Construction, Irrigation & Maintenance
The Art of Golf
1872 Services specialise in offering clients “turn-key” packages for golf course projects throughout Asia. From initial project pre-planning right through to a fully operational and playable golf course, every single aspect of the project can be undertaken by 1872.
Utilising proven construction & turfgrass professionals from Europe and Asia, 1872 offer clients the best available expertise the golf industry has to offer, ensuring that project time-frames and budgets are adhered to. Our experience gives clients the security of having one company handle all project phases which ensures a more streamlined and therefore economical project can be realised, encompassing superior overall quality.
1872 Services also offer all its services individually, customising packages to suit any clients’ individual project needs. These can services include any number of our full range of project-management, design, consultancy, shaping services, planning, supervision, construction grow-in and ongoing maintenance.
Project Pre-Planning:
This entails a detailed evaluation of the proposed construction site to assess and formulate sustainable construction requirements. This includes detailed analysis of soil, water-quality, site drainage and climate data to determine their parameters and suitability for the project. On the basis of this data construction specifications can be more accurately tailored to each individual site. The client will then be presented with a detailed and comprehensive evaluation and our recommendations.
Project Management:
1872 can provide complete project management services for any golf course project. All of 1872’s project managers have a minimum of 20 years experience in the construction of golf courses. Their experience encompasses all aspects of golf course construction and the various construction techniques used around the world, which combined with their leadership qualities ensures the best possible foundation for a successful project.
Irrigation:
1872 irrigation partner specialists can design an irrigation system to perfectly suit the design and site micro-climates. 1872 offer complete irrigation installation services through a team of experienced irrigation technicians and specialists.
Golf Course Grow-In:
The grow-in phase of a new golf course can produce some particularly complicated and volatile situations, given that construction, irrigation, path building and initial course maintenance is all going on at the same time, generally involving as much as 3 or 4 different companies who regard their part of the job as the most important. The huge advantage a client has in utilising 1872’s ‘Grow-In Service’ is that all of these aforementioned phases are planned and orchestrated from one desk, everyone on-site is on the same side and have the same goal – the professional and timely completion of the project.
Golf Course Maintenance:
The development of a new golf course property involves many different specialists, some are Dr.’s some are artist, but without doubt everyone involved lays their reputation in the hands of the golf course maintenance department. This is where our collective product meets the consumer. Star Golf have the necessary Turf Professionals on- board and at your service for all your needs, from a cost-effective members course to full PGA Tournament standard.
Our Philosophy
In the many and varied aspects of golf course development, it is essential to get what you are trying to accomplish, absolutely right, the first time around, in every department. All the more reason to ensure you have the same team of professionals on-board advising, accompanying and supporting you on every shot you play, all the way from the 1st tee to the 18th green.
Maintenance - Graeme Macniven
Born into a Superintendent family in Scotland. Father now retired, brother GC Superintendent of 30 years. Served apprenticeship under his father and then in 1985 moved on to work under the legendary Jack McMillan at Sunningdale GC.
In 1988 Graeme moved on to oversee the grow-in of the new BMW International Open golf course in Munich where he stayed on to become the youngest Course Manager on European Tour, a record that still stands today.
In 1994 Graeme joined the European Tour Agronomy Department where he remains to this day, as Deputy Director of Tour Agronomy. This position sees Graeme consulting on Tour and Ryder Cup venues through Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia from Stockholm to Shanghai and Hamburg to Hong Kong. Many of these tournaments are played on brand new constructions, so chauffeuring the golf course threw the seeding and grow-in stage to the opening day/tournament is all part of he job. Graeme has been responsible for the largest tournament on the European Tour, the year-ending ‘DP World Tour Championship’ in Dubai since its inception in 2009 – incidentally yet another golf course where the tournament – with millions of TV viewers. – was the club’s inaugural event.
In 2005 Graeme’s services were requested and ‘borrowed’ by the PGA Tour Agronomy Department for a specific WGC tournament at Harding Park GC in California, an experience which essentially led him to being retained as European/Middle-East Agronomist 2005-2009 by Jon Scott at Nicklaus Design when he left the PGA Tour.
