GolfPlan - Fream, Dale & Ramsey Golf Course Architecture (Executive Director)
January 1966 – January 2011: Forty five years of unequaled experience.
1972 - Present: Golfplan - Fream, Dale & Ramsey Golf Course Architects, Santa Rosa, California.
With 45 years of golf architectural experience in more than 60 countries, Mr. Fream provides strong insight for site analysis and evaluation, conceptual and strategic planning, golf course design, construction supervision and turf grass management. His university background in Ornamental Horticulture provides a unique view point. As founder (1972) and golf course architect for Fream/Storm Associates, Ltd, predecessor firm to Golfplan, Mr. Fream participated in golf planning and design of courses in the Western United States. Between 1972 and 1978 Ronald Fream collaborated with five time British Open winner Peter Thomson and Michael Wolveridge of Melbourne, and Commander John Harris of London, providing worldwide golf architectural services. Golfplan has continued as an international firm, specializing in golf related land use planning, golf architecture, horticultural and environmental consultation, construction consultation and turfgrass agronomic consultation. Golfplan has completed more than 180 new courses.
Strategic development counsel and feasibility evaluation for emerging market locations is an important consultative service provided by Mr. Fream. Remodeling and renovation consultation for older courses is a specialty’ as is bringing a discerning and critical eye to turfgrass maintenance. Clubhouse form and function matters are addressed. Mr. Fream can provide insight regarding adjacent area land use planning and development that affect the golf course.
Mr. Fream has been involved in golf course related activities in about 65 countries since 1966. He has traveled to more than 130 countries. He has flown more than 4 million airline miles (6.4 million km); more than 3,000 flights. He has made 44 round the world airline trips.
Mr. Fream is a director of The Himalayan Youth Golf Association, (successor to The Bhutan Youth Golf Association). He is international counsel to the Nepal Golf Association. He is an Asian ambassador for IAGTO, the International Association of Golf Tour Operators. He is an advisor to the Vietnam Tourism Property Association. He is an advisor to the Ministry Of Tourism for the Indian State of Assam on expanding the tourist golf market.
Between 1973 and 1988 he was advisor to the Office of National Tourism in Tunisia.
1971 – 1972: Robert Muir Graves, Golf Course Architect, California.
Design Associate- providing routing layout studies, construction working drawings, site inspections, turfgrass maintenance consultation.
1970: Robert F. Lawrence, Golf Course Architect, Arizona.
Construction Superintendent at Green Valley Country Club, Tucson, Arizona.
1966 – 1969: Robert Trent Jones, Inc. Golf Course Architect, California.
Design Associate-Turfgrass Horticulturist. Responsible for liaison with planning firms, design studies, working drawing preparation, estimating, site inspections and liaison with construction personnel, specification writing, horticultural and turfgrass management consultation.
Related Experience:
Ronald Fream and Golfplan have provided golf course planning and design services in collaboration with PGA players Peter Thomson, Mark O’Meara, Jonnie Miller and Colin Montgomery.
Ronald Fream has been a frequent contributor to technical trade magazines, monthly golf magazines, and other golf focused publications. He has authored more than 130 articles on diverse topics such as design art and science, golf economics, safety factors, golf travel and growing golf, construction methods, building courses by hand, turfgrass varietal selection, promoting public golf, golf and greed, golf environmental matters, upgrading, renovation and remodeling, and several country specific feasibility and growth potential reports. Articles were published describing events while in Lebanon during the Israeli-Hezbollah war (2006), and arriving in Libya in 2004 on the day USA sanctions were lifted. Articles have been published in 15 or more countries. The USA National Golf Foundation has placed several of these articles on their GolfBizWiki web site.
Ron Fream holds a Malaysian MM2H resident visa.
Mr. Fream has been a contributing author and/or consultant for various national and international golf books. He has been a featured speaker at many professional conferences and turfgrass programs around the world. He presented seminar programs on golf course subjects for 18 years at California State University, Pomona,(Cal Poly). He was a guest speaker at the Eighth International Conference ”Working For Golf” sponsored by the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, St. Andrews, Scotland, May 2009. He has a 35mm slide and digital picture library of over 30,000 images dating to 1966.
Recipient of “Alumni of The Year” award, 1978, Ornamental Horticulture Department, California State Polytechnic University (Cal Poly) at Pomona. Recipient of “Distinguished Alumnus”,1979, School of Agriculture, California State Polytechnic University. A forty year member of the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA). Former Member of Alpha Zeta, National Agricultural Scholastic Honor Society, USA.
Ronald Fream was listed in the Fall 2010 issue of GOLF INC. magazine USA, among the 35 “Most Powerful People in Golf” in 15th position.
Ronald Fream was listed in the Spring 2011 issue of GOLF INC. magazine among the fifteen “ Most Influential Golf Architects “ in the 7th position.
Educational Background - Six Years of University Studies
WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY, Pullman, 1965.
Post Graduate studies in College of Agriculture, Agronomy Department. Emphasis on Soil Science, Ecology, and Turfgrass Management.
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, Pomona (Cal Poly) 1962-1964.
Bachelor of Science Degree in Ornamental Horticulture, School of Agriculture. Emphasis in Botanical Sciences, Soil Science, Arboriculture, and Turfgrass Management.
LOS ANGELES PIERCE COLLEGE, Woodland Hills, California, 1960-1962.
Associate in Arts Degree in Ornamental Horticulture. Emphasis in Botanical Science, Landscape Design, Ornamental Horticulture and Plant Identification.
Concurrently, 1960-1961, Ronald Fream worked weekends and summer time at one of the first turfgrass nurseries where the dwarf hybrid Bermuda grasses including Tifgreen, Tifdwarf and Tifway and Zoysiagrass were being introduced to the golf course and home lawn industry. Summer, 1962-1963, Ron inturned at private club golf courses as a maintenance staff worker.
Website: http://golfplan.com
Areas of expertise: Facility Design & Architecture 
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