Golf course architect John Sanford has been elected as president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA).

Sanford is best known for his work at Granite Links Golf Club in Quincy, Massachusetts, which opened in 2003 and was created using fill from Boston’s ‘Big Dig’ highway and tunnel excavation project. More recently he completed Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point in New York, also a landfill project, and one of several collaborations with Jack Nicklaus.

Sanford was elected ASGCA president at the society’s recent annual meeting in his home town of Jupiter, Florida, which was attended by GCA. “ASGCA is in a great place,” said Sanford. “We continue to raise our profile in the industry. ASGCA members are smart people who know their craft and benefit the golf industry in a number of ways. I want to help raise awareness for ASGCA and continue working with our partners to bring more value to our members, the golf industry and game as a whole.”

The latest issue of the ASGCA’s By Design magazine includes a profile of Sanford, which emphasises the strategic nature of his work. “From the very first course I designed, I have tried to emphasize interesting strategic design,” Sanford said. “I have always been intrigued by strategic shot-making. All of my courses have a distinct strategic quality.”

Sanford has completed many international golf course design projects, in Japan, Egypt, Vietnam and the Dominican Republic. He is currently working with Nicklaus on a redesign of the course where Sanford learned to play golf, now called Banyan Cay Resort & Golf Club, in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Read more about John Sanford in the latest issue of By Design magazine.