<p>does berkeley offer any golf lessons for beginners?</p>
<p>Starting Fall 2006, Cal is offering beginning golf as a half-unit PE course.</p>
<p>The course completely filled up 4 days into Phase I TeleBears.</p>
<p>This lucky fellow snagged an early Phase I date, and signed up for it. Since I'm a 10 handicap, I doubt I'll stay/be allowed to stay since I'm not a beginniner. That will open up one spot. :-P</p>
<p>that's great. the course at Tilden is pretty close to campus.</p>
<p>what is a 10 handicap?</p>
<p>Each golfer has a handicap that is derived from how good you are at the game; the lower the handicap, the better. In a nutshell, your handicap is how many strokes over par you can be expected to shoot on a good day.</p>
<p>For example, my 10 handicap correlates with the fact that I shoot low-to-mid 80's on a normal par 72 course. Not fantastic, but it's not too shabby.</p>
<p>I'm a 2 handicap.</p>
<p>(As in 10^2)</p>
<p>I'm going to be facilitating a Golf Course Architecture DeCal in the spring. Just a head's up to those interested.</p>
<p>interesting, who's teaching the class?</p>
<p>Me .</p>
<p>^ Someone is rallying students to join~~~ :/</p>
<p>Are you focusing on the golf course designs from a business/landscaping stanpoint, or from a player/sportsman's point of view?</p>
<p>Are you on the golf team ttiang?</p>
<p>I am conducting this course from a landscaping/design viewpoint. This will be an open course with the hopes that golfers and non-golfers alike will join. I will most likely be getting permission through the landscape architecture department, and there are going to be certain expectations that I will be tailoring my syllabus to given that fact. I don't want people to get bogged down creating a design that, say, is able to facilitate 1,000 more golfers on a weekend or forcing students to design courses with constrained budgets. First and foremost is getting to understand the philosophy of golf course design, and then have students translate their own thoughts onto paper. With that said, much of one's grade in the class (pass/no pass) will be determined on how well they route five holes given a topographical map and certain set of conditions. What you've touched on from the business aspect is something I've already considered, specifically as a second phase DeCal to the one I'm offering next spring; however, as you might imagine, it will largely be determined by demand and how many returning students I will be getting following the first course offering. </p>
<p>No, I am not on the golf team. I am an amateur, self-taught golfer who can hold his own on the golf course, but by no means am I interested in competing. It's interesting, because from the very beginning, I've been more intrigued by the golf course than the golfer. For example, this week I'm more fascinated by Royal Liverpool than Tiger Woods.</p>
<p>TTG</p>
<p>What a great way to explore and share your passion, ttg! Very interesting cross-disciplinary aspect: Haas (real estate), landscape architects, CNR, golf fans... If you market your class properly across those parties, you should get a good response. </p>
<p>I was incidentally considering building a golf course on part of my estate in the northeast (as part of a real estate devpt project.) The topography is great (all forested, some mountains, some cross-country ski/horseback riding trails, big plateau, several streams.) I'm going to digitize the topographical maps. It would make a great, real-life study subject. I'll PM you if you're interested.</p>
<p>CalX, thanks for your responses. It would be absolutely AMAZING if you would share those maps with me. We'll discuss this more in private, but given the opportunity to work off of actual land that is being considered for the building of a golf course, this would be a win-win opportunity for both parties. I was going to generate random maps for students to play around with, but there's a definite, added incentive here. The property sounds wonderful. Perry Maxwell, architect of Prairie Dunes (site of 2006 US Senior Open, one of the great courses in the world, and best golf course in my state of birth), once remarked at the course site in Hutchinson, KS: There are 118 golf holes out there, all I have to do is eliminate 100. Hypothetically speaking, if 20 students were to enroll, and each designs 5, and I design 18 (for fun, on my own time, of course!), that's exactly 118 holes earmarked "for your consideration." All this work might not translate into something meaningful when it's all said and done (in terms of the eventual course design), but I bet it would serve as a great piece mounted on the wall of the Trophy Room at your golf course.</p>
<p>TTG</p>
<p>Sign me up for the DeCal! :-D</p>
<p>I would love to contribute to your class, TTG! Great project, very timely for both of us. </p>
<p>I'll hit your CC mailbox this weekend and we'll take it from there.</p>