H.S. Colt designed 10 courses in the Top 100 World ranking, the most of any architect on the list. His highest-ranked is No. 1 Pine Valley, which was originally designed by George Crump.
Who are the best golf course architects in the world?
1 Bobby Weed 2 Tom Weiskopf 3 Beau Welling, with Beau Welling Design 4 Robert W. White, golfer and architect 5 Chris Wilczynski, golf course architect - CW Golf Architects 6 Hugh Irvine Wilson 7 Derrell Witt 8 Norman H. Woods 9 Tiger Woods, with Tiger Woods Design
Are there any professional golfers who design golf courses?
Some architects are highly successful professional golfers who went on to design golf courses. This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.
What happened to golf course architecture?
A cadre of design critics claims that golf course architecture slipped into a dark place from 1945 to 1975, emerging only when Pete Dye began to hit his stride. Others extend the time period another 20 years, to 1995, when Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw’s Sand Hills burst into course rankings and the national consciousness.
How were golf courses built in the past?
As the times changed, so did the art of golf course architecture. Back in the day, there were no bulldozers and heavy machinery, so courses were built with shovels and mules. Architects, however, were often able to pick the land of their choice.
Who is the best golf course architect?
Discover the Top Golf Course Designers in the CountryPete Dye. Born into a family of golf course designers, Pete Dye followed in his father's footsteps to become one of the most famous golf architects in the country. ... Arnold Palmer. ... Jack Nicklaus. ... Tom Fazio. ... Tom Watson. ... Gary Player. ... Ben Wright. ... Tom Jackson.
Which golf course architect has built the most golf courses in China?
No golf architect has built more courses in China than Brian Curley, so it would be hardly surprising if he had also had more courses closed.
How many golf courses has Fazio designed?
200 coursesFazio has designed more than 200 courses of which 46 have been ranked by Golf Digest in their greatest 200 courses in the United States. His individual honors include Best Modern Day Golf Course Architect, which he received from Golf Digest Magazine three times.
Who designed golf courses?
Old Tom Morris, the “Grandfather of Golf”, was an innovator in greenskeeping and many modern golf course design techniques. Old Tom Morris got his start apprenticing for Allan Robertson and the pair worked together on a ten-hole design Carnoustie Golf Links in Scotland in 1842.
How many golf courses are there in China?
500 golf coursesThere are currently about 500 golf courses in the country, the first of which was constructed in 1984. Mission Hills is one of the leading firms, owning courses around the country. Its Mission Hills Golf Club near Shenzhen has 12 courses, making it the world's largest golfing complex.
How many golf courses are there in the United States?
There are 9,473 Golf Courses & Country Clubs businesses in the US as of 2022, a decline of -0.7% from 2021.
Who designed Augusta National?
Alister MacKenzieAlister MacKenzie designed Augusta National, in collaboration with Jones.
What changes have been made to Augusta National?
Changes to the 11th and 15th holes at Augusta National mean that the course will be 35 yards longer than last year, with White Dogwood and Firethorn lengthening by 15 and 20 yards, respectively. The changes increase the overall distance of the course from 7,475 yards to a record 7,510 yards.
What is a Fazio course?
Originally designed as a tribute to five-time PGA champion Walter Hagen, The Fazio golf course pairs classic architecture with modern advances. It's an ideal balance where single-digit golfers will be fully challenged, while those with higher handicaps are in for a great of entertaining resort golf.
What course did Tiger Woods design?
Payne's ValleyOpen Daily. Paying tribute to Ozarks-native and World Golf Hall of Fame member, Payne Stewart, Payne's Valley is first public-access golf course designed by 82-time PGA TOUR winner Tiger Woods and Woods-led golf course design firm, TGR Design.
How many courses has Tiger Woods designed?
Tiger is one of the top golfers on the PGA Tour. Even though Tiger Woods hasn't retired from professional golf, that hasn't stopped him from designing the golf courses. And he has designed around ten golf courses so far, including his own practice facility in the backyard.
Who designed Erin Hills golf course?
Erin Hills, 35 miles northwest of Milwaukee in the Kettle Moraine hills, is built into rugged landscape left behind when the last retreating glaciers carved natural fairway corridors and green sites about 11,000 years ago. “Nirvana,” is how Michael Hurdzan, the golf course architect, described it.
Who designed the Teeth of the Dog course?
For instance, Pete Dye designed the Teeth of the Dog course at Casa de Campo; so allocating those points was easy. However, we found it trickier to work out how to allocate the architectural points for collaborations and for courses that have been altered down the years through restoration, renovation or extending an old nine-hole course to eighteen holes.
Where did Tom Doak study landscape architecture?
