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
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