Lucas Bosnjak

Mark Hayward

COMN 4729

Sept. 26, 2013

Soundscape

Location: York Downs Golf and Country Club, 4134 16th Ave, Unionville – In front of the clubhouse

Time and Date: Noon on Monday September 23^rd 2013

List of Sounds:

– The distinct and clear pinging sound that comes when a golfer strikes the ball off the first tee. (Human/Technological-Reptitive)

– Birds chirping in a high pitch song that can be clearly heard all over the course. (Natural-Repetitive)

– The high pitch beeping sound of the golf carts being reversed into their appropriate parking spots. (Technological-Repetitive)

– The zipping sound of the golf carts as they drive by to different tee boxes and how they fade away as they get further. (Technological-Repetitive)

– The low yet clear clicking sound of golf shoes hitting the pavement and brick surface. (Human/Technological-Repetitive)

– Cars driving away from the course down the driveway, the fading sound of the engine rumbling away. (Technological-Repetitive)

– The metal on metal hammering clank of bulldozers on pipes in the distance as the course is under construction. Somewhat faded for a loud noise.  (Technological-Repetitive/Constant)

– The wind rustling through the leaves of the trees faintly and is constant to different degrees of loudness. (Natural-Constant)

– The odd conversation quietly taking place in the background that cannot be clearly made out. (Human-Repetitive)

– Smooth Jazz music being played low and constantly by the clubhouse. (Technological-Constant)

Analysis of Soundscape

For my soundscape I chose the golf course I work at and spend most my time at when I’m not attending York University.  At the golf course one can hear many sounds that are unique in nature as they are not very common in most people’s everyday lives.  One of these unique sounds is the technological/human made sound of the ball being struck by the club.  This can be seen as both a technological and human made sound as the club is the piece of technology that actually strikes the ball but it takes a human to accomplish this act.  The ping sound it makes is a short ringing sound that can be hard quite clearly across the course as it is happening on numerous holes at a repetitive rate.  Although this unique sound happens frequently it still captures the attention of fellow golfers when it is made and can be viewed as the soundmark of the golfing society. Other sounds that can be found in the golf course soundscape would be that of the golf cart zipping by and slowly fading away as it makes its way across the course. Another sound the golf cart makes is a high pitch beeping sound that occurs when the carts are being reversed to be parked.   These sounds which are made by technology are repetitive throughout the course of an hour.

The sounds of nature are another aspect of the golf course soundscape that becomes interesting to observe as it tends to become the keynote sound.  The birds chirping and singing at different levels of loudness and pitch on a repetitive basis is taking place all around the course but because it is heard so regularly it is barely even recognized by the members. The birds can be heard clearly depending on the proximity to them some have a high quality while others sound faint and in the distance.  Even the sound of the many leaves rustling in the wind goes unnoticed even though it is one of the more consistent sounds throughout the day.  It takes one to really sit back and observe the soundscape critically to recognize that these natural sounds are occurring.  These natural sounds are very pleasant and soothing when they are recognized due to the fact that they can be drowned out by the many other sounds we are peppered by on a daily basis.

Being at a golf course one would expect to hear mainly sounds from nature but I found this was not the case as many technological sounds took over the soundscape.  It was not a surprise to hear cars in motion whether they were driving away and hearing the fading rumbling of the engine leaving the course.  The sound of a car accelerating, braking or idling is something most of us hear on a daily basis as we are surrounded by it almost everywhere so it can become a keynote sound for most of society, we know it’s there we just choose to not pay it much attention.  The technological sound that took me back the most was that of the construction taking place on one of the holes distant from the clubhouse.  It could be heard quite clearly as it was the sound of metal on metal clanking together at a consistent frequency.  It became quite an annoying background noise that is not common to the golf course soundscape.

Analyzing my golf course as a soundscape was an interesting processes as it helped me recognize the environment around me thus creating a better appreciation for it.  Many of the sounds that were observed are ones that can be heard in most places around the GTA such as the cars in motion or even the natural sound of birds chirping.  At the same time there were a handful of sounds that were unique to golf courses and individuals who partake in the sport.  For the most part this soundscape is one of low volume due to the golfing etiquette but it is filled with suitable keynote sounds that can be quite distinct.  What can be understood from this soundscape is that although it would seem like a place littered with natural sounds it is those of technology that are the most abundant.  Repetitive sounds also seem to be the norm as sounds are created and fade away on a regular basis.