Tom Doak studied Landscape Architecture at Cornell University where he won a scholarship to travel to the British Isles, he then spent seven months on the road, literally living on the links.
Where did Harry Colt study law?
Harry Colt studied law at Clare College, Cambridge. Twelve months after his 1887 enrolment, he joined the committee of the Cambridge University Golf Club and in 1889 became the club's first captain.
Who worked with Tom Morris?
Donald Ross worked with Old Tom Morris at St Andrews in 1893 then spent part of the following season at Carnoustie before returning to serve under the Dornoch club secretary John Sutherland.
Who was the college team captain in 1957?
Pete Dye captained the college team in his youth before going on to qualify for the US Open in 1957. He won the Indiana State Amateur, took part in The Amateur in 1963 and played in five US Amateurs.
Do golf courses have ratings?
We have enough golf courses rating data to sink a small battleship. All we had to do was to add up the points and at first we thought the task would be relatively simple. But, as always, the devil was in the detail.
Who are the golf course architects?
One hundred pages contain biographical profiles of golf course architects who have positively impacted golf course design. From the pioneers, such as Allan Robertson and Old Tom Morris, through the "Golden Age" of design when the likes of Colt, Alison, MacKenzie , Tillinghast and Raynor left us with a cornucopia of classic courses; to the modern architects such as RTJ , RTJII, Nicklaus and Fazio, whose global portfolios are literally bursting at the seams.
How long have golf courses been rated?
However, we’ve been ranking and rating golf courses now for more than fifteen years and by doing so we subconsciously evaluate the architecture involved and therefore the architect or architects who fashioned each course.
Who are the architects of the Golden Age?
Then there’s a small group of architects who are creating a new Golden Age revival, such as Coore and Crenshaw, Doak, Hanse and DeVries, who all took inspiration from those early 20th century masters and also, perhaps, the likes of Pete and Alice Dye .
Who designed the course for Seth Raynor?
Consequently Morrison, in particular, is underrated. The same can be said for Charles Banks who completed a good number of Seth Raynor ’s courses after his death, and Arthur Croome who assisted Tom Simpson, Herbert Fowler and John Abercromby, but received little or no credit. Donald Ross and James Braid have hundreds of designs to their names, but both architects left much of the physical work to others.
Who designed the Teeth of the Dog course?
For instance, Pete Dye designed the Teeth of the Dog course at Casa de Campo; so allocating those points was easy. However, we found it trickier to work out how to allocate the architectural points for collaborations and for courses that have been altered down the years through restoration, renovation or extending an old nine-hole course to eighteen holes.
Is it impossible to prove architectural provenance?
But we’ve tried our best to unearth evidence and give credit where we think it’s due.
Who designed the golf course in Scotland?
Donald Ross. Ross , who grew up in Scotland, has more than 400 golf course designs to his credit. As one of the preeminent golf course architects of the early 20th century, he designed such notable courses as Oakland Hills Country Club, Oak Hill Country Club, Seminole Golf Club and Inverness Club.
What is the best golf course in the world?
The "good doctor" is famous for laying out three of the best golf courses in the world: Cypress Point Club, Augusta National and Royal Melbourne. One course that is often overlooked is Pasatiempo, where MacKenzie spent the last years of his life (he had a home right off the sixth hole). This par-70 layout might be the longest 6,500-yard course on the planet. A number of holes play uphill, and MacKenzie's trademark "finger" bunkers and undulated greens are featured throughout the round.
What golf courses did Tillinghast design?
"Tillie" (as the noted architect was often called) has created masterpieces such as Winged Foot Golf Club, Quaker Ridge Golf Club, Baltimore Country Club, San Francisco Golf Club and Baltusrol Golf Club. His best layout accessible to the public is the infamous Black Course at Bethpage State Park in New York. Obsessed golfers regularly sleep in their cars to get a tee time for the next morning. Bethpage Black, which hosted the U.S. Open in 2002 and 2009, is a tribute to the "Golden Age" of golf course design. A word of caution: The course is extremely challenging, and it isn't too easy to walk (golf carts are not permitted).
How has dye influenced golf?
Dye is infamous for moving "heaven and earth" -- using plenty of railroad ties and laying out sadistically difficult courses such as the Stadium Course at PGA West, Whistling Straits and the Players Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass. I have tortured myself on a number of Dye's evil layouts. The Ocean Course at Kiawah Island received worldwide recognition when it hosted the "War by the Shore" -- the 1991 Ryder Cup -- shortly after its inception. The punishing Dye creation features a number of bunkers, water hazards and gorgeous ocean views, and it brought the world's best players to their knees at the 2012 PGA Championship, when the winds were howling.
