Golf Course Architecture - Architects' Choice - Top 100 Golf Courses

ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE GOLF COURSES

1 Many thousands of words, in magazines and across the Web, are devoted to the ranking or rating of golf courses. So, on one level, readers might wonder why we at GCA felt the need to start another list. Fundamentally, the reason is that we believe golf architects have a unique perspective on what makes a course great. It’s a common criticism that many, perhaps even most golfers, judge courses on factors such as the turf condition or the quality of service in the clubhouse; well, if anyone is best placed to look beyond that at the design of the course itself, it ought to be the architects. There are a number of architects on rankings panels around the world, though some magazines, notably Golf Monthly in the UK, specifically exclude them because of a perceived conflict of interest. This conflict was an issue for us when compiling these rankings; we considered banning designers from voting for courses with which they have been involved, but eventually decided doing so was too complex. Should every architect who has ever worked for a particular firm be barred from naming every course on which that firm has ever worked? If not, where should the line be drawn? Should we say ‘You cannot vote for courses on which you personally worked’; if so, how would we verify that, especially in the case of larger design firms who have or had multiple associates? Eventually we concluded that the simplest option – to trust people not to hype their own work and to reserve the right to disqualify ballots that we felt broke this rule – was the best. The fact that, almost 250 ballots, those we threw out could be counted on the fingers of one hand, more than justified our confidence. Producers of lists of all kinds love to claim objectivity for the results. That’s as true in restaurant or travel guides as it is in rankings of golf courses, but it is just as spurious in each. Even if one can agree set criteria against which voters should make their judgements, one doesn’t have objectivity, partly because those criteria are themselves subjective, and partly because the individual voters have to be trusted to apply them in the same way, which is impossible. We chose the opposite route: to define no criteria and to say to our voters, in true Potter Stewart fashion, ‘We believe you know what good is when you see it’. Yet, even accepting that lists are subjective, there is value in the collective opinions of informed observers. With lists compiled by a single judge, the subjectivity smashes you in the face; a restaurant ranking compiled by someone who hates spicy food is hardly likely to guide you to the best Indian or Mexican restaurants. So we feel, although every single reader will find something they object to in our list, that it is of interest and of value. We hope you agree. Adam Lawrence Editor Welcome July 2013 www.golfcoursearchitecture.net Published by Tudor Rose Tudor House, 6 Friar Lane, Leicester LE1 5RA Tel: +44 116 222 9900 www.tudor-rose.co.uk © 2013 Tudor Rose Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be stored or transmitted or reproduced in any form or by any means, including whether by photocopying, scanning, downloading onto computer or otherwise without the prior written permission from Tudor Rose Holdings Ltd. Views expressed in Golf Course Architecture are not necessarily those of the publishers. Acceptance of advertisements does not imply official endorsement of the products or services concerned. While every care has been taken to ensure accuracy of content, no responsibility can be taken for any errors and/or omissions. Readers should take appropriate professional advice before acting on any issue raised herein. The publisher reserves the right to accept or reject advertising material and editorial contributions. The publisher assumes no liability for the return of unsolicited art, photography or manuscripts. It is assumed that any images taken from sources which are widely distributed, such as on the Web, are in the public domain. It is recognised though that since such images tend to be passed freely between sources it is not always possible to track the original source. If copyrighted material has ended up being treated as public domain due to the original source not being identified please contact the publisher, Tudor Rose. Editor: Adam Lawrence Art Direction: Paul Robinson Design: Bruce Graham, Libby Sidebotham Website Development: Chris Jackson Photography: Mark Alexander, Clive Barber, Aidan Bradley, Joann Dost, Russell Kirk, Larry Lambrecht, Gary Lisbon, Jim Manderville, Kevin Murray, Evan Schiller, Frank Pont, Paul Robinson, Club de Golf Valderrama Publisher Toby Ingleton Publication & Sales Manager Kevin Whittle Advertising Sales Jemma Bennett Circulation Ritwik Bhattacharjee Reprints Stuart Fairbrother ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE GOLF COURSES

Vision. Experience. Results. +1 (916) 797-2141 kylephillips.com Congratulations to the Exceptional Team at Kingsbarns! Kingsbarns Golf Links - St. Andrews, Scotland Ranked #19 - Architects’ Choice Top 100 Golf Courses Photo by: Iain Lowe GOLF COURSE DESIGN KYLE PHILLIPS

3 Architects’ Choice Top 100 Golf Courses In compiling the Top 100, golf architects were free to select their favourite courses using whichever criteria they felt most appropriate. It wasn’t an easy task, as Peter Matkovich highlights: “I spent many hours debating in my mind the various values and credentials of the courses. It’s almost like asking to rank your children in order of preference.” But over 240 golf course architects completed it, and many who participated shared their thoughts on what made a golf course great. Location was most frequently cited. Scottish-based architect Sam Thomas says: “My choices are special primarily due to location, location, location. The sites of each would be any architect’s dream.” Brit Stenson of IMG Golf Course Design says: “To me, the very best courses are great routings on unusual or maybe even unique sites. The Golden Age architects often had the opportunity to select from and design on truly outstanding sites, and they had the limitations imposed by the construction equipment and methods of the day. It is that combination of opportunity and constraint that fostered their genius, their adaptive flexibility, and hence that gave us so many truly unique journeys in golf.” And, almost uniquely in sport, this diversity of playing surface is what makes golf special. Ian Andrew adds: “One of the great joys in golf is that each setting for the game is completely unique. When the golf course fully integrates and incorporates the setting right into the architecture we are left breathless. Royal County Down and Prairie Dunes are the two best examples I know of where the line between golf and landscape beyond is so blurred that you don’t know whether to grab a sketch book, a camera or you golf clubs. While there ‘may’ be a handful of better designs, there is no grander experience and no place I would rather be than either of those two courses.” Location also encompasses another crucial factor – the weather. David Johnson said: “A great golf course is not only defined by having superb strategy and conditioning, but it offers intangibles that result in a Just what is it that makes a golf course great? Is it strategic golf holes, a breathtaking setting, immaculate conditioning, or something else? Toby Ingleton finds out what the architects think. TOP What to be takes it Photo: Gary Lisbon

