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.
Who is the first architect to build beautiful golf courses?
He is known as the first architect who sought to build beautiful golf courses. Additionally, Tillinghast employed a wide variety of design ideas to his courses and he had no self-imposed limits concerning golf course architecture and aesthetics.
Who are some famous people who design golf courses?
Ross Perrett, also a brilliant artist with oils and watercolour. Steve Ritson, golf course designer & architect, and a member of the European Institute of Golf Course Architects - www.greentygerdesign.com Peter Thomson, golfer and architect.
Who is the father of American golf architecture?
MacDonald has become known today as the “Father of American Golf Architecture.” His father, Willie Park Sr., claim to golf fame is being the first Open Championship winner. Following in his footsteps Willie Park Jr. won 2 Open Championships of his own in 1887 and 1889.
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.
Who designed the first golf course?
The course evolved without the help of any one architect for many years, though notable contributions to its design were made by Daw Anderson in the 1850s and Old Tom Morris (1865–1908), who designed the 1st and 18th holes. Originally, it was played over the same set of fairways out and back to the same holes.
Who is the most famous golf course designer?
1. Pete 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.
Who is the greatest golf architect?
Perhaps Alister Mackenzie's greatest contribution to the world of golf course architecture is his almost seamless blending of strategic golf course architecture with artistic beauty.
Who was the golf course architect?
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.
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 Saudi golf course?
Jack Nicklaus, the globally renowned golf course designer and the greatest champion in the game's history with a record 18 professional major championships to his name, has confirmed that he is designing his first ever course in Saudi Arabia, a championship golf course for Qiddiya—Saudi Arabia's capital of ...
Who designed Pebble Beach golf?
Two Amateurs Design an Iconic Golf Course. Although neither Neville nor Grant had any experience at course design, the pair designed a championship course that has seen remarkably few changes over the years. The course you now play is a testament to the extraordinary talent and vision of Jack Neville and Douglas Grant.
Who designed Hackensack golf course?
Hackensack - New Jersey - USA. Hackensack Golf Club dates back to 1899 but the course in play today isn't quite that old. Designed by Seth Raynor and built by his construction associate Charles Banks, it was brought into play in 1928, two years after the architect passed away.
What is a golf course designer called?
Golf course architecture is a specific discipline of landscape design, with many architects represented in the United States by the American Society of Golf Course Architects. Some architects are highly successful professional golfers who went on to design golf courses.
How many courses did Tillinghast design?
Tillinghast was one of the most prolific architects in the history of golf; he worked on more than 265 different courses.
What was Pete Dye net worth?
Pete Dye Net Worth: Pete Dye is an American golf course designer who has a net worth of $50 million. Pete Dye was born in Carmel, Indiana in December 1925....Pete Dye Net Worth.Net Worth:$50 MillionProfession:Architect, Golfer, DesignerNationality:United States of America2 more rows
What is the difference between a landscape designer and a landscape architect?
Landscape architects must be prepared to work on large projects such as public spaces, and be knowledgeable about issues such as grading, constructing structures and drainage. A landscape designer, on the other hand, typically has more knowledge in different aspects of gardening and specialized plant knowledge.
What is golf course architecture?
Golf course architecture is a specific discipline of landscape design, with many architects represented in the United States by the American Society of Golf Course Architects. Some architects are highly successful professional golfers who went on to design golf courses.
What is Tour Greens?
Tour Greens -An Arnold Palmer corporation focusing on residential recreations.
Who is Steve Ritson?
Steve Ritson, golf course designer & architect, and a member of the European Institute of Golf Course Architects - www.greentygerdesign.com
Who is Paul O'Brien?
O. Paul O'Brien, golf course designer & architect, and a member of the European Institute of Golf Course Architects - www.regolfdesign.com.
Who is Jonathan Gaunt?
Jonathan Gaunt, golf course designer & architect, and a member of the European Institute of Golf Course Architects - www.gaunt-golf-design.com
What golf course did Ida Nixon design?
In 1904, the American architect designed an 18-hole golf course for The Springhaven Club. With impeccable fairways and greens, The Springhaven Club is suitable for golfers of any level.
What did Harry Colt do after he quit his job?
After studying at Clare College, Cambridge, Harry Colt quit his job as a lawyer to become a golf architect – and we’re grateful he did! The English architect has been involved in the design of over 300 golf courses, 115 of his own creation, including the mentioned redesign of Royal Portrush Golf Club. He did many relevant modifications such as the two new holes in an area known as “The Triangle”, and the 5th hole, called “WhiteRocks”.
