The Biarritz third hole at Metairie Country Club in Louisiana, photographed by Larry Lambrecht, features on the cover of the new issue. In our report on the project, we hear how architect Brian Silva has worked to return the character of original designer Seth Raynor to the layout. “We have refashioned holes into more recognisable and strategic examples of Raynor’s time-tested templates,” says Darryl Bartlett, senior project manager at NMP Golf Construction, who oversaw the renovation.

For our main feature in this issue, we ask: how can golf attract more young people, and what role does course design play in that? The revival in golf since the pandemic has given the game a shot in the arm, but it remains dominated by middle aged and older players. Golf course architects Scott Macpherson, Jonathan Davison, Caspar Grauballe and Chad Goetz provide their thoughts on the topic, referencing Golf it! in Scotland, Toptracer technology, Portmore Golf Park in England, the TGL indoor golf league and Nicklaus Design’s virtual-only golf course, Hyperscapes.

Brad Klein travels to south Florida to visit Apogee Club, where the first of three planned courses has now opened. “The course does not look or feel like most other Florida layouts,” writes Klein. “There are shot-making options in terms of playing angles and the ground game. Every hole presents an opportunity to exercise not just physical skill but also mental ability in terms of judgment.”

Adam Lawrence reports on a trip to Jameson Golf Links near Dublin, Ireland, which featured on the cover of our last issue and is set to become another serious golfing player in the country.

We also speak with Jeremy Slessor, who for 30 years has run European Golf Design, the golf design business of the European Tour Group and one of the largest operations in the industry. He talks about his career, particularly at EGD, which now has a portfolio of over 70 projects in 24 countries.

Elsewhere, our Tee Box section includes news of a match play course that King-Collins is creating for the new 21 Club in the Carolina Sandhills; we have reports on projects by Rees Jones, Brian Curley and Greg Letsche; and Arthur Little provides insight into how courses should be designed to enable golfers with slow swings to enjoy the game.

And, with the golf course industry preparing for the GCSAA Conference and Trade Show in Phoenix, GCA highlights some of the businesses to check out if you are attending.

The January 2024 issue of Golf Course Architecture also comes with our GCA Green Pages 2024 supplier directory, which includes profiles of potential partners for your next golf design project, as well as project overviews from Atlas Turf International, MJ Abbott, Pure Seed, Rain Bird and ZLine Bunker Systems.

• View the digital edition of the January 2024 issue of Golf Course Architecture
• Subscribe to the printed edition of Golf Course Architecture