5 remarkable golf experience. One such intangible is the weather, perhaps the most variable element in golf. Many of the courses I hold in the highest esteem are near a coast, where the wind has the ability to change playing conditions in the blink of an eye. My first round at Royal Dornoch started under cold, grey skies, followed by several holes with brilliant sunshine, then a brief hail storm, followed again by glorious sunshine. The perfect day!” And location dictates the playing surface, or what lies beneath. David McLay Kidd explains: “You could give me a site devoid of meaningful contour, too small by convention, remote from a golfing public, a near penniless developer but make it sand and I promise I can make you something very special! Every course in my list shares that key ingredient!” Regardless of the site though, the golf course must stand up. For Steve Smyers, who himself has a successful amateur golf record, the golf course must provide a good test. Smyers says: “The tipping point for me is if a course occupies a landscape in a very harmonious manner while providing the ultimate examination of one’s golfing talents and abilities. A truly great course should test the most talented in the game. It should identify one’s ability to execute an infinite variety of shots with every club in the bag. A great course must require the best to be precise off the tee and to have a balance of long and short approaches into the putting surfaces. A superior course puts a great emphasis on decision making, that is, it will not only ask a player to hit a good shot but hit the right shot for the occasion.” And the putting surfaces themselves are crucial to many. Tom Mackenzie says: “My selections are generally highly influenced by the quality of the green designs providing a thorough examination of the short game. That is the lifeblood of the game and the only cure for the power game. Give me any course with eighteen creatively shaped, challenging and fair green complexes and I would be happy.” The fact that over 75 per cent of the courses in our Top 100 were built over 50 years ago suggests age might be important. Tripp Davis says: “I am one who likes the history of a course and the club, but more than that I think great golf courses are in part a product of ageing, much like wine. That ageing results in tweaking to correct flaws and make strong points stronger.” But perhaps the most frequently cited factor in a great golf course was fun. “Unparalleled fun factor,” says Todd Eckenrode, of Cypress Point. “Fun to play,” says Mike Hurdzan, about TPC Sawgrass. North Berwick is “easily the most fun golf course I have experienced,” says Mary Armstrong. “Incredibly fun to play,” says Brandon Johnson, of Tobacco Road. It’s a reminder that for the vast majority of golfers, the sport is a recreation, a pleasure, a pastime. It’s what we do in our free time and for many, it’s what we would do all the time if we could. If golf architects keep designing courses that golfers enjoy, the sport has a strong future. “ One of the great joys of golf is that each setting for the game is completely unique. When the golf course fully integrates and incorporates the setting right into the architecture we are left breathless” Ian Andrew Architects’ Choice Top 100 Golf Courses

6 Woking Surrey, England Tom Dunn, 1893 The first of many classic heathland courses from the south of England to appear in our Top 100, Woking was first laid out by Scottish golf professional Tom Dunn, with Stuart Paton and John Low’s subsequent work making the course what it is today. The club is currently working with golf course architects Thomson Perrett & Lobb and is set to unveil a new sixteenth hole in the coming weeks. The Honors Course Tennessee, USA Pete Dye, 1983 Created by American businessman Jack Lupton to honour the game of amateur golf, this private club is known for its compelling blend of a Pete Dye golf course and the natural plants and wildlife painstakingly nurtured by greenkeeper David Stone. Shadow Creek Nevada, USA Tom Fazio, 1989 Having transformed a parcel of desert into a pine tree-lined golf course, complete with lakes and streams, Shadow Creek is recognised for its feat of landscape engineering. “What Fazio and Wynn did there expanded everyone’s idea of what man can do,” says Armen Suny of Suny Zokol Golf Design. Neil Haworth of Nelson & Haworth says: “With money, talent and creativity anything can be built!” Peachtree Georgia, USA Robert Trent Jones, 1947 “As near like Augusta National as possible, and better, if possible,” Bobby Jones is quoted as saying in the planning of Peachtree. Robert Trent Jones was hired and the Jones’s partnership produced a course that is known for its use of contour, with barely a flat lie to be found. Torrey Pines (South) California, USA William F. Bell, 1957 With expansive views over the Pacific Ocean, this public golf course was redesigned by Rees Jones and Greg Muirhead in 2001 to meet the contrasting requirements of public play and professional tournaments, including the 2008 US Open. Olympic Club (Lake) California, USA Sam Whiting, 1927 When the original 1924 Lake and Ocean courses designed by Willie Watson were damaged in landslides, superintendent Sam Whiting remodelled and rebuilt both. Robert Trent Jones reworked the Lake course, which is characterised by its severely sloping fairways, for the 1955 US Open, the first of five it has hosted, and Bill Love oversaw work in advance of the most recent, in 2012. ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #100 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #99 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #98 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #97 “ With money, talent and creativity, anything can be built!” Neil Haworth on Shadow Creek Architects’ Choice Top 100 Golf Courses ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #100 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #96 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #96 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #95 Photo: Marcus Lovelock PinPoint Golf

