World Golf Courses Directory

To gain much insight into the historical development and spread of golf. We can trace the game from its early roots in Scotland, beginning with the Honorable Society of Edinburgh Golfers and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews, to Westward Ho! and Royal Liverpool in England. As went the British Empire, so went Scottish and English army officers and administrators spreading the game to the four corners of the earth. The introduction of golf in the United States in the 1890s came in part through the Scottish influence but also to a surprising extent via France, where American captains of industry and wealthy expatriates discovered the game on their visits to the French resorts of Biarritz, Pau, and Etretat.

Here, give us a chance to explore the often overlooked creativity and skill of the world’s foremost golf course architects. We can sample the work of the best architects past and present and view the characteristics that define their greatest achievements. Here are examples of the work of the early Scottish and English masters: Willie Park, Jr., Harry Colt, Charles Alison, and Tom Simpson. The golden era of design in America is represented by the many courses designed by the likes of Charles Blair Macdonald, Seth Raynor, Donald Ross, Alister MacKenzie, A.W.Tillinghast, William Flynn, and George Thomas. In Canada, the genius of Stanley Thompson is on display.

In the post-World War II era, Robert Trent Jones developed a distinctly American style of design that became the international standard. He was followed by Pete Dye, who recognized the possibilities for golf architecture of rearranging the natural landscape on a massive scale, taking full advantage of the modern earth-moving equipment at his disposal to create a new style of design with sharply defined, sculpted features. Dye’s work influenced the next generation of designers, including Jack Nicklaus, who has been a major force in building boldly conceived and ecologically sensitive modern courses all around the world.

Three of the most prominent active American golf architects are Tom Fazio, Robert Trent Jones, Jr., and Rees Jones. Rees Jones has made a name for him­self both restoring classic courses, including a number of U.S. Open venues, and with his original designs. Trent Jones, Jr. has carried on the family tradition of designing courses over demanding and frequently spectacular terrain in far-flung locales. Fazio has designed courses with different looks and styles but with a consistent emphasis on the aesthetic shaping and framing of each hole. A number of American architects have also been engaged in exciting projects around the world, including Ronald Fream, Robert von Hagge, Jim Engh, and Kyle Phillips.

In recent years, a number of up-and-coming architects have been placing renewed emphasis on the strategic design principles and handcrafted look of the classic designs of the 1920s, with highly acclaimed results. In the vanguard of this back-to-the-future movement are Tom Doak, Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coere, Gil Hanse, and David McLay Kidd.