The following thesis project is a proposed redesign of a public clubhouse for the University of British Columbia Golf Course, located in the University Endowment Lands. The intention of the thesis was to pursue a relationship between architecture and the designed or constructed landscape of the golf course. Such a connection was made through a series of landscape readings to formulate a conceptual beginning and framework for design. The investigation dissected the recreational landscape as an artificial fact, exposing the nature of the landscape into two categories: surface and object. Furthermore, movement through the recreational landscape was defined by an irregular linear trajectory. These landscape features where then explored for their inherent potential for an architecture that makes a connection to the landscape while simultaneously meeting the demands of a highly scripted program. The resulting architecture is composed of both objects and surfaces all of which have a specific programmatic function and connection to the landscape. In essence, the building can be divided into five architectural elements or strategies: path/armature, planar roof surface, pavilion object, spatial ordering device and finally earth work. / Applied Science, Faculty of / Architecture and Landscape Architecture (SALA), School of / Graduate

Creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera L.) and velvet bentgrass (Agrostis canina L.) are the principal grass species for golf course putting greens in northern latitudes. Wear injury is a major physical stress that limits the function and quality of turfgrass. Wear evaluations in Agrostis species are limited and no studies have been conducted to evaluate recovery from wear and associated wear mechanisms. To that end, Agrostis species and genotypes were evaluated for wear tolerance and recovery on a golf green built according to USGA specifications. Equal numbers of creeping bentgrass and velvet bentgrass genotypes were tested. Wear was applied using a grooming brush over a 3-year period and plots were visually rated for wear and recovery. As much as 90% of the total variation in Agrostis wear tolerance was due to interspecific variation. Velvet entries provided significantly better wear tolerance than creeping bentgrass. Velvet bentgrass genotypes provided acceptable wear tolerance and full recovery in most years with the exception of SR-7200. None of the creeping bentgrass entries evaluated exhibited acceptable wear tolerance or achieved full recovery. Fourteen Agrostis genotypes, which included equal numbers of creeping and velvet species were selected for further evaluation of anatomical, morphological and physiological characterstics associated with wear tolerance. Eleven characteristics were measured comparing greenhouse grown spaced-plants established from field plots and seed. Characteristics included tiller density, shoot dry weight, shoot water content, relative water content (RWC), leaf width, leaf strength, leaf angle, crown type and leaf cell wall constituents. Siginificant interspecific difference in charactersitics were found. Little difference at the intraspecific level was obserevd especially within creeping bentgrass. Wear tolerant velvet genotypes were associated with a more vertical tiller and leaf angle, greater cell wall content and greater shoot density. Lignocellulose content accounted for as much as 62.8 to 72.3% of the variation in Agrostis wear tolerance while tiller density accounted for as much as 65.9 to 75.8%. Wear tolerance in Agrostis can be improved by giving priority to breeding for greater density and cell wall content with secondary emphasis to breeding for a more upright growth habit (tiller and leaf).

Kring golfbanan i Kallfors böljar landskapet fram och sträcker sig mellan skogsbryn och villabebyggelse. Välansade gräsmattor, dagvattendammar och en varierande topografi gör det lockande att följa någon av alla stigar över banan för att se vad som finns bakom nästa krök. Golf omges av en stark kultur. Det krävs både dyr utrustning, gott om tid och ofta någon form av medlemskap. Vetskapen om den relativt slutna gemenskapen runt golf gör att platsen omkring klubbhuset inte känns helt välkomnande för den som inte golfar. Här vill jag anlägga ett sportcenter med intilliggande orangeri för att förstärka platsens centrala roll som knytpunkt i Kallfors men också öppna upp den för en bredare publik. Padel, som seglat upp som en populär motionssport, riskerar i och med hög efterfrågan och dyra bokningsavgifter att bli ännu en statussport. I sportcentret erbjuds bland annat padel, squash, basket och boule. För att demokratisera platsen är det viktigt att all utrustning lånas gratis och bokningsavgifterna subventioneras. På kvällen när byggnaden stängt är det fortfarande möjligt att promenera upp, ut över taken. Här är det upplyst och man kan alltid besöka platsen för att spela basket, boule, öva på putting greenen eller bara ta en promenad. / Around the golf course in Kallfors, the landscape waves forward and stretches between forest edges and residential buildings. Well-groomed lawns,stormwater ponds and a varying topography makes it tempting to follow the paths over the golf course to see what's behind the next bend. Golf is surrounded by a strong culture. It requires both expensive equipment, plenty of time and often membership. The relatively closed community means that the place around the Clubhouse doesn’t feel completely welcoming for non-members. Here I want to build a sports-center with an adjacent orangery to strengthen the place's central role as a hub in Kallfors but also open it up to a wider audience. Padel, which has emerged as a popular sport, risks becoming another status sport due to high demand and expensive booking fees. The sports-center offers padel, squash, basketball and boules, among other things. But for the center to be democratic it´s important that all equipment is borrowed for free and the booking fees are subsidized. In the evening when the building is closed, it’s still possible to walk up, over the roofs. Here it´s lit and always open to play basketball, boules, practice on the putting green or take a walk.