How many golf courses did Robert Trent Jones build?
Robert Trent Jones is probably one of the most repeated names in golf architecture, and not only because his father was also a well-known architect, but it’s also because in a career spanning over 50 years he built more than 300 courses all over the world. Some of these golf courses are The Real Club Valderrama, an exclusive golf course located in the south of Spain, Troia at Portugal, and even the 11th and 16th holes at Augusta National Golf Club.
Where is Perry Dye's golf course?
Some of the golf courses that have the Dye’s signature are Kiawah Island Golf Resort (Ocean) in the USA, a delightful link where the green blends into the sand of the beach; and Golf de Barbaroux at France, with seven significant water hazards and numerous bunkers. Also, their children have joined the family business, with his son Perry Dye having designed Parco di Roma in Italy, amongst other great courses.
Who said golf is not fair?
The American architect, Pete Dye, once said, “Golf is not a fair game, so why build a course fair?”, and he meant it. Pete Dye designed more than 100 golf courses and many of them with his wife Alice Dye. Their golf courses constantly challenge you without relent. Some of their key elements are narrow greens, hazards and trees strategically placed to keep the game exciting and “unfair”.
Who designed the golf courses Carnoustie and Monifieth?
Robertson also designed the golf courses Carnoustie and Monifieth, both in Scotland. Also, he shared his knowledge with a young Old Tom Morris, an impressive golfer and an exceptional golf course architect in his own right.
What is the name of the golf course on the Grand Strand?
The Dunes Golf & Beach Club is one of the true classics on the Grand Strand. Courtesy of Dunes Golf and Beach Club
What year was the Oakland Hills Country Club?
1951: Oakland Hills Country Club (South) | Bloomfield Hills, Mich. - In a relentless rebuke of classical course design, Robert Trent Jones Sr. all but declared Donald Ross ’ style of cross bunkering and offset hazards as obsolete. By moving all the bunkers to designated landing distances of 240-260 yards and placing them on the side of landing areas, Jones declared himself the arbiter of modern championship golf and thereby set himself as “the Open Doctor.” Equally important as Jones’ modernization was a long, laudatory article on the work and the Jones family published by Herbert warren Wind in the Aug. 4, 1951 issue of “The New Yorker.” It not only made Jones’ reputation; it also established Wind as the leading critic of course architecture.
What year was the Augusta National Golf Club?
1932: Augusta National Golf Club | Augusta, Ga. - As the only perennial host of a major championship this co-design of Alister MacKenzie and Robert Tyre (“Bobby”) Jones stands as among the world’s most recognized collections of great holes. It was trend setting in its day for its sparse, strategic bunkering, its width and its deployment of reachable (in two) par 4 1/2s – called par-5s. It has been much changed over the years but remains impressive for its scale, terrain and impeccable quality of maintenance.
What can we do with priceless paintings, drawings and sculptures?
In the presence of priceless paintings, drawings and sculptures, all we can do is look.
What golf course was built in 2007?
2007: Hammock Beach Resort (Conservatory) | Palm Coast, Fla. - Y2K came and went, and as Tiger Woods continued to dominate professional golf, real estate developers spent themselves - and the American economy - into near-oblivion. Golf courses were built at a crazy rate before the Recession brought things to a screeching halt. The Conservatory opened practically on the eve of the bust. A long, intricate Tom Watson design (Watson, like many notable pros, got into the "signature" course design game during the boom) that ripples in decidedly un-Floridian fashion but nevertheless provides a fun round, the course was built to sell 143 homesites, of which a scant few sport completed houses more than a decade after its debut. Though The Conservatory was originally marketed as a tony private club, resort guests now benefit from huckster developer Bobby Ginn's excess.
Where was Prairie Dunes Country Club in 1957?
1957: Prairie Dunes Country Club | Hutchinson, Kan. - Twenty years after Perry Maxwell ’s design of nine ground-hugging holes (current 1-2, 6-10, 17-18) in the grasslands of this small central Kansas town, his son, J. Press Maxwell, seamlessly blended in an additional nine to create one of the game’s truly innovative 18-hole layouts.
Where was the National Golf Links of America located?
1909: National Golf Links of America | Southampton, N.Y. - This curio cabinet of museum-piece architecture on the South Shore of Long Island was golf patriarch Charles Blair Macdonald ’s way of honoring the Old World. He ad libbed from some of the best holes in Great Britain and France, placed it near one of the wealthiest enclaves of New York summer life, and in the process creating a mecca for generations of serious fans of golf architecture.
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).
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.
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.
When was Streamsong Red built?