Where is the 16th hole in Bandon Dunes?
The course boasts picturesque dunes, pot bunkers and a number of holes situated right along the Pacific. The 16th, a shortish par 4 situated right on the beach, is among my favorite holes anywhere on the planet.
Where is the Black Course?
His best layout accessible to the public is the infamous Black Course at Bethpage State Park in New York. Obsessed golfers regularly sleep in their cars to get a tee time for the next morning. Bethpage Black, which hosted the U.S. Open in 2002 and 2009, is a tribute to the "Golden Age" of golf course design.
Who designed the Bandon Dunes?
David McLay Kidd. Kidd, a Sco tsman, gathered worldwide attention after his inaugural design at Bandon Dunes on the rugged Oregon coast. This seaside gem located on pure links land put the village of Bandon on the golf map and helped make Bandon Dunes a first-class golf resort.
What golf course was designed by Joe Lee?
Courses designed: East course at BallenIsles Country Club with partner Joe Lee (known as the Champions Course at the original PGA National Golf Club for the 1971 PGA Championship). South Course at NCR Country Club (1969 PGA Championship). Laurel Valley Golf Club (1965 PGA Championship).
What golf courses did Robert Trent Jones design?
Open). Pomonok Country Club (1939 PGA Championship). Red Course at Eisenhower Park Golf Club (1926 PGA Championships at what was then the five-course Salisbury Golf Club). Pelham Country Club (1923 PGA Championship).#N#Other majors impacted by his work: None.#N#Comment: Emmet, a name unrecognizable to most golf fans, designed a slew of early championship courses, although Pomonok CC no longer exists in upstate New York. It's debatable calling the Blue Course at Congressional an Emmet design since both Robert Trent Jones Sr. and his son, Rees Jones, have made ample revisions since 1957.#N#Total impact: Five designs and eight majors.
Classic Designs
Golf architects are given a living canvas – a piece of land – on which to do their work.
Penal Golf Design
Some course architects are known for the difficulty of their layouts. Hazards such as bunkers were meant to exact a harsh penalty. George Crump, a wealthy businessman turned golf designer, built the famed Pine Valley.
Inspiring Golf Design
Max Behr, an outstanding golf writer turned course architect, wanted to inspire the best in golfers with his designs for courses such as Lakeside Golf Club in California, a course that helped influence Bobby Jones and Alistar Mackenzie on the design of August National, home of the Masters.
Playability
Some golf architects focus on creating courses that are playable and fun for the average golfer. Stanley Thompson, who designed Jasper Park and Banff Springs in the Canadian province of Alberta, built the courses to be both playable and aesthetically stunning, tucked into the mountains and forests of the Canadian Rockies.
Environmental Concerns
When golf was booming in the 1970s, '80s and '90s, golf designers were routinely hired to build courses as part of a housing tract or resort.
1900 – Sunningdale
1907 – Alwoodley Golf Club
1909 – The National Golf Links of America
- Old Ideas Become Icons
Almost universally recognized as the first outstanding golf course in the U.S., The National Golf Links project was a hugely important one for both club founder Charles Blair Macdonald and his non-golfing protégé Seth Raynor. Macdonald’s faith in the principals of the great old links was fir…
1918 – Pine Valley
- Finding Genius in Toughness
After The National Golf Links came an even more epic undertaking, the Pine Valley project in scrubby pinehills outside Philadelphia. Club founder George Crump took golf course design to the next level with this layout, which initially shocked for its audacity and sheer difficulty, but would …
1947 – Peachtree
- Hard Par, Easy Bogey
Described by many as the “Father of Modern Golf Course Architecture,” Robert Trent Jones was one of golf’s first formally educated architects. Though he had built courses prior to Peachtree, it was his collaboration here outside Atlanta with Bobby Jones in the late 1940s that established h…
1969 – Harbour Town Golf Links
- Target Golf
Pete Dye was an unheralded course designer when recommended by Jack Nicklaus to build the Harbour Town Golf Links on Hilton Head Island in the late 1960s. Famously, Robert Trent Jones was building Palmetto Dunes nearby at the time so Dye decided that to stand out his course wo…
1981 – TPC Sawgrass
- Stadium Golf
Despite being panned by many in the golf business when it first opened, the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrassis a legend of the modern era and one of the most influential layouts in our game. It was golf’s first custom-built tournament course, with abundant mounding for spectators, moder…
1999 – Bandon Dunes
- Minimalism for the Masses
Measuring the impact of the original Bandon Dunes courseon modern golf is difficult, given that the resort grew so quickly after its opening and the effects are still ongoing. What we do know is that before Bandon, American golfers were largely apathetic toward the bouncy, firm, links-like g…