Course Architect Appointed 

Recognising the need to continually strive to advance the design and presentation of its course, The Brisbane Golf Club has appointed Paul Mogford of Crafter Mogford Golf Strategies as its new course architect.

“We are delighted to have been appointed Brisbane Golf Club’s consulting architects,” Mr Mogford said.

“The Club has a long and rich history and we are proud of the responsibility and opportunity afforded us, and we look forward to what is ahead with Course advancements and developing a long-term and close working relationship with the Club.

BGC Course Chair, Richard Garnham, said that while the Club was not seeking to make substantial changes to ‘our much-loved Course layout’, it does however recognise the future need to continually strive to advance ‘our premium design and presentation standards’.

“To meet our strategic desire to elevate the current Course to be the best it can possibly be, we now require a Course Architect with the required highest level of skills, understanding and credentials,” he said.

“A collaborative relationship and association for the design and delivery of ongoing Course improvement works must be formed, and this needs to continue over many years into the future.”

A strong and long-standing working relationship with new Course Superintendent David Mason was one of the major factors in Paul Mogford being appointed as Consulting Course Architect.

But it was also an impressive history of ongoing course architecture services at premium Victorian golf clubs including Metropolitan, Barwon Heads, Riversdale, Box Hill, Kooringal and Sorrento was critical in the decision making.

Mr Mogford said his company prides itself on maintaining enduring relationships with all its clients.

“This is based on mutual respect and promoting a collaborative approach,” he said.

“Perhaps our proudest relationship to date is that with The Barwon Heads Golf Club, which is 19 years young. In fact, we have recently commenced our third Enhancement Plan process which is based on the premise of striving for continual improvement.

After all, golf architecture is not a static artform. It is ever evolving, just as nature and courses also continue to evolve over time.”

Crafter Mogford Golf Strategies also consults to Kooyonga and Glenelg in South Australia, as well as NSW clubs Cronulla and Chatswood.

Paul Mogford is a qualified landscape architect and golf course architect with more than 25 years’ experience in the industry. He is also a full member and Vice-President of the Society of Australian Golf Course Architects and a Director of The Australian Golf Industry Council (AGIC) who graduated from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) in 1994 with a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture.

His final thesis explored the environmental design of golf courses, with a particular focus on the now commonplace integration of constructed wetlands within new and existing golf course developments.

In 1994 he was commissioned by the Society of Australian Golf Course Architects to research both the detrimental and positive environmental issues associated with golf courses.

It has since been acknowledged that the work he completed in this area contributed to quelling criticism from environmental groups as well as informing them of the many valuable contributions golf courses provide to the broader society, and the environment.

The recipient in 2000 of the inaugural ‘Rainbird Grand Tour Scholarship’, Mr Mogford was only one of two young architects selected worldwide.  The tour enabled him to visit and study many of the best courses in the USA, including Pebble Beach, Cypress Point, San Francisco, Riviera, Shadow Creek, Prairie Dunes, Cherry Hills and Colonial Golf Clubs.

Mr Garnham stressed that during its 125-year history TBGC had an esteemed wealth of notable Course Architects who have guided the Club and provided design services. These included Carnegie Clark, Alistair Mackenzie and Ross Watson, the latter of whom provided significant and much-valued contributions during the past three decades.

“In moving to a new Course Architect, we are extremely mindful and respectful of the legacy these Architects leave us,” he said.

“But we are very pleased to have Paul Mogford and his team coming on board to assist the Club in achieving our new objectives in relation to advancing the design and presentation of the Course.

“Initially the tasks will be with addressing several priority projects, then following on with an ongoing program of investigating opportunities for upgrades through the development and implementation of a Course Enhancement Plan.”

Preparatory work on a new Course Enhancement Plan is to start mid-2022. – TONY DURKIN