7 Of the four Nicklaus Design courses in our Top 100, Kinloch is the newest. We asked Chris Cochran, senior design associate for Nicklaus Design, about the experience of creating the golf course What really struck us about Kinloch was how beautiful the site was. The course is on high ground overlooking Lake Taupo, and comprised of organic, highly erodible soil with the land simply cascading towards the lake. It’s a spectacular setting with very rugged terrain. In designing the course we sought to mimic the surroundings, creating natural, distressed looking bunkers and greens that blended perfectly into their surroundings. There were definite limitations in how we could route the course. There was only one place to put the clubhouse and this dictated our opening and closing holes, but when a routing comes naturally it’s probably a sign of how well suited the land is for golf. In terms of playability, we managed to achieve a lot of variety – uphill and downhill shots, doglegs left and right – and this diversity of challenge for the golfer makes the course a huge amount of fun. Special site ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #94 100-93 The Kinloch Club Waikato, New Zealand Jack Nicklaus, 2007 One of only six courses built in the last ten years that made our Top 100 list, Kinloch, designed by Jack Nicklaus’s firm, brings a rustic feel to the volcanic hills overlooking Lake Taupo in the North Island of New Zealand. Loch Lomond Dunbartonshire, Scotland Tom Weiskopf, Jay Morrish, 1993 Scotland’s first entry into the Top 100 is one of only two inland courses from that country to make the list. This parkland layout visits the lochside on multiple occasions including its fine finishing hole. ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #93 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #94 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #93 Photo: Larry Lambrecht

8 Fishers Island New York, United States Seth Raynor, 1926 Students of golf design will find much to admire at Fishers Island, with the course featuring Raynor’s take on numerous classic designs, such as Redan, Alps and Biarritz holes. Capilano British Columbia, Canada Stanley Thompson, 1937 Routed among fir trees in the hills between the Pacific Ranges and Vancouver Harbour, Capilano is a little-touched insight into the work of Canadian architect Stanley Thompson. Wentworth (West) Surrey, England Harry Colt, 1926 Although the routing remains the same, the recent renovation of Wentworth’s West course by Ernie Els with architect Greg Letsche has transformed this Harry Colt layout, now characterised by its deep, muscular bunkering. Restoring shot values It’s five years since the team at Ernie Els Design embarked on the huge transformation of Wentworth’s West course. Ernie Els reflects on the experience. Restoration of a classic golf course is a challenging process, but it’s also an immensely rewarding one, especially as in this case you take into account my connections with the West course at Wentworth. This Harry Colt design has an incredible tournament pedigree – having hosted World Matchplays, BMW PGA Championships and a Ryder Cup – and its popularity is well documented. However, by the turn of the 20th century the course wasn’t playing the way Colt intended. That was the starting point for our design solutions. We needed to restore a lot of the course’s original shot values, while at the same time not straying too far from Colt’s philosophy – a delicate balancing act but one that we feel has been successfully resolved. In fact we believe this restoration, which included completely new green complexes and bunkering, has enhanced this wonderful course in every conceivable way. It is improved aesthetically, strategically and just as significantly in the quality of the playing surfaces. And as a designer, my own view is that the likes of Colt, Donald Ross and Alister MacKenzie would have willingly been engaged in such restorations. Great men such as this have great vision. They designed courses for 30, 40 and 50 years or more and in that time they evolved as architects. Had they lived long Architects’ Choice Top 100 Golf Courses “ We needed to restore a lot of the course’s original shot values, while at the same time not straying too far from Colt’s philosophy – a delicate balancing act” ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #92 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #91 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #92 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #90 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #90

9 St George’s Hill Surrey, England Harry Colt, 1913 Perhaps the first example of an integrated golf and housing development, St George’s Hill set a standard that is unmatched since. Colt designed two courses here, the first of which still exists in full, the second reduced to nine holes (the current ‘Green’ nine) in the 1940s. Cabo Del Sol (Ocean) Baja California Sur, Mexico Jack Nicklaus, 1994 Combining the best of desert and coastal golf, Cabo Del Sol’s Ocean course is one of just two Central American courses in the Top 100 list. In 2010/11 the club made significant changes to the fifth, sixth and seventh holes, taking play closer to the sea. Jim Lipe, who worked with Nicklaus to create the new holes, said: “With water crashing all around you on the sixth green and seventh tee, the connection to the ocean is greatly enhanced”. The Berkshire (Blue) Berkshire, England Herbert Fowler, 1928 Both courses at The Berkshire received votes from architects, but it was perhaps surprisingly the Blue that made it into our Top 100. Famously opening with a tough par three over a deep heather-filled hollow, the course winds its way through the pine that has matured since the golf course was first laid out on open heath. 92-87 enough I have no doubt they’d have been the first in line to update their old courses, using their considerable skills and wonderful imagination to ensure that these courses continued to be a test for the best players. From the feedback we’ve had, there’s no question the players now appreciate the changes we’ve made. The course doesn’t need to be tricked-up; it’s just a very balanced and fair test of golf, with a well-judged risk-reward component. If you play well then there are opportunities to make birdies and score well, but if you’re doubting yourself or slightly off your game then the golf course will penalise you. That’s the way championship golf is meant to be. ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #89 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #88 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #87 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #89 Photo: Larry Lambrecht Photo: The Berkshire Golf Club ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #88 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #87