An increasing number of people in the United States are finding it difficult to access a safe, personally acceptable, nutritious diet. Urban agriculture is seen as an important avenue for increasing their food security. For better or worse, urban agriculture is subject to the urban setting, agriculture must complete with other socially and economically viable land uses. Establishing and maintaining a robust system of urban agriculture will require a constant seeking out of urban open spaces that, at least for a time, are available for food production. This study focuses on golf courses as one such type of open space. Due to market saturation, a fairly significant number of golf courses are presently experiencing financial difficulty. Tone potential an emerging land use type catagor that is experiencing is increasing. Developing a robust and reliable system of urban agriculture is one strategy for improving food security. In the urban setting, agriculture must complete with other socially and economically viable land uses. Consequently, much of the research completed to date focuses on using abandoned lots as food growing sites. Fewer studies seek to identify the broad range of urban open spaces that might eventually contribute to a system of urban agriculture that is economically and socially viable. This thesis focuses on a newly emerging class of abandoned urban lands – golf courses. Countryside Golf Course located in Roanoke, Virginia is the case study site that is deeply investigate for its potentional of contributing to food security. / Master of Landscape Architecture

Artists think differently. They challenge the practical and apply their ideas to the contemporary world creating many journeys and excitement along the way. Without them, the world would have remained flat and as unique as black and white. This thesis investigation is grounded in phenomenological theories of aesthetics proposed by Maurice Merleau-Ponty and John Dewey, the artistic approach of Jackson Pollock and Yves Klein, and my own perceptions of the process of creating art. The objective is to apply aesthetic concepts and principles derived from these sources to the practice of golf course architecture and expand the way we view and play in our golf course environment. Golf, unlike any other sport, is carried out over an area of awarded luck and encouraged misfortune that also happens to be a living environment. Without question, no two courses are alike. Nor is any hole on any course ever the same. Nor is any hole, even if played the very next day, going to relinquish the same experience. Daily tee and hole locations make for an infinite number of configurations; as does wind, the temperature, the condition of the grass or the suddenly drooping branches of a once upright tree. However, not all courses reach their potential and capitalize on the environments possibilities and the perception of those experiencing it. Some course designers simply place holes in a pattern to reach desired numbers of par and yardage in order to fulfill a requirement. With the unrelenting expense of land and the continued awareness of negative development impacts, the art of golf course architecture could be viewed a bit differently. By incorporating the attitude of an artist such as Jackson Pollock, or the mentality of a psychologist such as Merleau-Ponty, and revealing the possibilities of the subconscious, the golf course architect's design can do more than give shape to space. Blacksburg Country Club, located in Ellett Valley just outside of the town of Blacksburg, Virginia serves as a case study site for this design investigation. The intent of the thesis is to develop a design that addresses the technicalities of golf course architecture and the history of the profession while creating a piece of 'art in nature' that touches all the senses — the gateway to the soul. There just happens to be a game inside. / Master of Landscape Architecture

