By Jeff Lawrence, ASGCA – Lawrence Golf Design
Where renovation budgets are built — and broken.
When planning a golf course renovation, every committee eventually asks the same question: “Why does it cost that much?”
The truth is, most of the total project cost comes down to three interlocking systems — greens, bunkers, and irrigation. These are the heart of playability, agronomics, and member experience. And they’re also the components that most influence construction complexity and long-term maintenance cost.
At Lawrence Golf Design, decades of project experience both domestically and internationally on a wide variety of site conditions have revealed clear patterns in how these cost drivers behave — and how smart planning can control them.
Rebuilding or resurfacing greens is often the single largest investment in a renovation project. Whether it’s a subtle resurfacing or a full-profile rebuild, greens dictate both cost and schedule.
Modern USGA-spec greens are multilayered systems — drainage, gravel and rootzone mix — all requiring precise grading, compaction and proper installation.
Drainage layout and gravel selection can account for up to 25% of greens reconstruction cost.
Lawrence Golf Design works with superintendents to confirm existing subgrades, identify materials that meet local USGA specs, and verify blend quality before construction begins — preventing costly rebuilds later.
The shift from cool-season to ultradwarf Bermudagrass continues across the Southeast.
Warm-season surfaces thrive in the Carolinas, Georgia, and Florida, providing firmer, more durable putting conditions with less water and chemical input.
However, conversion costs include:
Projects like Cougar Point (SC), Pine Lake Country Club (NC) and Bonita Bay (FL) illustrate how proper planning — timed for ideal grow-in windows — ensures turf establishment while controlling regrassing costs.
Bunkers define a course’s character. They also define recurring maintenance costs if not properly designed. The key cost factors in bunker renovation fall into form, function, and finish.
The most common source of cost overruns in bunker renovation is water — both what comes in and what stays in.
Poor subsurface drainage can lead to washouts, contamination, and costly repairs.
Modern solutions, like durable liners or aggregate systems, extend the lifespan of bunker integrity to 15+ years.
Lawrence Golf Design emphasizes hydrologically aware shaping: shaping bunkers to drain naturally and minimize water from entering the bunker from outside grades.
The more dramatic the bunker style, the more expensive the shaping and upkeep.
Lawrence Golf Design works closely with each club to balance visual intent with budget and maintenance realities. In many master plans, this means reducing total bunker square footage while improving strategic interest — a cost-neutral way to elevate design.
While golfers rarely see it, the irrigation system is a renovation’s backbone.
Upgrading or replacing irrigation often represents 15–25% of total project cost — but it’s also where savings compound long-term.
Older systems (20+ years) often operate inefficiently, with leaks, inconsistent coverage, and obsolete control technology.
Replacing these components during renovation prevents re-trenching later and allows coordinated grading and shaping.
Modern irrigation systems allow precise zoning and variable rate control, supporting multiple turf types and slope exposures.
By pairing these systems with GPS mapping, Lawrence Golf Design integrates water efficiency into the course’s design DNA — protecting resources and budgets alike.
One of the most expensive mistakes clubs make is sequencing irrigation separately from design.
Lawrence Golf Design ensures irrigation design runs parallel to shaping and bunker drainage — a process that minimizes trenching overlap and site disturbance.
Treating greens, bunkers, and irrigation as separate line items leads to fragmented costs. Lawrence Golf Design manages them as a single ecosystem — where choices in one area affect the others.
Design Decisions and Impact
By designing holistically, Lawrence Golf Design avoids cascading cost increases that often occur when consultants work in isolation.
When a club fully understands what drives its costs, it can phase work intelligently.
Lawrence Golf Design helps boards and committees decide which systems to prioritize — for example, rebuilding bunkers now but delaying green regrassing until a full irrigation upgrade is feasible.
Transparent communication builds member confidence:
By understanding cost drivers, a club can shift from price anxiety to project control.
That confidence — and discipline — is what allows vision to become reality.