Leading names from the world of golf course design have joined together in a new organisation, the International Association of Golf Course Architects, the brainchild of the Australia-based British golf industry consultant, Stephen Allen.
As founder and CEO of the Association, Allen said its formation was driven by demand from his global client base, which includes blue chip industry leaders such as Palmer Course Design, Nicklaus Design, Robert Trent Jones International II, Steven D Plumer Design, Pacific Coast Design, Michael Coate & Associates, Thomson, Wolveridge & Perrett, Gary Player Group, Graham Marsh Golf Design, and Thompson Golf Planning,
“They all agreed that they wanted and needed an Association that was global and particularly pro-active in presenting their credentials to the many developers that really do not know where to start when they have a piece of land and want to turn it into a golf course,” he said.
The management arm of the Association will be run by Golf World Group, Allen’s Perth, Australia based business which has organised the largest golf exhibition in Asia, in China, for the past six years.
Member, Michael Coate explained, “The Association is to ensure the international standard of its members, to introduce them to prospective clients world-wide and also to assist those clients in their planning to make a success of their projects. It is with pleasure that I have become a full member of the International Association of Golf Course Architects. Having been personally responsible for the design of golf courses in Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, China and India for the past 20 years, I am really excited about the formation of the Association.”
Steven D Plumer, president of Forefront Golf International, based in Arlington, Texas said, “We are a full service golf course design firm, offering design and construction services for new and existing golf courses. I have been active over the past 10 years in the development of several championship golf courses across the United States. Our speciality is golf course design, offering turn-key services ranging from site master planning, site analysis and routing studies, to golf course design through construction drawings and supervision. Over the years we have had a very strong relationship with Golf World Group and it is indeed an honour to become a full member of the International Association of Golf Course Architects.”
Stephen Allen concluded, “At all times we will present the Association to the world of developers. We will liaise on a constant global basis with architects, constructors and developers alike. We welcome all architects, designers and builders to consider joining the Association.”
The Association intends to work very closely with its complementary associations in Europe, America and Asia in the future.