Toppleoff...... take time off......

EIGCA Vocational Qualification in Course Design

5:00pm on Thursday 16th January will see the culmination of an exceptional amount of work come to fruition - for me at least.  For my first design assignment of this term I was tasked with designing a new golf course development on a fictional parcel of land in Austria, named Toppleoff Mountain.

The land was extremely challenging topographically with numerous steep areas and quite a sizeable fall from the proposed clubhouse location to the lowest part of the property.

My task?

• To route an 18-hole course measuring 6,800 yards but capable of play for varying skill levels of golfer.
  
• To route a 9-hole short course.
• To masterplan a hotel, driving range and clubhouse complex with associated car-parking, recreational areas.
• To complete a site analysis outlining slope analysis and water run-off with a view to create reservoirs to catch rainwater for irrigation.
• To create a masterplan and additional cross sectional drawings for nine holes that require the most earth movement. 

Oh, and an essay on hazards and their use............ (which I'll upload when it's completed......)

As I write this blog entry, I am 99% complete with regards to my design assignment.

The work required in bringing this all together has been phenomenal - I reckon in the region of 250 hours of sketching, routing, re-routing, re-routing again, strategic design, ACAD work, Photoshop work, re-thinks, more re-thinks - and the odd cup of tea or coffee - and Guinness..... have finally seen me have a completed masterplan which I am pretty chuffed with.

I reckon I'm due a good week off before I go head first into the next design assignment.  At least it'll give me time to complete the tiling of our bathroom.  Oh the joy.

Anyway, without further ado, 

I present.....

Toppleoff Mountain.