Privately and parallel to his Tour obligations Graeme runs a highly successful Agronomy Consulting service, advising and assisting golf courses with hundreds of consultancies to date – some consultancy relationships have lasted over 30 years. In addition to assisting established golf courses he has also shared the benefit of his vast experience on numerous construction projects in the form of grass and material specs, grow-in programmes and indeed providing specialist grow-in Superintendents to ensure a quality and speedy establishment of playing surfaces and thus ensuring opening day takes place as and when it was foreseen. This list includes such projects as YAS Links (Abu Dhabi) and Bro Hof Slott Golf Club, the 36-hole Stadium Course built in Sweden as a Ryder Cup Candidate. His Eighteen Seventy-Two company is currently involved in two re-grassing-renovations – Dubai and Munich, as well as several new constructions at various stages of material specification, construction and grassing.
As you can well imagine, the extremely close working relationship Graeme forms with each local tournament Superintendent he engages with worldwide, allows him unique insight into how each Superintendent functions and copes with their unique and specific environment, including grass- species, climate, design-types together with their ability to interact with staff and colleagues in potentially stressful situations. This in-turn helps identify the strengths and weaknesses of each individual GC Superintendent, allowing him to identify locate individuals, tailor made and ideally suited to each new golf course maintenance / grow-in scenario.
I was also lead Agronomist for the construction, specifications, grow-in and presentation of our 2023 Ryder Cup venue in Rome, Marco Simone. The first time the Tour had accompanied a Ryder Cup course from pre-construction right through to the third biggest sporting event in the world.
Incidentally the following was recently written about Graeme by a third party:
With his father being a pioneering GC Superintendent on the West Coast of Scotland, Graeme literally grew-up on the golf course. Serving under his father before moving on to Sunningdale GC experiencing Walker Cup and European Open tournaments. Graeme quickly moved up the ranks and at the age of 22 moved on to a Superintendents job in central Europe, becoming the youngest ever European Tour Superintendent. Graeme’s eye for detail and man management skills saw him move on to the European Tour Agronomy Department where he has remained under contract, working in Europe, Middle East, Africa, Asia and USA since 1994. Having worked on hundreds golf courses worldwide, from new designs in the desert of UAE to European Tour and World Golf Championship professional events with the worlds best golfers in attendance. Graeme’s reputation as a ‘user friendly’ agronomy consultant precedes him wherever he goes and is considered a colleague and friend by many of the golfs predominant figures worldwide.
Architecture &
Design
Every golf course presents a unique set of challenges before the first round is ever played. Terry Baller is uniquely capable of overcoming every hazard along the way. He’s an engineer with an architect’s eye and a passion for the game. Pair this skillset with vast experience collaborating with some of golf’s most elite players and you’ll understand why Terry has been asked to design, retrofit, or renovate high-profile projects across the globe.
His company, Baller Design, was built on the principle of sustainable management. This approach lessens every properties’ impact on the environment while maximizing playability and real estate potential.
Architecture - Terry Ball
Terry fell in love with golf at a young age. As his skill on the links grew, so did his curiosity about what goes into creating golf courses. Terry began his career in golf course construction – inspiring him to understand the thinking behind the plans.
He landed a spot as a Golf Course Design Associate at IMG. Terry soon began creating designs appreciated by players, developers and groundskeepers alike.
Throughout his career, Terry has collaborated with many leading PGA and LPGA Tour professionals, including Phil Mickelson, Hale Irwin, David Toms, Mark Calcavecchia, Mark O’Meara, Nick Faldo, Colin Montgomerie, Ian Woosnam, Vijay Singh, Stuart Appleby, Bernhard Langer, Jesper Parnevik, Annika Sorenstam, Amy Alcott and Jan Stephenson. Each of these partnerships helped Terry to see the game through tour players’ eyes, giving him insights and knowledge these pros have collected through life on the tour.
Terry also served as Vice President of Golf Course & Academy Design with Innovative Sports Ventures in Scottsdale, Arizona. There he honed his skills, effectively evaluating land development opportunities on practically every type of landscape.
For land planning, master planning and designing of a golf course or a sports academy, you could assemble a robust team of engineers, architects and designers, or you can hire Terry Baller.
Terry is a graduate of Cleveland State University with both a master of science and a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. He also holds a certification in turfgrass management from Pennsylvania State University. Terry resides in Cleveland, Ohio.
