For some folks, golf isn't just a game -- it's a way of life. But what
if you could combine golfing and working? Golf course architects do just that!
Steven Halberg is president of a golf course architecture firm in Illinois.
He's designed lush, beautiful golf courses in Wisconsin and Illinois, and
conducted course renovations for Downers Grove Golf Club, the oldest nine-hole
golf course west of the Allegheny Mountains.
Halberg grew up loving the game. "I grew up playing golf. I started in
the third grade!" After winning the club championship at his home course twice,
and coming in as a runner-up three times, he decided to follow his passion.
That meant getting an education, so Halberg decided to enroll in a landscape
architecture program. He graduated from the University of Illinois with a
bachelor's degree in landscape architecture, and went on to get his master's
in business administration.
Course design is a very competitive field, and new graduates need all the
help they can get. So Halberg searched for a mentor, and found one in his
late partner, David Gill.
"My late partner once said that he felt really sorry for me, because he
got to retire at 35 [my partner was 71 years old at the time]. He defined
retirement as that time in life when you get to do what you really love to
do!"
When Gill passed away, Halberg feared that his business was over. "I wondered
how I would ever get another golf course project. I really didn't have the
credentials that David Gill had, and we hoped to build my credentials together
-- him as mentor, me as student."
Luckily, Halberg's clients trusted his excellent golf and design savvy.
He's now planning pending projects in El Salvador, Dallas and Illinois.
Designer Doug McArthur spends his time in the office or on the green. "I
don't have any typical days. I'm either working or playing golf."
McArthur designed the Glacier Greens Golf Course and renovated numerous
other courses. "The day we opened the Glacier Greens Golf Course was my best
day on the job. It was the culmination of three years' work and
the first job for which I had complete responsibility."
Female golf course designers may be in the minority, but Lorrie Viola shows
that women can thrive in this competitive field. She started her career working
with other architects.
Viola stresses that education is extremely important in this industry.
"Education is a prerequisite for this job. There's so much competition. And
there are many other great careers in the golf industry -- turf management,
golf course management and golf professional. Get all the experience you can
during your summer months working for a golf course maintenance crew or a
construction crew."
If you're a woman looking at this fun and fascinating career, Viola has
some special advice. "Being a female in a predominately male industry means
that it's sometimes tough to find a mentor when you're first starting out.
But if you believe in yourself and do a quality job, you'll find respect from
most of your male peers."
Golf course designers combine their personal passions with their career.
Their education and experience allows them to build wonderful monuments --
and play on the courses when they're done!