前言，球场设计大师汤姆多克不仅设计作品出色，而且文笔也很流畅。有些观点更是给了我们很多的启发，现陆续翻译一些汤姆多克谈高尔夫球场的一些文章，中文翻译部分仅供参考，不足之处，大家多多指教！

Three reasans not to hire a golf course architect
不能请球场设计师的三个理由
 
By Tom Doak
作者 汤姆 多克

翻译：张旭

There are lots of good reasons for existing golf clubs to retain the advice of a golf course architect. However, all too often we find ourselves called in to a club for the wrong reasons. Principally, there are three.

对现有的高尔夫俱乐部来说，有很多好的理由来采纳球场设计师的建议。但是，我们经常是被一个俱乐部以一些错误的理由请去的。大致有以下三个理由：

Turf Management Problems. This is by far the most common reason an architect is called in -- something on the existing course just isn't working properly, or perhaps the green committee wants a second opinion on how the superintendent is doing his job. Few golf architects are truly qualified to discuss turf management issues, and all have an ulterior motive, as new construction is how they earn their living. Expensive reconstruction will fix any turf problem, but it's seldom the most cost-effective solution. When your car starts running badly, do you immediately rush to a salesman? Talk to a mechanic first -- like the USGA Green Section, or an independent turf consultant. Note, however, that some of the best turf consultants are now affiliated with a golf course architect, like Tom Mead, who works with us.

草坪养护问题：迄今这是叫设计师过去的最多的理由-在现有球场的有些事情仅仅是不能很好的运行，或者是果岭委员会想给草坪总监工作多一个选择。很少有设计师真正有资格去讨论草坪管理的问题，所有人都会隐藏自己的动机，因为在新建的球场中他们才能赚到钱。昂贵的重建将会解决任何草坪问题，很少是最经济的解决方法。当你的车很糟糕的时候，你会立刻去找一个销售员吗？首先应该找机修师-就像美国高尔夫协会的果岭部，或者是一个独立的草坪顾问。注意，现在有些很好的草坪顾问和球场设计师紧密合作，像Tom Mead ，就和我们合作。

Greens with Too Much Slope. I don't believe there is such a thing -- well, okay, I've seen a handful of greens out of 1,000 courses that were unplayable at a Stimpmeter reading of 8 1/2. Insert the phrase, "Greens Which Added Great Interest Until the Committee Got Them Too Fast," by trying to achieve an arbitrary speed. The speed at which you maintain your greens should be determined by the slopes on them, not by the Stimpmeter reading across the street. If you like the design of your course in general, it's much more economical to raise the mowing heights than to rebuild a green -- and it's better for the grass, too.

果岭的坡度太大：我不认为这是什么问题-当然，我见过一千多个球场的果岭，有些果岭的速度大的夸张。顺便插一句，“果岭大大增加了打球的兴趣，直到委员会让果岭变的更快”，当然是试图通过达到任意的速度。维护果岭的速度应该取决于果岭的坡度，而不是取决于果岭测速器测出的距离。如果你想设计一个普通的球场，提高修剪高度比重建果岭要经济的多，同时，对草也更好。

To Rubber Stamp the Green Chairman's Plan for Change. Even if there are things on the course which require architectural solutions, a lot of green committees don't really ask the architect for his best advice; they want him to agree with their idea. And, unfortunately, a lot of architects are willing to play along -- it's easy money. It's easy to delude oneself into thinking that you can improve a course's design, but for me anyway, only a major improvement would justify the risk of spoiling the style and character of the original design. It's much easier to make restoration work look like it belongs on a course than to make a new design fit in. Getting a second opinion is just as important in golf as in medicine. If you want to avoid unnecessary surgery, don't trust the first opinion you hear -- many golf architects are more successful salesmen than designers 。

果岭主席的图纸印章有变动：即使球场有问题需要设计师去解决，很多果岭委员会都不会问设计师要最好的建议；他们只是想让设计师同意他们的观点。同时，不幸的是，很多设计师通常都会合作，因为钱来的很容易。当考虑到你可以改善一个球场的设计时，这是很容易迷惑人的，但是不管怎样，对我来说，只有巨大的改善提高才能冒着破坏原有设计的风格和特色去重新设计。对我来说，恢复原本属于球场的工作要比做一个新的设计更容易些。对高尔夫来说，有一个备选方案的重要性如同药品一样。如果你想避免不需要的手术，就不要听信你最初听到的意见-许多高尔夫球场设计师都是很优秀的销售员。