Tom Fazio: Dean of Design
Tom Fazio just turned 80, yet remains as ubiquitous as anyone in the design business, dominiating the last six decades of golf architecture.
Backstory: The 18th Hole at the Highlands Course at McLemore
How a dangerous descent yielded a signature finishing hole for the Highlands course at Georgia’s McLemore Resort.
The Golf Architect’s Influence on Pace of Play
Bill Yates insisted the design of the golf course was crucial to establishing how long it would take to play.
Great Golf Holes with Centerline Hazards
We’ve highlighted eight holes at courses in this country with centerline hazards—where you don’t want to play down the middle.
Why Every Golf Course Needs a Silly Hole
Wacky, weird, crazy, dumb—call them what you will, silly holes help make good golf courses better, writes Geoff Shackelford.
The Next A-List Golf Architects
On an undeniably tall, slippery ladder, three acclaimed designers are primed to climb to the top rung. Every generation has its own collection of A-List architects. Naming them isn’t hard. A stiffer challenge is identifying who will comprise the next crop. Being an A-List architect means your name is on the short list every time […]
Golf Course Architect David McLay Kidd – LINKS Golf Podcast Ep. 155
Golf course architect David McLay Kidd talks about designing the first course at Bandon Dunes in 1999, what makes a good match play course, his current projects in Washington and Nebraska, and more on this episode of the LINKS Golf Podcast. This episode is presented by Wild Dunes Resort. You can subscribe to the LINKS Golf […]
Thad Layton Starts New Design Business as Arnold Palmer Design Folds
Until early September 2023, when it was announced that the Arnold Palmer Design Company would be shutting its doors, Thad Layton, a senior architect for the firm, would go into meetings knowing Arnold Palmer had his back. No, the great man might not have actually been present for the last seven years (can it really […]
Panther National: Justin Thomas Dishes on Golf Design and His New Course
Justin Thomas is getting an early taste of the golf course design business, collaborating with Jack Nicklaus on a luxury and lifestyle community called Panther National in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., not far from his new South Florida home. “I’ve always been fascinated by it and wanted to do something at some point but to […]
The Value of Variety in Golf Course Design
As the spice of both life and golf (many readers will consider them one and the same thing), the importance of variety cannot be overstated. Imagine a course without any; where every nondescript hole looks and plays much the same as the others—how uninspiring and utterly forgettable. Alister MacKenzie spelled out how fundamental variety was to […]