As a Golf Course Architect, First and Foremost, Kipp is an Artist
Drawing on experience gained from working in the field since 1992 and operating his own firm since 1997, Kipp Schulties combines the best aspects of classic designs with the pizazz made possible by modern construction equipment and methods.
From Alister Mackenzie-style bunkers that flash sand to the horizon line or adding some Pete Dye style and drama to flat sites or creating fairways that fall off to the left and right, much like a Donald Ross-type green. It is paramount that the design enhances the property and creates what is best for the multiple-handicapped golfers who will be playing the course.
If constrained by land, or by an aging corps of golfers who have trouble getting loft and length to their shots, Kipp can design “containment” fairways to push golf balls to the center. If unconstrained by land and he is targeting low-handicap golfers, his fairways will be wider, allowing drainage — and shots — to fall off toward the rough, adding challenge.
Most of all, Kipp is a modernist, favoring: large, gently moving fairways; dramatic bunkers, (particularly those close to the greens) and intriguing tee placements, where angles are the key to setting up a challenging layout of bunkers, water and line of play strategy.
Schulties feels a 7,500-yard golf course is not an absolute necessity. Rather, a shorter layout demanding accuracy and strategic approach can be every bit as challenging for all golfers.
