(AG Real estate) Golf - (W)hole in one

Serbia is a country which is confronted today to problems similar to those encountered by countries that have been through transition. The main step in creating a positive environment that is securing the inflow of new investments, apart a good idea is the legal frame which is providing investment and business safety.

The indispensable "paper work" cannot be avoided even in more developed countries. It is important therefore to perceive what are the necessary steps to be undertaken in order to have a quality idea even better introduced and offered.

The golf course requires big initial investments. In a country where the private capital of an average citizen is not exceeding limits of a possible investment in the launching of an own business, we are witness of various "infrastructure" forms of assistance, subsidization and logistical support to quality ideas.

The openness towards the outside world has imposed an unavoidable advance of global tourism into local, as well as all appurtenant activities related to this process.

Belgrade "the city of the future of the central part of South-East Europe" has already a golf course, while in the vicinity exists latent possibility for the development of this tourist branch which by itself represents a unique "status symbol" of the region.

The golf provides sporting events, tourist attraction, and economical, social and ecological development. We can therefore say that golf is sport, industry, tourism, but before all a Life Style.

Possible locations

In accordance to Belgrade's GUP (Main urban planning) until 2021, the golf courses are defined as contestant sports structures belonging to 1st category, i.e. specialized sports complexes enabling sports and competition events but not requiring big, specially built space for public such as stands and complex structures.

The Main Urban Planning (MUP) is defining the Golf Courses in the first place as green space which construction and landscaping can be performed among other similar green spaces which shall be defined subsequently with particular feasibility studies.

In accordance to Belgrade's MUP till 2021, Golf Courses are foreseen on the following locations:

- between Resnik and Rusanj - 90 ha of land for a specialized Sporting Center

- Pecani - Umka - 116 ha of land for a specialized Sporting Center

- Danube's left bank between settlements: Kotez and Borca - 103 ha of land for a specialized Sporting Center;

From the Idea to the Construction

The first step in the fulfillment of the idea to construct a Golf Course is the preparation of a programme with analysis and definition of necessary area, afterwards: investigation and observation of latently suitable land for the construction of the Golf Course.

Preparation of programme and analysis of conditions for the construction of Golf Course means preparation of conceptual i.e. preliminary concept of the future complex of the course.

In order to prepare the conceptual design as well as the additional preparation of preliminary and final design, serious investors are hiring a design company dealing also with the construction of Golf Courses and which company is capable to proof in advance all professional capacity and reference projects.

The process is done by stage, from consultancy with the client, development of the idea and the target(s) of the project up to latent problems that have to be taken into account.

Golf architects are helping you to estimate the advantage of the landscape for the construction of the Golf Course (physical appraisal of the land, possibility to irrigate, weather, pedological and vegetational advantages) and are assisting you through the preparation of the feasibility study and the estimate of financial investment. With such a material it is possible to start the initiative for the construction of the Golf Course on the city level i.e. municipal level and related urban planning department in order initiate the procedure for the preparation of the urban planning documents in order to obtain urban conditions.

The Golf Course must have at least 9 golf holes in order to comply with the main rule enabling the title of Golf Course. It is obvious that the real Golf Course has 18 golf holes, but requires also much more space. In addition to that, it is possible to foresee in the preliminary design the construction of housing project around the Golf Course, if conditions allow it.

Therefore, for the construction of the Golf Course it is necessary:

· Minimum 40-60 ha for the course having 9 holes, club's premises with space without appurtenant structures as well as 80 to 150 ha for a course having 18 holes with appurtenant structures i.e. settlement of summerhouses. The area is not strictly regulated but has to be in relation with regulated areas of the Golf holes, protected belts and other structures;

· Lightly corrugated course configuration with allowed modification of land in accordance to architects request, although it is better to follow natural configuration;

· "Relief's energy" for golf courses is small. The most convenient course is a developed one combined with plains, and suitable for walking. A bigger importance, when making evaluation for the construction of Golf Course, is given to the aspect of experiencing the space i.e. landscape, natural as well as anthropogenic which is depicted through perceptions, forms, lines, objects, lightings and surprise effects. The space experience is particularly important for the functioning and attractiveness of the game. The functioning can be naturally convenient but also artificially formed;

· Presence of water - it is very important for the irrigation system, which is one of the main elements in the Golf Course, whether we have water from the municipal water supply system or from natural sources of rivers and lakes or underground water;

· Vicinity of a housing settlement for the golf course - if public, it is likely that a large number of daytime players shall be from neighboring settlements, while for other forms of use of course an analysis has to be made;

· The longest dimension of course should be oriented North - South in order to avoid the best way to avoid blind moments during the sunrise and the sunset;

· Presence of electrical network – as close as possible in order to secure club's premises with all necessary contents. Lighting of the Golf Course is not necessary since the games are not played in the night, but all appurtenant contents are also switched on during the night time;

· Well drained land – drainage is one of the main elements of successful golf course. Good pedological basis is very important, but land reclamation is also an option. Water has to be removed from the course much quicker than with other sports and recreational areas since the golf players require to go to the course immediately after the rain, but also very quickly after the thaw of the snow in the spring. This is why Golf Courses are demanding surface, underground and aerial drainage;

· The construction of Golf Courses is not recommended on land with high percentage of peat or even peat bogs since they are very difficult to be worked in the spring and besides that are frequently protected areas;

· Presence of high vegetation in smaller quantity – it is better to put new seedlings i.e. to make green after laying lines, but it is also important to keep the existing vegetation, particularly if it is well-conditioned and preserved being at the same time strategically suitable;

· It is recommended not to have a traffic lane crossing the course surface;

At the very point of…

After observation of potentially adequate courses, it is necessary to checkout at competent municipal authorities if a concrete area is covered by some planning document, such as: what is planned in this area? Are there any constrictive factors such as the owner's and judicial status of the location, state of the layouts (surveyor's, geological, infrastructure, etc) and is it possible to initiate preparation of adequate urban planning documents and the change of purpose of the land;

If answers at previous questions are positive begins the initiative for the preparation of urban planning. In order to start the initiative it is necessary to attach the preliminary design of the complex enabling to conceive capacity, contents in the complex, necessary space and necessary infrastructure equipment. The procedure is transmitted to the municipal authorities which are to bring adequate decisions as well as to professional organizations in order to prepare necessary documents (programme for establishing an urban planning, draft of the urban planning, proposal of urban planning).

After adapting the urban planning the conditions are ready for taking actions for the change of purpose of land (if necessary), solving owners and judicial and delivering of excerpts from the urban planning which is the basis for preparing and working out of preliminary design of the complex of the Golf Course.

The preliminary design is submitted to competent municipal authority for the delivery of a construction license. After obtaining construction license starts the work out of main design. It is to consider the possibility to prepare documents by stages each stage has to present a complete entirety when talking of space, technical solutions and functionality.

After main design is terminated a request for the execution of works is submitted to adequate municipal service and one is ready to start with the execution of works as defined per contents in the complex. When scheduled works are completed a technical reception of the structures is done and a delivery of user's license is done.

When obtaining the user's license, conditions are created for putting the Golf Course into function and the exploitation can start.

Maja Gligic, B.S. of L.A.

principessa@absolutok.net

www.principesa.co.yu

Association of Landscape Architects of Serbia

www.upa.org.yu