Tag: golf

Episode 63: Brian Schneider

Episode 63: Brian Schneider

Brian Schneider joined Tom Doak’s Renaissance Golf Design in 2002. For the last 17 years he’s played a vital role creating some of this generation’s greatest golf courses around the world: Ballyneal, Old Macdonald, Cape Kidnappers, Rock Creek Cattle Company and others. He was the lead design associate on Barnbougle Dunes, Dismal River Red, Grand…

Read More Read More

Episode 62: Drew Rogers

Episode 62: Drew Rogers

Drew Rogers hung out his own design shingle in 2010 after working 18 years with the firm of (Arthur ) Hills & (Steve) Forrest. While working for Hills he gained extensive expertise building new golf courses, albeit it to the specifications of Hills and his clients. Today, Rogers’ own architectural point of view is evident…

Read More Read More

The Champion-A Classic Vintage at PGA National

The Champion-A Classic Vintage at PGA National

Play The Champion on a nice calm morning in January and you might not understand what makes this such a tough tournament course (it hosted the 1983 Ryder Cup, the 1987 PGA, the Senior PGA from 1982 through 2000, and now the Honda Classic). The course looks like almost any Florida resort, winding around lakes and through aisles of homes…

Read More Read More

Episode 61: Jim Urbina

Episode 61: Jim Urbina

When the story is at last written about the current era of neoclassical architecture, Jim Urbina is certain to be featured as a star character. He represents a distinct branch of the Dye architectural tree having begun his career working on projects for Pete and Perry Dye. Later, Tom Doak hired Urbina at Renaissance Design,…

Read More Read More

Episode 60: Andy Staples

Episode 60: Andy Staples

Over the last 15 years, Andy Staples has created his own space in the field of golf design by pioneering sustainability and efficiency in course construction and operation. He’s also helped create and popularize the concept of “Community Links,” a way to better integrate public golf into the lifestyle of the surrounding communities. His practice…

Read More Read More

Episode 59: Jeff Brauer

Episode 59: Jeff Brauer

Jeff Brauer began his career in 1977 working for Dick Nugent and Ken Killian in Chicago and represents a vital link to a previous generation of architecture. Since opening his own design firm in Dallas in 1984, he’s specialized in building public and resort courses in all parts of the country. In the last 20…

Read More Read More

The Game is Alright

The Game is Alright

Let’s get one thing straight: the numbers are never going to work. They’re not coming back. At least not anytime soon. I’m talking about the swirling brew of statistics that portray golf as an imperiled game, including diminished annual rounds played, the plummeting number of committed players, golf course closings, shrinking memberships, a paucity of…

Read More Read More

Mammoth Dunes: The People’s Champ

Mammoth Dunes: The People’s Champ

Over the last several years we’ve been witnessing a fairly radical development in golf architecture. Ever since the most important golf tournaments shifted formats from match play to stroke play, architects and clubs and organizations have been concerned, and occasionally obsessed, with “defending” par. In modern golf par has become sacrosanct, an (admittedly arbitrary) construct…

Read More Read More

Sand Valley, Sun-n-Dale

Sand Valley, Sun-n-Dale

Mike Keiser once said the property at Sand Valley reminded him of a combination of Pine Valley, Sand Hills and Sunningdale. Talk about raising expectations. Intimate knowledge of those courses isn’t required to appreciate this rare environment of barren sand, monstrous dunes and orbital pine forests that accounts for Sand Valley. In fact you need…

Read More Read More