Biologisk mångfald är viktigt att främja i den ökade urbaniseringen då det gör att städer kanbibehålla viktiga funktioner när allt fler ytor blir bebyggda och hårdgjorda. Aktörer som harstor inverkan på detta är golfklubbar som ligger i tätbebyggda områden. Golfbanorna är i förstahand områden för golfspel och rekreation, men på grund av de stora ytorna kan delar av banornasom inte i första hand används till spel utnyttjas för främjandet av biologisk mångfald. Syftetmed studien är att undersöka hur och på vilket sätt golfbanor kan fungera som initiativtagareför hållbar utveckling av lokala stadslandskap samt vilken potential golfbanor har för att ökaden biologiska mångfalden i städer. Metoder som använts för att undersöka detta är kvalitativaintervjuer, dokumentgranskning samt observationsstudier. Resultaten visar att golfklubbarnaarbetar på olika sätt med åtgärder för att främja biologisk mångfald. Det är projekt för att ökaarter av pollinatörer, en medvetenhet kring vilka växtarter som bör användas för att främjavariation och samverkan mellan olika lokala aktörer. Men då det råder brist på uppföljning avhållbarhetsarbetet är det otydligt hur pass stor effekt åtgärderna faktiskt har. Studien harkommit fram till att golfklubbar har stor möjlighet att bidra till främjandet av biologiskmångfald och att höja medvetenheten kring hållbarhetsarbete i tätbebyggda områden. / Biodiversity is crucial to preserve during the increased urbanization since it enables cities tomaintain necessary functions when more and more surfaces become exploited. A stakeholderthat can increase biodiversity is golf clubs located in densely built areas. Golf courses areprimary areas for sport and recreation, but due to the large areas that golf courses uses, largeparts of the courses are not used in the game. These areas can instead be used for the promotionof biodiversity. The purpose of this study is to investigate how and in what way golf coursescan function as initiators for the sustainable development of local urban landscapes and whatpotential golf courses have to increase biological diversity in cities. Methods used arequalitative interviews with golf clubs, a review of documents, and an observational study. Theresults show that the golf clubs work in different ways with measures to promote biodiversity.For example, there are projects to increase species of pollinators, awareness of which plantspecies to use to increase variety, and cooperation between different local actors. But due tothe lack of measuring the outcomes of the actions taken, it is uncertain how well the measureswork. The study has concluded that golf clubs have great opportunities to promote biodiversityand raise awareness of sustainability work in densely built areas.

No description available.

I takt med att befolkningen i Stockholmsregionen ökar så ökar även exploateringstrycket på grönytorna i regionen. Ekologisk kompensation har pekats ut som ett verktyg som kan användas för att minska förlusten av biologisk mångfald och ekosystemtjänster i samband med att grönområden exploateras. Syftet med detta arbete har varit att studera hur kommunerna i Stockholmsregionen arbetar med ekologisk kompensation samt vilka möjligheter det finns för att utföra kompensationsåtgärder på golfbanor. Utöver det så har även golfbanornas roll i ett eventuellt system med kompensationspool utforskats. Arbetet har främst bestått av en enkät- och intervjustudie som har kompletterats med en litteraturstudie. Sex stycken kommuner svarade på den utskickade enkäten och ytterligare fyra kommuner deltog i varsin intervju. Två stycken golfklubbar har även deltagit och besvarat ett antal frågor. Baserat på resultaten så drar författarna slutsatsen att golfbanor kan, under rätt förutsättningar, vara recipienter för en rad olika åtgärder för ekologisk kompensation. Exempel på åtgärder som utförts på golfbanor för att bland annat bidra till den biologiska mångfalden har identifierats under arbetet, som exempelvis anläggning av dammar för lekande groddjur. Inga säkra slutsatser kan dras om huruvida golfbanor kan delta i kompensationspooler då det ännu är oklart hur ett sådant system skulle se ut i Sverige. / The population growth in the Stockholm region presents challenges for planners, such as increased exploitation pressure on green spaces in the region. Ecological compensation has been identified as a measure to mitigate damages and minimize net loss of biodiversity and ecosystem services in urban areas. The purpose of this report has been to study to what extent municipalities in the Stockholm region incorporate ecological compensatory actions as well as to unravel any potential in utilizing golf courses as recipients when ecological compensations are to be done. Additionally, the possibilities for golf courses to enroll in compensation pools has been examined. Primary method for this report has been interviews and questionnaires, and has been complemented with a literature study. Six municipalities answered the questionnaire and four municipalities respectively two golf clubs participated in interviews. Based on the results it is concluded that golf courses could be the recipient of various projects of ecological compensation under certain conditions. Such compensatory actions are then dependent on local circumstances. Cases where golf courses are subjects for strategic ecological improvements are described, e.g. construction of ponds that support local amphibian fauna. No conclusions could be drawn regarding whether golf courses could participate in compensation pools due to legal uncertainties on how such a system could be established in Sweden.

Seven species of planktonic microcrustacea were identified from the North Texas State University Golf Course Pond. Total adult microcrustacean community density, biomass and biocontent, and seasonal cycles of each species were compared with northern populations. Species diversity and evenness indices were highest in summer and lowest in spring. Variations in microcrustacean density showed a positive correlation with density of phytoplankton. Temperature had a direct effect on metabolic rates of two species of copepods. Metabolic rates of pond species were lower at common temperatures than those of northern populations. An estimate of annual energy flow through the pond ecosystem showed cladocerans contributed the greater percentage of total energy to the next trophic level.

The thesis focuses on costs incurred during the golf course construction and also on operating costs. Types of these costs and options of cost cutting are described. The final part of the thesis analyzes and models usage yield and capacity of golf courses.