10 Exciting the senses We asked Martin Ebert, whose firm Mackenzie and Ebert provide architectural services to Rye, to give us an insight into the course What are the characteristics which makes Rye so special? Harry Colt and Tom Simpson’s involvement with the layout and detail of the design is a good start! The main spine of gravelly dunes has been used extremely imaginatively in the routing of the course. The layout uses it in so many different ways. Holes run alongside it, along the top of it in the case of the classic fourth, from peak to peak at the fifth, up and over it for the sixth and 13th, and from high tees to crumpled fairways on the ninth and 15th. There are so many holes which excite the senses. The five par threes are rightly renowned but the fourth, 16th and 18th, the latter passing hard by the clubhouse, are world class par fours. Most importantly the greens at Rye enjoy that combination of superb condition, both winter and summer, and the most beautiful contours. It is hard to find a better set. And all with a par of just 68. Architects’ Choice Top 100 Golf Courses ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #86 “ There are so many holes that excite the senses” ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #84

11 86-82 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #86 Rye East Sussex, England Harry Colt, 1895 Harry Colt was a young solicitor when he was elected captain of Rye and laid it its original course, before going on to become one of the most influential golf architects of all time. Rye was subsequently reworked by Tom Simpson and Sir Guy Campbell and is now a par 68, with five par threes and a single par five. Chantilly (Vineuil) France Tom Simpson, 1909 Tom Simpson arrived at Chantilly in the 1920s to design a second 18 holes, and at the same time reworked the original Vineuil course. The course was severely damaged during the Second World War, but was subsequently restored and later, in the 1980s, reworked by Donald Steel. The course is characterised by its challenging bunkering and, despite the surrounding forest, spacious feel. Bandon Trails Oregon, USA Bill Coore, Ben Crenshaw, 2005 A journey through dunes, meadow and forest, Bandon Trails was the third eighteen built at the Bandon Dunes resort. “In the profession of golf architecture all one can ask for is to be given an extraordinary site and the freedom to work with it. Mike Keiser has afforded both at Bandon Trails,” says Bill Coore on the club’s website. “We have tried to tread softly on this spectacular landscape, laying out a golf course that required little alteration to the site while providing golf as diverse as the land itself.” Pasatiempo California, USA Alister MacKenzie, 1929 Following their design partnership at Cypress Point, Pasatiempo founder Marion Hollins presumably found the decision to hire Dr Alister MacKenzie to design a new course on the sand hills overlooking the Monterey Bay quite easy. Almost 70 years later, the discovery of a collection of historic slides prompted the club to embark upon a restoration of MacKenzie’s original design, choosing Renaissance Golf Design for this ten-year project. Saunton (East) Devon, England Herbert Fowler, 1919 The East course at Saunton began life in the 1890s, but it was Herbert Fowler’s work in 1919 that has the greatest impact on the course as we see it today. The course is typified by the holes that run through dunes, giving each a sense of happy isolation and providing a stern test that many feel is worthy of an Open Championship. ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #85 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #84 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #83 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #82 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #85 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #83 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #82 Photo: Frank Pont

12 St George’s Canada Stanley Thompson, 1929 Throughout its eighty-plus year history, the golf course at St George’s has had a seamless design history, beginning with Stanley Thompson and passing first to his design associate Robbie Robinson, who oversaw significant changes to the course in the 1960s and, before his death in the 1980s, handed the reins over to business partner Doug Carrick. St George’s rolling topography and outstanding routing, combined with the fine bunkering handled largely by then Carrick associate Ian Andrew, make it the highest placed Canadian course on our list. Thompson’s works of art Stanley Thompson is Canada’s founding father of golf and designed the two courses from the country that made our Top 100. We asked golf architect Doug Carrick, who has worked at both, to tell us more “A little bit of England, far from England.” This was the vision of Robert Home Smith, the founder and developer of the prestigious Kingsway area in the west end of Toronto, which includes the St George’s Golf & Country Club (formerly known as the Royal York Golf Club). Robert Home Smith began purchasing land west of Toronto in the early 1900s and by 1928 had assembled over 2,000 acres for the development of a prestigious residential neighbourhood. Smith’s plans also included the establishment of a first class golf course that would serve clients of the Royal York Hotel in downtown Toronto that was also being built at the same time, by Canadian Pacific Railways. Stanley Thompson had just completed the Banff Springs course in 1928, also for CPR, and was the logical choice to design the new course for the Royal York Hotel. Not only was Thompson commissioned to design the course, but he was also responsible for selecting the property for the golf course within the 2,000 acre land holding. Thompson’s selection of the beautifully rolling and wooded landscape was brilliant, as it was ideally suited to the development of a world class golf course. The property is intersected with a series of broad rolling ridges and dramatic valleys, covered in mature Oak savannah. Thompson’s routing of the course takes full advantage of the dramatic terrain with holes that flow naturally through the valleys and across broad ridges, creating an infinite variety of shots from the heaving and undulating fairways. Many of the green sites are elevated and framed with spectacular, artistically shaped bunkers that Thompson is so well known for. Each and every hole at St George’s has its own unique look and personality and is easily remembered long after the round is finished. Such is the genius of Stanley Thompson. My mentor and former partner, the late CE (Robbie) Robinson, began his career in golf course architecture with Stanley Thompson in 1928, during the building of St George’s. Robinson recalled asking Thompson why he was building such a difficult golf course and Thompson’s reply was: “Young man, I’m not building this course for today, I am building it for posterity”. Capilano’s first golf professional Jock McKinnon, who served the club from its inception in 1937 until his retirement in 1979, said: “Capilano was and still is a tribute to the architectural genius of Stanley Thompson. There is no need for any tampering apart from taking care of the normal wear and tear. The members have a work of art in their care and possession.” To this day, Jock McKinnon still holds the world record eclectic score (which totals the best score made on each hole of a particular course by one person) McKinnon’s total score of 33 includes hole in ones on four of the five par threes, eagles on all of the par fours and double eagles on all of the par fives except the 18th hole, where he made just a mere eagle. Having served the club for more than 20 years as their consulting architect, I have come to know every inch of the golf course quite intimately and I can heartily attest to McKinnon’s assessment of the course. It truly is a work of art. Capilano is not the longest or most demanding golf course in Canada, however it may be the finest example of great golf course architecture in the country. The routing of the course alone is absolutely brilliant, especially when you consider Architects’ Choice Top 100 Golf Courses Photo: Clive Barber ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #81 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #81 “ Each and every hole at St George’s has its own unique look and personality” Doug Carrick

