Why Us?

Because 90% of our work is by referral

Chris Pitman's passion for golf course design is infectious.

It all started at the age of 18 when he helped out with course maintenance to keep fit as a pro-footballer. It wasn't long before (at the age of 21) he became England's youngest Head Greenkeeper on a re-modeled Alister Mackenzie golf course.

From there, Henry Cotton took Chris to Portugal and introduced him to the world of golf course architecture. Over the last 30 years Chris has been involved in more than 70 golf courses around the world.

His roots go deep. Pitman's designs are based upon the formative years of golf. Hence the philosophy of his design "A Rendezvous With Nature", where he combines nature and creativity to realise complexity and variety.

According to Pitman, the best golf is links golf. The next best thing is inland heath golf; sandy well-draining areas with silver birch, heather and natural turf grasses wonderful for golf. Then there is parkland golf where you have to create more as it is basically flat and greater changes must be made in drainage and shaping.

In the past, greenkeeping was an easier job. A lot was done without chemical fertilisers and you did not have to make the course grow so much. Naturally there was not so much play in those days as well. But the quality of courses were good then because all the hardy, slow growing grasses, perfect for golf, were encouraged. Nowadays, courses are being spoilt with too much fertiliser and too much water and softer grasses. Now the more you do, the more you have to do. The more you fertilise and water, the more you have to cut and top dress and verti-cut to keep it low.

All this technology comes from America and is epitomised with courses like Augusta with its deep hues and blue waters.

They have certainly brought the game up to the highest levels but they do differ from the British school of golf course building; however the links course is not easy to construct. In order to build a good links course, you have to conduct a detailed study of the surrounding nature to be able to reproduce it and ensure the course is in harmony with the local environment.

The driving force behind each of Pitman's creations is variety. Namely. shallow bunkers, flash bunkers and deep pot bunkers. Undulations, ridges, mounds, hollows, swirls, dips, camouflage and mask. Greens that are protected on one side, in a front half or features movement on just one side to allow for different strategies on different days. It would be routinely dull to close off every green or keep every green open.

Some of his courses introduce the strong elements of the links like the laced-edge bunkers at Titirangi and some deep pot-bunkers at Peninsula Golf Club.

Chris is now basing himself in the magnificent Pacific nation of New Zealand, where he has been engaged in golf course projects for over 20 years now.

'New Zealand is a beautiful country with beautiful courses - I am living a dream in a dream location.'

Many will see Pitman's signature on courses in New Zealand. From restoration work at Titirangi and Akarana Golf Clubs to Master Plan work for the Grange Golf Club, Rotorua Golf Club and more, to design/build work at Redwood Park Golf Club to feasibility studies like that at Long Bay, Auckland.

More and more kiwi golf courses are taking advantage of having an internationally acclaimed architect based locally. If you have any golf course design requirements, master plan proposals, reshaping needs, you can contact Chris Pitman now - simply click to send him an email.

Click here for a full resume of projects completed and ongoing.

Introducing Ian Wallace

Ian Wallace is a landscape architect with his roots firmly planted in a 25 year long horticultural career. It is this soil under his fingernails that Ian values above his impressive academic qualifications.

From a foundation of an apprenticeship in horticulture, he has worked his way up through the ranks, via parks department overseer, to polytechnic horticulture tutor, designing for 10 times Chelsea Flower Show gold medallist Julian Dowle, landscape project management for Babtie Plc, through to acting as Rotorua District Council’s resident landscape architect. Attracted by Chris Pitman’s environmental sustainable ‘design with nature’ philosophy, Ian brings a wealth of hands on experience to any project.

He holds a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture [Lincoln University, NZ], Bachelor of Arts [Open University, UK], Diploma of Horticulture [Lincoln College NZ], Trades Certificate in Horticulture & Gardening [NZTCB], and is presently studying towards a Post Graduate Diploma in Town & Country Planning [RTPI, UK].