.33% of the cost of a golf club is the markup from the retailer.

Which states have the most golf courses?

States With The Most Golf Courses in the USAFlorida. Number of Golf Courses in the State of Florida: 1,250. ... 2. California. Number of Golf Courses in the State of California: 921. ... Texas. Number of Golf Courses in the State of Texas: 907. ... New York. Number of Golf Courses in the State of New York: 832. ... Michigan.

Is a driving range a good investment?

How much profit can a driving range make? An indoor facility with full-service restaurant and rental space in a high-traffic urban environment can see a net profit of up to $2.9 million a year. However, if you have a low-tech field in the country, you could see an income as low as $40,000 a year.

What are the characteristics of a desert golf course?

Other characteristics with desert golf courses is that it is very hot and the air is very dry. You have to remember that all of the features of a desert are in full display with a desert golf course. Desert features like sand dunes can really play a huge role in desert golf. The sand dunes can take the place of fairway bunkers.

What is the most famous golf course in the desert?

Famous Desert Golf Courses. The Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale might be the most famous golf course in the professional golf world. There has been so many iconic moments on the PGA Tour at that golf course and TPC Scottsdale is also an incredible place to plan a golf trip to. Other incredible and well-known desert golf courses are Coral Canyon ...

What is a link golf course?

Links golf courses are usually on a coastline and have rolling terrain with various types of grasses. The most common links-style golf courses are golf courses that are played during the Open Championship in Europe. Links golf is very prevalent in Europe, and desert-style golf is virtually nonexistent because of the climate in Europe.

Where is grass in golf?

The only places where there is grass is the tee box, fairways , and the putting green at most desert golf courses. Any desert course that has grass in the rough is really going above and beyond to do that. In most cases, they will only have rough ground that is very dry where there should be rough. The rough areas off of ...

What states have golf in the desert?

Best States to Play Golf in a Desert. The best states to play golf are: New Mexico. Arizona. Southern California. Nevada. There are various other states that have areas of golf that is in the desert, but those states are noticeably the best places to play!

Where is the best place to play desert golf?

The primary spots for desert golf courses in the world are in the Middle East and in southwest United States. There are other smaller places in the world that might have a course or two, but those are the most well-known spots.

Do golf courses have trees?

These golf courses are in a natural desert setting. That makes them not able to have trees in most cases. The lack of rain makes them not able to have the types of trees that golf courses such as Augusta National. The grass situation is also very unique compared to other types of golf courses.

What is a golf course architect?

Your golf course architect will provide a detailed design package to reflect local planning submission requirements and make the planning process easier. Your golf course architect will also assist with the preparation of an Environmental Impact Assessment should it be required.

Who develops a master plan for golf course?

The masterplan should be developed by a project team, which is usually led by the golf course architect and typically includes some or all of these specialisms: Your golf course architect will provide a detailed design package to reflect local planning submission requirements and ease the planning process. Land Planner.

What are the factors that determine the cost of a golf course?

Golf course design fees are dependent on a variety of factors, such as the type and scale of the project, its technical complexity, the planning approval process, the working practices of the individual golf course architect and the services and conditions imposed by clients.

What are the physical elements of a golf course?

Technical – is the site you are considering suitable for a golf course? A golf course architect will examine the physical elements of the site, such as land area, topography, soils, geology, vegetation, drainage and water availability.

How are golf course fees calculated?

Fees are usually calculated in one of three ways: As a percentage of the construction costs. A fixed price. A time rate. To understand more about the amount you will need to invest in engaging a golf course architect, read our advice on golf course design fees. Download:

How Much Land Does It Take To Build A Golf Course?

How much to build a golf course depends significantly on the cost of the land. An average 18-hole golf course requires approximately 140 and 180 acres, while a 9-hole course requires 70 and 100 acres. A 9-hole par-3 course can be built on as little as 65 acres, while an 18-hole pitch and putt require around 25 to 30 acres.

How Much Does It Cost To Build A Golf Course?

In 2001, Michigan State University found that the median cost to build a golf course was $14 million. But it varied between $7 and $25 million. It is difficult to provide an exact cost to the question, how much is it to build a golf course since there are many options and expenses.

FAQs

Owning a golf course can be quite profitable and rewarding if the construction costs can be kept low without sacrificing quality.

Why do golf courses have a desert rule?

This is the home of the "desert rule," because many courses don't want you hunting down golf balls out there (more on that later), so you simply play wayward shots as lateral hazards.

Where to play desert golf in the Southwest?

But if you're looking for a bargain desert golf destination that might be under the radar, consider one that I haven't mentioned earlier: the El Paso, Texas-Southern New Mexico region , which sits around 4,500 feet of elevation. El Paso has a couple of outstanding public courses – 27-hole Painted Dunes and Butterfield Trail. Painted Dunes was designed by Ken Dye and Jeffrey Brauer. Well-maintained, the rack rates for daily play is between $25 and $35.

What is the rule in desert golf?

Still, the no. 1 rule in desert golf is to stay on the grass, whether it's fairway or rough, although many desert courses don't have much in the way of desert golf. Courses can play longer than their posted yardage because you may not want to hit as many drivers on some of the more narrow holes.

Where is summer golf in the Northwest?

Summertime golf in the northwest's "high desert". This may come as a surprise, but there's desert golf in western Colorado, the Pacific Northwest and even Canada. Yep, that's right; there's desert golf in British Columbia, Canada (Okanagan-Thompson Plateau).

Where to play golf in Tucson Arizona?

Tucson, Arizona: Just 90 minutes south of Scottsdale, Tucson certainly has a different feel. While there are certainly high end facilities like Marana's The Golf Club at Dove Mountain, overall it's less expensive to play in Tucson. The area has several resort courses such the Notah Begay-designed Sewailo Golf Club at Casino Del Sol. Opened in 2013, Sewailo is another course with lots of turf and water, so you really have to be offline to hit it in the desert. Other top quality resort courses include Ventana Canyon, Westin La Paloma, Starr Pass, Omni Tucson National Resort & Spa and Arizona National Golf Club, the home course for the University of Arizona Golf Club. The city also has a solid municipal system of courses, and the area is also home to Tubac Resort, where much of the movie "Tin Cup" was filmed.

Is desert golf hot?

Most of the year in the Southwest, desert golf is usually played in pretty hot conditions, sometimes well over triple digits as the day heats up. The desert, of course, is very dry. Temperatures in the 90s might not feel that hot because of the lack of humidity, but the danger here is on several levels.

Is it cold in the desert?

And speaking of cold, it can be very cold in the desert , especially in the winter during early morning and evening. Frost delays in the winter and early spring in Las Vegas and Arizona are certainly not uncommon.

Feasibility Studies

Design Concept

Masterplan

Planning Approval

Tenders

• Your golf course architect will prepare detailed documentation, including contracts, plans and specifications to allow the project to be tendered. If you need them to, they will also assist in evaluating tender responses and select the best contractors for you. The documentation may include plans for: 1. Grading 2. Drainage 3. Clearing 4. Irrigatio...

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Golf Course Construction

Establishment

Selecting A Golf Course Architect

Cost of Building A Golf Course