Eddie Hackett: Ireland’s Most Famous Course Architect
Given the timeless quality of the country’s links, it’s surprising that golf arrived in Ireland at roughly the same time as it did in the U.S., in the late 19th century. The Emerald Isle’s most famous architect was a “Johnny Appleseed” type who by sheer prolific force helped the game reach new levels of popularity: […]
Golf Course Architects Discuss Firestone CC South
By Tony Dear The South Course at Firestone CC in Akron, Ohio, has hosted big-time golf since the mid-1950s. First came the Rubber City Open whose winners included Tommy Bolt, Ed Furgol, and Arnold Palmer. It staged three PGA Championships—1960, ’66, and ’75. From 1962 to ’98, it was the venue for the World […]
Golf Course Architects Discuss Firestone CC South
By Tony Dear The South Course at Firestone CC in Akron, Ohio, has hosted big-time golf since the mid-1950s. First came the Rubber City Open whose winners included Tommy Bolt, Ed Furgol, and Arnold Palmer. It staged three PGA Championships—1960, ’66, and ’75. From 1962 to ’98, it was the venue for the World […]
The U.S. Open May Return to Chambers Bay
By Tony Dear A recent visit to the 2015 U.S. Open Venue more or less convinced our writer the championship will return one day. Given what happened in 2015, it’s likely that if and when the USGA ever announces the U.S. Open is returning to Chambers Bay, the backlash will be strong. You’ll remember most […]
A Different Day, Different Pin, Different Hole at Augusta National
The characteristics of Augusta National’s greens—large, contoured, quick—create very different holes when the pin is moved. The Masters distinguishes itself from other tournaments in so many ways, but one of the most fascinating is that competitors here aren’t playing the same 18 holes four times. Rather, they face 72 distinct challenges. There are obviously […]
Philadelphia Cricket Club, Wissahickon Renovation
When A.W. Tillinghast died, he requested that his ashes be spread “where he loved life the most”—along the Wissahickon Creek, a stream that winds through one of his finest designs, the Wissahickon Course at Philadelphia Cricket Club. Wissahickon is the most famous of Philly Cricket’s three courses. It opened in 1922, at the peak of […]
Mike Clayton – A Course Architecture Name to Know
Golfers astute enough to follow Australian course architect Mike Clayton on Twitter would recently have seen images of the work he and his partners Geoff Ogilvy, Mike Cocking, and Ashley Mead—known collectively as OCCM—completed on the 14th hole at Royal Canberra. The before and after images demonstrate just what Clayton and the team are capable […]
What’s Next for Course Architect Tom Doak
Tom Doak’s design firm is called Renaissance Golf Design and it not only describes his thought-provoking, minimalist designs with their rugged beauty, but it also describes the man himself. He’s a real iconoclast whose course reviews are must reads for any architecture aficionado. (See his unvarnished critiques in The Confidential Guide to Golf Courses, the […]
What’s Next for Golf Course Architect Kyle Phillips
This May will mark the 20th anniversary since Kyle Phillips started his own design firm after 16 years working for Robert Trent Jones Jr. Phillips was the European point man for RTJ II and much of his own work over the last two decades—he has about 50 courses to his credit—has been there as well, […]
Q&A with Billy Fuller, Founder of Better Billy Bunkers
Perhaps you’ve heard of the “Better Billy Bunkers.” Billy Fuller, 66, developed his bunker-construction method while superintendent at Augusta National from 1981–1986. The original ‘Billy Bunkers’ were introduced in 1994, and since then more than 600 courses around the world have installed them. What prompted the development of Billy Bunkers? When I got to Augusta […]
