Students targeting a career in golf have teed up lessons from international industry experts attending a major conference in Inverness
Dozens of the most influential figures in the sport will descend on the region for the Design Masters: The Scottish International Golf Course Architects Conference from February 28 to March 3.
Delegates will discuss ways to rekindle the golden age of Scottish golf course design from the 1900s, to make the sport more appealing.
They will cover areas including historic and modern design techniques, sustainable approaches to course architecture, soil management and playability of courses.
Among those attending will be 2nd year BA(Hons) Golf Management students who are studying Golf Course Maintenance & Design at the University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) campus in Dornoch, next to the world-renowned Royal Dornoch Golf Club.
Alan Fleming, programme leader of the Golf Curriculum and PGA Professional at the North Highland College (UHI), said: “The students’ attendance at the conference will clearly help form their thinking for this project and also provides them access to credible, internationally renowned industry experts who are currently involved in design projects and can express their views on key factors the students should consider.
“The opportunity to attend an industry conference and network with experts in this field is one that will be extraordinarily beneficial as a learning opportunity and potentially in terms of career contacts.”
He said the module includes golf course maintenance practices, sustainability and environmental concerns.
The students’ final assessment on the module is to draft a golf course design on a specific piece of land, taking into account the location, geography, turf, habitat and also the potential market and budget.
The Design Masters conference will discuss the legacy of greats such as Old Tom Morris, James Braid, Donald Ross, Willie Park Jr and Alister MacKenzie and their enduring effect on modern day design and internationally known courses including Royal Dornoch and Castle Stuart Golf Links.
It has been organised by the Golf Tourism Development Group.
Among the guest speakers will be leading clubhouse designer Mungo Park, the great grandson of the first Open champion, Willie Park Snr, Tom Mackenzie, president of the European Institute of Golf Course Architects, and Thad Layton, senior golf course architect at the Arnold Palmer Design Company.