13 81-75 Monterey Peninsula (Shore) California, USA Robert Baldock, Mike Strantz, 1960 Mike Strantz’s extensive 2003 redesign of the Shore course at Monterey Peninsula would be his last work before cancer robbed golf of one of its most innovative architects. With an artist’s sketchpad as his most powerful design tool, the Shore course provides a series of stunning landscapes. Strantz sandcapped the site to create a surface that would encourage a ground game and reversed many of its holes in the direction of its famous neighbour, Cypress Point. Baltusrol (Lower) New Jersey, USA AW Tillinghast, 1922 From 1948 Rees’ father Robert Trent Jones was retained to improve and modernise Tillinghast’s dual courses at Baltusrol. Among the changes was the addition of seventy yards in length at the par three fourth hole on the Lower course, which some members feared made it too difficult. Trent Jones famously responded by stepping onto the tee, holing his shot and announcing: “Gentlemen, I think the hole is eminently fair”. Trent Jones’ son Rees, along with design associate Steve Weisser, is currently helping prepare the Lower course for the 2016 PGA Championship. Lyne Morrison says: “Baltusrol Lower gains a vote for providing the best-sited womens’ tees on a traditional member course played to-date. It’s so very satisfying to be engaged with the intended strategy from the tee – and clear confirmation that this can be done!” The Island County Dublin, Ireland Fred Hawtree, Eddie Hackett, 1890 The club’s founding members, the ‘Syndicate’, made the original voyage from the village of Malahide to the linksland of The Island in the late nineteenth century, and it remained only accessible by boat for the first 80 years of its existence. The construction of a new access road in the 1970s prompted the relocation of the clubhouse from its original quayside location and a subsequent rerouting and redesign by Fred Hawtree and Eddie Hackett. Both Jeff Howes and Martin Hawtree have made revisions since, but the course’s sense of natural evolution remains. Formby Merseyside, England Willie Park Jr, 1884 The northwest coast of England has rich pickings when it comes to links golf and Formby’s, with its rolling fairways and tall pines, give it a unique character that elevates it into the company of its Open rota neighbours. “Visiting the course changed my life as a golf course architect,” says Michiel van Der Vaart of Jol Golf Design in the Netherlands. “One hole after the other is breathtaking and full of character”. Harbour Town South Carolina, USA Pete Dye, Jack Nicklaus, 1969 Pete Dye had given Jack Nicklaus his first taste of design with a consulting role at The Golf Club in Ohio. But at Hilton Head Nicklaus had a hand in every hole, working alongside Pete Dye to create a design that remains one of the most distinctive on the PGA Tour. The European Club County Wicklow, Ireland Pat Ruddy, 1993 Located on Ireland’s fabulous coastline south of Dublin, the European Club has been the labour of love for architect and owner Pat Ruddy and his family for the past twenty years. Taking a long term view, the course has evolved over that time and is now recognised as one of Ireland’s best. that the mountain side property has over 300 feet of elevation change and yet it is still easily walked by the majority of members. The first, fifth and sixth holes each plunge downhill 100 feet before reaching the seventh hole at the lowest end of the course. The routing then makes a gradual ascent up the mountainside, however the climb never seems strenuous. It is also interesting to note that there is never a tee shot or an approach shot into a green that climbs more than 11 metres (36 feet). In other words the shots are always manageable. Not only did Thompson brilliantly manage the challenging elevation changes in the routing, but he also managed to capture and frame many spectacular views out over the city of Vancouver to the Burrard Inlet and also back to Grouse Mountain at the top end of the course. The finishing holes (15, 16 17 and 18) situated in the ‘upper bowl’ below the stately clubhouse and the soaring slopes of Grouse Mountain, are unmatched anywhere in the world for their combined challenge and beauty. Over and above the brilliant routing, the green complexes and bunkers are works of art in and of themselves. Thompson’s trademark high sand flashings and swooping grass capes give each hole a unique identity and distinct personality. If a golfer had just one round left to play in their life, Capilano would be an excellent choice. ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #80 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #80 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #79 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #78 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #77 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #76 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #75 Photo: Aidan Bradley ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #75

