Veteran golf course architect Clay Elkins has announced the formation of his own design practice, Elkins Golf Course Design.
Based 75 miles southeast of Dallas in Athens, Texas, Elkins Golf Course Design has hit the ground running with four projects in various stages of development: an 18-hole master plan and renovation of Athens Country Club, a master plan for Twin Lakes Golf Course in Canton, Texas; a renovation/ expansion plan for the 9-hole St. Mary's Country Club in Berwick, La.; and a nine-hole and range project called Lakeview, also in Athens.
"I formed Elkins Golf Course Design with the intention of providing personalized, hands-on architectural services, and it's darned gratifying to see how well - and how quickly - this approach has been embraced," says Elkins, who spent the last seven years as a senior design associate with Houston-based Jacobsen Hardy Golf Course Design.
"Each client brings his or her own vision to a project. It's my role and responsibility to complement and support that vision with my design expertise, my understanding of the construction process, my knowledge of agronomics. Course design and renovation don't have to be impersonal. Architects need not deal with their clients through some underling, over the phone or through a construction company. I'm my own project manager. By being on site, I can makes sure the client's needs are being met and everything is done exactly right."
Elkins graduated from Texas Tech University in 1996 with a Bachelor's Degree in Landscape Architecture, with a dedicated focus on golf course design. He supplemented this study with internships at top course construction and architecture companies, working in the field with Wadsworth Golf Course Construction, Landscapes Unlimited and Arthur Hills/Steve Forrest and Associates.
In 1997, Elkins began an 8-year tenure with Jacobsen Hardy, the design partnership of PGA Tour veteran Peter Jacobsen and Jim Hardy. "I can't begin to express how much I enjoyed and benefited from working with Peter Jacobsen, Jim Hardy and Rex VanHoose [JH senior vice president/managing architect]," Elkins says. "Their experience as players, developers and architects shaped me and will influence my design work for years to come. Just as important, I learned from Peter how to treat people - and that just because design can be a challenging process doesn't mean it can't be fun. Working with these three gentlemen made me a well-rounded architect."
At Jacobsen Hardy, Elkins was initially given the mission to bring the firm into the AutoCAD computer-drafting era. That task accomplished, Elkins now brings these state-of-the-art, computer-drafting abilities to clients of Elkins Golf Course Design.
At Jacobsen Hardy, Elkins' responsibilities quickly extended to working directly with developers, land planners, engineers, and environmental agencies. In the field, he worked with developer and construction teams to oversee construction and implementation of the Jacobsen Hardy design philosophy. Elkins' work resulted in several award-winning designs, including Hammock Bay Golf & Country Club in Naples, Fla. (named to Travel + Leisure Golf's top 10 new private courses for 2003) and Moorpark (Calif.) Country Club, named to GOLF Magazine's "Top 10 New Courses You Can Play" for 2004.
"I'm just as proud of the renovation work I've directed," said Elkins, citing his 18-hole master plan of Hansen Dam Municipal GC in Los Angeles as one example. "Renovation work requires a different sort of creativity and discipline - working with a client to improve something that already exists. This plays to the strengths of Elkins Golf Course Design: the ability and willingness to support the client's vision."
For more information on Elkins Golf Course Design, contact Elkins at 903-681-5619 or visit www.elkinsgolfcoursedesign.com