Reshaping golf course design
Lucy Hamilton, KOREC Group
GOLF course architects, KimberGlen International is reshaping the future of course design by taking its survey work in-house for greater productivity and an even better understanding of the lie of the land it’s working on.
KimberGlen represents a partnership between two esteemed golf course architects, Paul Kimber and Niall Glen. Headquartered in Scotland, the company specialises in the design and restoration of golf courses worldwide, collaborating with prominent figures in the industry.
Even on smaller sites, a surveyor would need to be engaged to record topographical elevations to generate contour information Throughout 25 years of experience, it has played a pivotal role in the creation of some of the finest modern courses, firmly believing that exceptional course design is an amalgamation of art and science.
Having recently purchased a Trimble Catalyst DA2 GNSS and a Parrot ANAFI Ai drone from KOREC, the company is now actively exploring the integration of survey technology into its projects. This new equipment significantly enhances existing workflows by eliminating any delays associated with relying on thirdparty surveyors.
Moreover, it provides a more comprehensive understanding of the topography of the land worked on. By adopting a more hands-on approach, it will be able to rapidly and efficiently evolve designs, allowing for a more flexible approach to each job.
Overall, these additions streamline processes and empower the company to achieve greater efficiency and productivity in its work.
Kimber & Glendesign associate, Andrew Imray, with the Trimble DA2 Catalyst system working on a current project at Belleisle Golf Course in Ayr, Scotland, creating new wetland areas.
Four reasons to take the survey work inhouse
Both Niall and Paul attribute the amount of time they spend on site and their attention to detail as major factors in their success. However, using third party surveyors was holding back both the creative and functional aspects of their course design in a number of ways:
- Third party surveyors were not always available as and when required which could slow up operations and compromise accuracy on as-built surveys. Important details, such as drainage and irrigation are regularly buried and therefore have to be marked on the surface. Any delays in recording their positional and attribute information could result in diminished accuracy.
- For a hands-on team like Kimber and Glen who greatly value site time to better understand the land they are working with, using external surveyors was a missed opportunity to test ideas and verify and visualise designs in real time.
- Golf course projects often require rework as the design evolves and marker poles are moved to different positions that have to be resurveyed, again previously requiring a visit from a surveyor.
- Even on smaller sites, a surveyor would need to be engaged to record topographical elevations to generate contour information.
Ground based data capture
Almost four years ago, the company realised that an easy to use, handheld GNSS system would be a useful tool to supplement the work undertaken by external surveyors for the collection of as-built information. Kimber and Glen encountered an extra challenge when it decided to bring the survey work in-house. Since it operates in a niche market focused on golf course design, it’s uncommon to come across a product specifically designed for that purpose.
As a result, it experimented with various hardware and software solutions originally developed for other industries, attempting to adapt them to its needs. However, it had been unsuccessful in finding a solution that perfectly meets both functional and budget requirements.
The combination of Trimble Catalyst GNSS and K-Capture software provided a superior solution. Budget wise, the ‘on demand’ Catalyst model worked well for the intermittent mapping requirements and the K-Capture software allowed for Niall to pre-de fine attribute lists to perfectly reflect the collected points in the field.
Additionally, a recent development to the software ensured that detailed CAD drawings can be easily transferred on to the field handheld device including all the text and symbology. This means that the full CAD drawing can be viewed digitally in the field backed up by positional information.
Completed Dumbarnie Links Golf Course (8th hole in the foreground) which was the first new build golf course that Kimber & Glen used the Catalyst system on in 2018. It was used for the set out of the design in the field and the collection of all as-built information. The finished course has gone on to gain critical acclaim and has already hosted top level golf (the Women’s Scottish Open in 2021) only three years after the first seed was sown.
Aerial data capture – using a drone to become self-sufficient
With the as-built data collection and ground-based point and attribute information taken care of, Kimber and Glen sought to complete the move towards survey self-suf ficiency with a system that would enable the survey of large areas of ground, often over 60 hectares, quickly and efficiently rather than just recording points and features.
The system selected was a KOREC supplied Parrot ANAFI Ai drone with Free Flight 7 software.
This would enable the independent collection of relevant site data, topography and aerial imagery without the need to engage a specialist operator and the consequent scheduling of lead times.
Generally, Niall and the team use the ANAFI Ai to collect ortho-corrected aerial imagery and elevation data for the creation of detailed and accurate topographical maps of large site areas.
These outputs are then combined to generate accurate/scaled base plans in AutoCAD upon which the designs can be based.
This detailed topography and high-resolution imagery allows it to design with accuracy and the best possible knowledge of the site.
Collecting data over larger sites, in excess of 60 hectares, used to take days using traditional survey techniques, now the raw data is ready for processing in a matter of hours.
Single objective
Kimber and Glen set out to become selfsuf ficient for all their survey requirements from initial topographic surveys to setting out designs to collecting as-built data. As well as being able to progress projects based on their own schedule rather than waiting for surveyors, they are also more effective in what they do by having a better understanding of the land they are working on and also the opportunity to experiment with different designs.
Lucy Hamilton, KOREC Group