14 Architects’ Choice Top 100 Golf Courses Shoreacres Illinois, USA Seth Raynor, 1919 One of Raynor’s first designs, the club has worked with Renaissance Golf Design to ensure that it remains as close to its original design as possible. The routing makes the best use of dramatic natural ravines found on the property and, like many Golden Age designs, makes the best use of classic hole designs from the UK’s links courses. The Country Club Massachusetts, USA Willie Campbell, 1893 The Country Club introduced six golf holes in 1893 and appointed Willie Campbell as club professional. Campbell oversaw the completion of the first nine soon after and the subsequent increase to 18 holes, and William Flynn added another nine holes, the Primrose, in 1927. Few golf courses have such a rich championship history, from the 1902 US Women’s Amateur and Francis Ouimet’s historic victory in the 1913 US Open, to the infamous Ryder Cup of 1999 and this year’s US Amateur. “The Country Club has a slew of challenging, scenic golf holes. However, it is the towering 100 year old oaks and timeless beauty of the rolling lands that make any round of golf here memorable,” says Graham Cooke. Los Angeles (North) California, USA George Thomas, 1911 LACC moved to its current location in 1911, with a course designed by the club’s founders that was subsequently redesigned by Herbert Fowler and George Thomas. In 2010, a five year project to restore Thomas’s design of the North course was completed, under the direction of Gil Hanse, “LACC is probably the most flawless course in California, offering a huge collection of wonderful holes on really perfect California golfing terrain, utilising the barrancas in a perfect, varied way,” says Todd Eckenrode. Cape Kidnappers Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand Tom Doak, 2004 Set dramatically on the top of huge cliffs overlooking Hawke’s Bay and with holes separated by deep ravines, Cape Kidnappers offers a visual spectacle that has few equals either in golf or nature. Royal Lytham & St Annes Merseyside, England George Lowe, Harry Colt, 1897 While not in view, the influence of the sea is clear at Royal Lytham & St Annes, with rolling fairways that provide a stern but fair test. “It is not the most beautiful course in the world, but there is something about the challenge which I love. It’s a course which rewards the intelligent golfer,” says Ross McMurray of European Golf Design. The genius of Thomas In 2010, a full restoration of George Thomas’s original design at the North course at Los Angeles Country Club was completed. Gil Hanse considered it an education At LACC North, Jim Wagner, Geoff Shackelford and I set out to restore the course to the original design of George Thomas both in concept, execution and style. The result was that we received a doctorate level course in golf course architecture by studying his philosophies and how he implemented these thoughts on this marvellous property. The more we looked into the course and how it had evolved away from his intentions, the more convinced we became that we needed to restore it. His concepts of courses within a course (the linking of hole locations with specific tees is a simplified explanation), the use of the natural topography, the eccentric green shapes and the rugged beauty of the Southern California landscape all meshed perfectly on this site. This was truly a special project where we benefitted from this study of a true genius of golf course architecture. ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #71 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #73 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #72 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #71 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #70 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #74 Photo: Mark Alexander ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #70 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #68 Photo: Gary Lisbon

15 Mid Ocean Club Bermuda Charles Blair Macdonald, 1921 Upon completion of the construction of the golf course at Mid Ocean Club, Macdonald wrote to his client the Furness Withy Steamship Company, describing the contours as “unsurpassed, delightful valleys winding through coral hills”. When Robert Trent Jones was called in to improve the course in the 1950s, his touch was relatively restrained, respecting the design of Macdonald. Noordwijk Netherlands Frank Pennink, 1972 Along with the golf courses at Kennemer and Haagsche, Nordwijkse sits in the west coast dunes that protect the Netherlands from the North Sea. Pennink’s course was created when the club’s original 1915 course in the dunes made way for a housing estate. The connection to Pennink remains as recent changes at the club have been handled by Mackenzie & Ebert, who previously worked for Pennink’s business partner Donald Steel. Machrihanish Argyll and Bute, Scotland Tom Morris, 1879 While its first hole, requiring a heroic drive over the beach, is one of its most famous, the fun at Machrihanish really starts from the third hole, when the course hits the dunes. Western Gailes Ayrshire, Scotland F. Morris, 1897 Western Gailes was a coastal retreat for Glasgow-based golfers made possible thanks to the train. The course is situated between the railway line and the sea, with out of bounds, pot bunkering, meandering burns and the coastal winds combining to make this a classic Scottish golfing experience. Casa De Campo (Teeth of the Dog) Dominican Republic Pete Dye, 1971 Christoph Städler says: “Teeth of the Dog, Pete Dye’s masterpiece in the Caribbean, probably was the most creative golf design in the 70s and is still outstanding today. In 1974, I was so fortunate to play the course on the occasion of the Eisenhower Trophy and it eventually became a real eye-opener for me. Bite-off holes across ocean bays, an island tee in the ocean, a ‘wadi’ alongside a hole, a green within a gigantic bunker, and many other unexpected features which I had never seen before on the dull, uninspiring German courses of that period suddenly evolved my dream of becoming a golf architect and of designing creative golf courses myself. However, it took another thirteen years and the boom following Bernhard Langer’s first Masters victory before I dared to make this dream come true.” “Seven holes parallel the ocean, a par three entirely surrounded by sand… great strategy, fun, playable, scenic and challenging for all – a bucket list must for all golfers,” says Lee Schmidt of Schmidt-Curley Design. Royal Cinque Ports Kent, England Henry Hunter, James Braid, 1892 Hunter’s original links were redesigned and rebuilt by James Braid following the World War I and again by Sir Guy Campbell and Henry Cotton in 1946 following World War II. The course now stands proudly alongside its famous neighbour Royal St George’s as one of England’s finest. Trump International Aberdeenshire, Scotland Martin Hawtree, 2012 The newest course in our Top 100 opened just last year, its presence in the list a huge achievement given the relatively small number of architects that will yet have seen it. The development was fraught with controversy, but the end result is a sensational golf course amid huge dunes, that will improve further once the ground settles. ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #69 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #68 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #67 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #66 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #65 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #64 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #63 Photo: Aidan Bradley ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #65 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #66 “ A bucket list must for all golfers” Lee Schmidt on Casa De Campo (Teeth of the Dog) 74-63

