Sheet one · the routing
Routing plans
The land is walked and evaluated before a line is drawn, so the eighteen holes follow the natural topography instead of fighting it.
Read about routing plansMellett Golf Course Design · Salisbury, North Carolina
Golf course architecture that finds the holes already on the land.
Routing plans, master plans, grading and construction documents, drawn from the site itself with the natural land and not against it, then built with John Mellett on site.
Sample golf hole renovation master plan
Current against proposed, marked the way a renovation is drawn.
A par four with a short centerline, bunkers that set no strategy and a creek that never came into play. The proposed half of the sheet answers each one. Hover or tab a mark to read the note.
The old-fashioned way
Nature is the greatest golf course architect.
We execute golf course projects the old-fashioned way. We design from the site itself, with the natural land and not against it. The natural topography and vegetation come into the design of the links, rather than golf features being imposed on the ground, and site grading is kept to a minimum.
Plans are important, but they are only the first phase. Greens contouring, bunker construction, fairway shaping and tee locations evolve and are finalised during construction, which is why the firm is on site for every project on a daily basis and prefers to live on or next to the site.
Golf Course Architecture, Planning, Zoning, & Infrastructure
Sixteen services, drawn from one routing.
Every plan the studio produces starts from the same reading of the land, so the routing, the grading, the construction documents and the hearing testimony all describe the same course.
Master plans and renovation
Current against proposed, hole by hole: what is wrong with the hole today, what changes, and why it plays better afterwards.
Read about master plans
Grading, stormwater and planting plans
Contour grading, stormwater control measures and seeding, sodding and planting plans, drawn to keep site grading to a minimum.
Read about grading and stormwater
Construction documents and inspection
Construction documents, inspection and shaping on site, because greens contours, bunkers and tee locations are finalised in the field.
Peer review, expert witness and hearings
Independent peer reviews of other architects' plans, expert witness testimony, zoning board hearings and presentations to clubs and municipalities.
Clubhouse site design and partner services
Clubhouse and facility site design, plus irrigation, surveys, tree work and hydrogeology through the firm's business partners.
Named work
From a Reno mountain tract to the Kobe hills.
Courses on the US East Coast, in Nevada and in Asia. The work that is named on the firm's own project sheets, in its own words.
Reno, Nevada
Montreux Golf Club
John Mellett worked with Jack Nicklaus on this great mountain tract of land outside of Reno, Nevada, USA to produce a stellar golfing venue for a PGA Tour Event.
Construction pending
Normandie Golf Club
Mellett Golf Course Design is working with a home builder to carefully lay out this 18-hole golf course among steep slopes and restrictive municipal zoning ordinances. Construction is pending.
In design
Cape Claddagh
Mellett Golf Course Design has been chosen to perform a Master Plan for a great piece of coastal property.
Other golf course projects
Clubs in Japan and China, the First Tee programmes around Philadelphia, and private and public courses along the East Coast.
See the project index- Rokko Kokusai Golf Club
- Kobe Golf Club
- J & P Golf
- Takaraike Golf Club
- Nanhu Golf Club
- King Carter Golf Club
- Iron Hawk Golf Club
- Huntingdon Valley Country Club
- Manufacturers Golf and Country Club
- First Tee of Philadelphia
- First Tee of Bucks County
- First Tee of Chester County
- Univest Golf Club
- Little Mill Country Club
- Atlantic City Country Club
- Lighthouse Sound Golf Club
- Mountain Ridge Golf Club
- Stonewall Golf Club
- Pheasant Run Golf Club
- Great Bear Golf Club
What fellow designers have said about John Mellett
“Very Impressive Golf Course Design Skills”
“Incredible imagination on bunker designs and green contouring”
“Thorough design process and passionate about golf architecture”
Questions clubs ask
Before the first line is drawn.
Or ask John directly: 704.877.5600, or john@mellettgolfdesign.com.
Mellett Golf Course Design starts with a routing plan. The land is intensely evaluated to understand the natural environment and site conditions, and the holes are located where the topography and vegetation already suggest them. Master plans, grading and stormwater plans and construction documents follow from that routing.
Yes. The firm is on site for every project on a daily basis and prefers to live on or adjacent to the site. Once a project is ready for construction, John Mellett or his designee is on site for the construction of greens, bunkers and other features, because those details are finalised in the field.
Yes. Peer reviews of plans by ASGCA members and celebrity golf course designers are one of the firm's listed services, alongside expert witness testimony and zoning board hearings.
The studio is at 1545 West Ridge Road in Salisbury, North Carolina. Projects have included courses on the US East Coast, Montreux Golf Club outside Reno, Nevada, and clubs in Japan and China such as Rokko Kokusai, Kobe and Nanhu.
Irrigation design, golf course surveys, arborist and tree services, and hydrogeological services are provided through the firm's business partners, coordinated with the golf design.
Call 704.877.5600, email john@mellettgolfdesign.com, or send the project details through the contact form. Describe the property or club, what exists today and what you want to change.
Start with the ground
Walk the property with John before anything is drawn.
A new course, a renovation master plan, a peer review of plans already on the table or testimony at a zoning hearing. Tell the studio in Salisbury what the land is and what the club wants from it. Working together with clients to build top ranked golf courses.