Streamsong Red in Florida, built in 2012, has been lauded as one of the premier new courses.
Where is Stephan Guertler?
Stephan Guertler is a golf writer and a member of the Golf Writers Association of America. He is based in Vienna, Austria and travels the world to review golf courses, destinations and resorts.
Category One – The Amateurs
I have segregated the architects into two categories – amateur and professional. You will find one or two familiar names among these amateurs but the majority are unknown. Their anonymity is not surprising since the typical amateur was involved in only a handful of courses, if that, and in many cases just a single course.
Category Two – The Professionals
Now we move on to the professionals. It was a very simple relationship, as the popularity for the game increased there became a demand for two things “ golf equipment and golf courses, and the early profesional architects could deliver both. In fact in most cases club-making was their primary profession.
Conclusion
Now that we have examined this period by way of its leading practitioners there are several observations to be made. The first point relates to the title of this essay, and the number of golf courses erroneously attributed to Old Tom Morris.
What is Alister Mackenzie's greatest contribution to the world of golf course architecture?
Perhaps Alister Mackenzie's greatest contribution to the world of golf course architecture is his almost seamless blending of strategic golf course architecture with artistic beauty. Without question, Mr. Ross is the most prolific of the old school golf designers.
Where is Perry Maxwell's golf course?
Mackenzie has courses on the Monterrey Peninsula, the Sandbelt of Australia, and one that annually host a major golfing championship (The Masters), Perry Maxwell's gems are in northern Michigan, Oklahoma, and Kansas.
Who was the first architect to design golf courses?
He is known as the first architect who sought to build beautiful golf courses. Additionally, Tillinghast employed a wide variety of design ideas to his courses and he had no self-imposed limits concerning golf course architecture and aesthetics.
Who is Tom Doak?
Tom Doak. Tom Doak is an architect that I think will continue to climb my Top Ten list as he builds more and more golf courses. He is already one of the greatest golf course architects of all-time with Unanimous Gems not only in the US, but on the international scene as well. Perhaps his landmark breakthrough was his design at Pacific Dunes, ...
Who is the old man with the long gray beard holding a golf club?
Tom Morris. Old Tom Morris is perhaps the most historic figure associated with the game of golf. He is that old man with the long gray beard holding a golf club in all the old golf pictures you've probably seen. He was the greens keeper at St. Andrews and has won the Open Championship many times over.
Is Dye a legend?
Dye is at times bold, at times minimalistic, but is always pushing the boundaries of golf course design and pushing players to overcome the fear and intimidation that comes with encountering something new on a course. He is certainly a legend in his own time. AW Tillinghast.
Who is Donald Ross?
Donald Ross is a genius in the field of golf course architecture and has left a lasting legacy that continues to entertain and confound avid golfers to this day. I think a strong case for making Mr. Colt the #1 golf course architect can be made. He, in fact, hired Alister.
How did Rtj2 work?
As a teenager, RTJ2 worked for his father, learning how to run a bulldozer. His dad paid him the union rate for the job and he used the money for flying lessons, obtaining his pilot’s license aged sixteen.
When was Coore and Crenshaw founded?
Coore and Crenshaw Inc. was established in 1986, but five years passed before the partnership made a real architectural impact when the Plantation course at Kapalua burst onto the scene in 1991.
Where was Alister MacKenzie born?
Alister MacKenzie was born in England, but his parents were Scottish and the family holidayed every year close to where his father was raised in the traditional Clan MacKenzie lands of Sutherland.
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 is Tom Fazio?
Tom Fazio. Born in the northwestern suburbs of Philadelphia, Tom Fazio entered the business of golf course architecture as a teenager in 1962, assisting his uncle George in course construction. Read More >>. Gozzer Ranch is Tom Fazio’s foremost design that nobody has heard of.
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.
What is Arnold Palmer famous for?
Arnold Palmer, famed for his driving, provides us with an array of courses that'll be sure to reward the brave. All the way from La Manga's South Course to The Victoria in Vilamoura, Palmer has embraced water & placed a premium on great driving.
What are MacKenzie's most famous design features?
MacKenzie's most famous design feature was very much his greens, their undulations reward accuracy with grand elevations ready to sweep the ball away from the putting surface.
Where is Jack Nicklaus golf course?
Jack Nicklaus has an illustrious set of designs from Cornwall's St Mellion to The Algarve's Monte Rei plus a host of courses in Murcia.
Who designed the risk or reward golf course?
From Jack Nicklaus and his Championship layouts to Arnold Palmer 's "risk or reward" courses, the footprint & heritage these designers have left is something for us all to enjoy.