16 Architects’ Choice Top 100 Golf Courses Woodhall Spa (Hotchkin) Lincolnshire, England Harry Vardon, Harry Colt, SV Hotchkin, 1905 While Vardon created the original design and Colt’s subsequent routing of 1915 stays largely intact, the design of Woodhall Spa surely belongs to Colonel Hotchkin, who was instrumental in its formation and worked on the course from the 1920s to his death in 1953. Nothing compares to its bunkering, with hugely deep pits, both in fairways and alongside greens, staying long in the memory. Barnbougle Dunes Tasmania, Australia Tom Doak, Michael Clayton, 2005 Despite its remoteness on the northern coast of Tasmania, golfers from Australia and beyond travel to Barnbougle Dunes to experience a seaside links formed by a combination of nature and skilled designers. Allure of the ocean With three courses in our Top 100, we asked Tom Doak of Renaissance Golf Design for his thoughts on those that had made the list I’ve been blessed to work on many beautiful sites over the years, but it seems that the courses along the ocean are always the most highly regarded. Certainly, that’s not because of the views alone; oceanfront properties tend to have breezy conditions that make the golf more interesting, and those same winds are responsible for creating the perfect undulations of links courses over time. Still, it’s too much of a coincidence to think that all of my best work has been done when I’m closest to the ocean, so I’m sorry that more of my fellow architects have yet to see Ballyneal or Rock Creek. Working on true links sites at Pacific Dunes and Barnbougle was a dream come true, but any links must be compared against the best of the UK and Ireland, and it’s hard to feel worthy in such company. By contrast, Cape Kidnappers did not have that perfect links terrain; the land tilts gently toward the water, and instead of carving it into more windswept shapes, we used that subtle tilt as the main feature of the design. When you stand on the fifth tee or twelfth green and look out toward Hawkes Bay 150 meters below, you know that there is no other place in golf like it. And the more great courses you see, the more you appreciate one that is different than the rest. ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #62 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #61 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #62 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #61 Photo: Gary Lisbon

17 62-57 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #59 Maidstone New York, USA Willie Park Jr., 1922 Willie Dunn had laid out the first few holes at Maidstone in 1894, but the course as it is now really took shape in 1922, when Willie Park Jr. oversee the redesign of the course to include the newly acquired sand dunes that are home to the current stretch from hole four to the fifteenth. Prestwick Ayrshire, Scotland Tom Morris, 1851 When Willie Park Sr edged out Old Tom Morris in the first Open Championship at Prestwick in 1860, the course was a loop of 12 holes. By 1882, Old Tom had extended the course to 18 holes and it remains an eccentric and unique insight into the traditions of the game. “Prestwick reminds us that some blind shots and unique bunkering add character and adventure to the game,” says Vicki Martz. Royal Liverpool Merseyside, England Robert Chambers, George Morris, Harry Colt, 1869 Originally laid out in 1869 by Robert Chambers and George Morris, and extended to 18 holes in 1871, Hoylake was built on a racecourse and the land was used for both golf and horse racing in its first few years. Following its successful return to the rota in 2006, after almost 40 years of absence, the club will again hold the Open Championship in 2014. Spyglass Hill California, USA Robert Trent Jones, 1966 One of four courses in a five mile radius along the northern California coastline to make our Top 100, the opening five holes at Spyglass Hill occupy the same dune system as neighbouring Cypress Point, before the routing takes golfers back into the Del Monte forest. ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #60 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #59 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #58 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #57 Photo: Evan Schiller - www.golfshots.com ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #58 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #57 “ Prestwick reminds us that some blind shots and unique bunkering add character and adventure to the game” Vicki Martz

