Vocational Qualification in Golf Course Design

By offering a Vocational Qualification in Golf Course Design the European Institute of Golf Course Architects (EIGCA) is responding to the demand for formal training in designing golf courses and for an introduction to a profession which requires an ever wider range of skills and technical knowledge. However, like other professions in the industry, Golf course architecture is a career which is very unpredictable in terms of long term security and students should understand this before embarking upon the course.

While the EIGCA recognises that the marketplace will dictate the demand for the construction of new golf courses, course renovation and remodelling, it realises that it has a duty to educate and train new golf course architects in order to achieve and maintain a high standard of design and professional expertise within the industry.

With new markets appearing in countries around the world, where golf is still being discovered, there is no reason why the profession should not continue to grow.

The principal aim of the Vocational Qualification is to train selected students working with a qualified member of the EIGCA, so the student can be mentored and taught the fundamental skills and knowledge required for a potential career in golf course design. To succeed in the qualification the student will need to structure and conduct their own background research to supplement the training and experience gained from their EIGCA mentor.

Student Attachment Programme

If applicants are not currently working with an EIGCA member’s practice the Student Attachment Programme (SAP) could still help to provide an entry route into the profession. Before starting the course applicants will be required to have secured a placement with an EIGCA member’s practice willing to mentor and support the applicant throughout the duration of the course. The EIGCA will try to assist with finding such placements but it will be up to the applicant to secure their own placement.

Students will be required to work a minimum of four days per calendar month at their attachment practice where they will learn and assist their EIGCA mentor in all aspects of golf course design. This practical ‘hands-on’ experience will normally include visits to projects in construction so that a more in-depth understanding of the construction process is achieved.

The reasons for taking the EIGCA Vocational Qualification in Golf Course Design:

• No other EIGCA accredited Qualification in Golf Course Design exists at present.
• The future development of golf facilities, and therefore the demands of practices employing golf course architects, will require well-qualified and skilled individuals.
• The scientific and technical innovations that have occurred in golf course design and construction now demand high-calibre individuals to take the golf course architecture profession forward.
• There is an international demand for skilled golf course architects and this creates a wide range of opportunities for well qualified and gifted individuals.

Format

The Vocational Qualification in Golf Course Design consists of a combination of online presentations and bi-annual workshops. The online presentations may be viewed at a time of the students’ choosing, within the term they relate to, and can be watched as many times as necessary.

The course curriculum covers the following areas:

Term 1

• History of Golf Course Architecture
• Golf Course Layout Design (part 1)
• Golfing Strategy
• Drawing Skills

Term 2

• Golf Course Layout Design (part 2)
• Planning
• Agronomy (part1)
• Site Assessment
• Detailed Design

Term 3

• Agronomy (part 2) - selection of grasses
• Drainage
• Irrigation
• Ecology and the Environment (part 1)
• Contract Administration

Term 4

• Construction Technology
• Resort Masterplanning
• Ecology and the Environment (part 2)
• Golf Course Management

Students will be expected to attend all five workshops which are held on a biannual basis, alternating between the EIGCA Annual General Meeting at a location in Europe, and the EIGCA headquarters in Surrey. At the workshops students will be given a limited amount of teaching but the main focus will be on practical design work aimed at introducing students to an area of layout or detailed design, as well as testing understanding and progression. Additional days may be arranged for SAP students if required.

Progression on the course is assessed through a series of assignments which must be completed throughout the course in the student’s own time. Typically these would consist of five design projects and seven essays.

On-the-job Training

On-the-job training forms a significant part of the course and EIGCA mentors are encouraged to provide complementary training/experience in the following areas:

• Drafting experience (hand-drawing or computer-aided)
• Site appraisal & analysis techniques/site visits
• Masterplanning (layout design, project phasing)
• Planning application processes
• Detailed design (greens, tees and bunkers)
• Drainage design
• Letter writing
• Report writing
• Measurement of quantities
• Preparation of bill of quantities
• Preparation of tender documents & specification
• Inspection visits to construction sites
• Contract management training

Work Experience Record

Students will keep work record sheets during the course to outline the areas of training and experience received from their EIGCA mentor and this must be countersigned by the mentor to confirm its accuracy. The student will also keep an accompanying work book with sample plans and illustrations for the office projects they have worked on during the period of the course. The student will bring both of these documents to each workshop for assessment and they should continue to update them until they are submitted to the Membership Committee when applying for Associate Membership at the end of the course.

Completion of the Vocational Qualification in Golf Course Design

All students who successfully complete the course assignments will receive a certificate of attendance but will remain ‘students’ of the EIGCA until they have completed sufficient work experience to qualify for Associate Membership at which time students will also graduate from the EIGCA Vocational Qualification in Golf Course Design. The period of time provided to gain this work experience will be limited to four years, beyond which the student status and the ability to graduate will be forfeited and the individual will need to apply for membership as an external applicant.