Lesson 3: Presenting Your Design
Now it is time to draw. Your design journal has been your companion for six weeks — this is its most important page.
Draw your par-4 hole from above (bird’s-eye view), at a size that fills most of a full page. This is not a sketch — it is a design drawing. It should be clear enough that someone who has never heard your explanation can understand how the hole works.
Include: the tee box (clearly marked), the fairway shape with its width variations, the pond, the trees, the bunkers (if any — they are your choice), and the green. Use a key or legend if needed.
Add two arrows: one showing the safe route from tee to green, and one showing the risky route. These are the most important lines on the drawing — they show that the hole has a design intention, not just a shape.
Below your drawing, write three sentences: (1) what is the hole asking of the player, (2) what is the reward for taking the risk, (3) what one element of the design are you proudest of.
A design drawing communicates intention — why the hole is shaped the way it is. The safe route and risky route arrows are the most important lines on the page.
If you showed your design to a real golf architect, what do you think they would praise? What would they suggest changing?
Complete your Stage 1 hole design drawing. It should include: tee, fairway (with width variations), pond, trees, bunkers (optional), green, safe route arrow, risky route arrow, and a written explanation below. Give your hole a name.