18 St Andrews (New) Fife, Scotland Tom Morris, 1895 “The New Course at St Andrews ticks every box for challenge, variety, beauty, charm, accessibility and history. It is ranked as my number one as it combines more of these qualities than any other course I have seen, without losing anything in the process. And its par four tenth is the finest hole I have yet played,” says William Swan of Swan Golf Designs. Utrecht De Pan Netherlands Harry Colt, 1929 Colt’s expert routing at De Pan makes the most of the surprisingly undulating heathland, with holes weaving among the sand hills and pine forest. Architects’ Choice Top 100 Golf Courses ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #56 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #56 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #55 Following Colt’s footsteps Harry Colt has left his mark on more of the courses in our Top 100 than any other architect. Frank Pont has worked at both De Pan and Swinley Forest, and considers their appeal One of Harry Colt’s biggest strengths was his ability to discover great routings for the sites he got to work on. The routing of De Pan might well be one of the best he ever created. On a site of less than 125 acres he was able to create a golf course that feels as if it were 300 acres. What helped Colt in his efforts was the fact that De Pan lies in a landscape of 50 feet high sand hills, remnants of the glaciers that occupied these lands during the last ice ages. It is these landforms that give the player a sense of seclusion. Built in 1928, De Pan is considered by many the prettiest inland course in Holland. The sandy soil allows for firm playing conditions, and the heather and pines surrounding the course give it the traditional heathland look so prevalent in Surrey. A place still largely undiscovered! Swinley Forest has perhaps the best endorsement of any course, in that it is where Harry Colt preferred to play his own recreational golf. Those that have been fortunate enough to play Swinley Forest will probably have a good sense ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #55 Photo: Mark Alexander

19 Morfontaine Senlis, France Tom Simpson, 1927 Simpson’s philosophy was that a course should ask tough questions of the good golfer, but remain playable for those with less ability. This is exemplified at Morfontaine and the work done by Kyle Phillips over the past ten years, including a new green on the twelfth, has been handled with great sensitivity to Simpson’s original intentions. Sunningdale (New) Surrey, England Harry Colt, 1923 For those familiar with the Sunningdale of modern times it is quite a shock to see historic photos of the wide open common land with barely any trees in sight. In recent years the club has worked to take the New course back towards this more open heath feel, with tree clearance helping the heather to prosper and providing greater differentiation of character between the two courses at Sunningdale. Royal Aberdeen Aberdeenshire, Scotland Archie Simpson, Robert Simpson, James Braid, 1888 Formed in 1780, Royal Aberdeen is one of the oldest clubs in the world, and had been in existence for over 100 years before moving to its current site at Balgownie. Niall Glen says: “I am yet to see a more stunning sequence of golf holes than the front nine at Balgownie.” Walton Heath (Old) Surrey, England Herbert Fowler, 1904 The Old course at Walton Heath was Fowler’s first design, commissioned by his brother-in-law and club founder Sir Cosmo Bonsor. Known for its heather, beautiful and terrifying in equal measure, Walton Heath is also home to Fowler’s New course, which remains relatively untouched from its original design. ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #53 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #52 why. As we are used to from Colt, it has a great routing, a set of great short holes (five in total) and many outstanding green complexes. And the course is no pushover, with a par of 68 you have to play well here to get a good score, especially when the greens are firm. Couple that with the beautiful heather-clad bunkers and the famous rhododendrons surrounding a number of the holes and you understand why it passed Colt’s own critical judgement: “The ultimate test of any golf course is will it live?”. Photo: Frank Pont ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #54 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #53 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #52 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #51 “ I am yet to see a more stunning sequence of golf holes” Niall Glen on the front nine of Royal Aberdeen Photo: Aidan Bradley 56-51

20 Architects’ Choice Top 100 Golf Courses Tobacco Road North Carolina, USA Mike Strantz, 1998 Tobacco Road is a thrilling and unconventional neighbour to Pinehurst on the site of a former sand quarry. Brandon Johnson of Arnold Palmer Design Company says: “This is the most fresh and unique twist or interpretation of golf course design I have experienced. I love how the reinterpreted aesthetic vision balances sound strategic principles with new or daring ways to play the course and holds this truly remarkable vision together. It is also incredibly fun to play. The visual intimidation or ‘play on optics’ burned images in my mind that are still crystal clear almost ten years later. Truly a masterpiece.” Friar’s Head New York, USA Bill Coore, Ben Crenshaw, 2003 Friar’s Head is the newest of the cluster of Long Island courses that feature in our Top 100. First viewing the site in 1997, it took Coore and Crenshaw multiple visits and many months to finalise the routing, which transitions between natural rolling sand dunes and former farmland. Metropolitan Victoria, Australia JB Mackenzie, 1908 Metropolitan was initially designed by a lesser known Mackenzie, JB, but Dr Alister left his mark after visiting in 1926. Randy Russell says: “I consider it the best relatively flat golf course I have ever played. Its bunkers not only create interesting strategic choices but are some of the most interesting and beautiful I have ever seen.” The Evel Knievel of golf architecture Robin Hiseman of European Golf Design explains why he voted Tobacco Road as his number one course I’m giving my number one vote to Tobacco Road, because it was the course that transformed what I understood to be possible with golf architecture. There are several very creative contemporary golf architects recognised on my list, whose egos really don’t need stoking. Creative and imaginative they may be, but Mike Strantz was all that and a genius to boot. He had the nerve and commitment to try things that others would never dare to. He was the Evel Knievel of golf architects, always looking to jump more buses than anyone thought possible. Sometimes he didn’t make the jump and metaphorically splattered himself all over the field, but he never stopped trying to push the boundaries and ‘The Road’ is his masterpiece. The most entertaining and inspirational course I have ever played. ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #50 “ I consider it the best relatively flat golf course I have ever played” Randy Russell on Metropolitan ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #50 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #49 ARCHITECTS’ CHOICE #48

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