Featured architects
The architects our member clubs were built by
Each profile gathers what the archive holds on the architect's principles, his surviving work and the articles written about him. Clubs holding original drawings or correspondence are invited to contribute.
Founding Era
Old Tom Morris
The man who laid the foundations of golf course architecture
- Born
- 1821, St Andrews
- Works
- 70+ across Great Britain
Willie Dunn Jr.
The Scot who laid out America's first great links
- Born
- 1864, Musselburgh, Scotland
- Works
- Some 30 early American layouts
Willie Park Jr.
The first professional to make design a career
- Born
- 1864, Musselburgh, Scotland
- Works
- 170+ worldwide
Charles Blair Macdonald
The father of American golf course architecture
- Born
- 1855, Niagara Falls, Ontario
- Works
- A small, deliberate body of work
Golden Age
Dr. Alister MacKenzie
The most influential strategic architect in golf history
- Born
- 1870, England
- Works
- 50+ worldwide
Harry Colt
The architect who brought strategy inland
- Born
- 1869, England
- Works
- 300+ worldwide
James Braid
The champion who laid out Scotland's inland classics
- Born
- 1870, Earlsferry, Fife
- Works
- 200+ across Britain
Herbert Fowler
The instinctive router of great ground
- Born
- 1856, England
- Works
- 40+ in Britain and the USA
Harry Vardon
Six-time Open champion turned course consultant
- Born
- 1870, Jersey
- Works
- 30+ in Britain and Europe
Charles Hugh Alison
Colt's partner who carried the English school abroad
- Born
- 1883, Preston, England
- Works
- Work on four continents
Donald Ross
Dornoch's greenkeeper who taught America the ground game
- Born
- 1872, Dornoch, Scotland
- Works
- 400+ in the United States
A.W. Tillinghast
The Philadelphian who built championship theatre
- Born
- 1876, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Works
- 265+ courses
Seth Raynor
The engineer who made the templates repeatable
- Born
- 1874, Southampton, New York
- Works
- 100+ courses
William S. Flynn
Philadelphia's quiet master of variety
- Born
- 1890, Milton, Massachusetts
- Works
- 50+ designs and major remodels
Devereux Emmet
The naturalist of the Long Island school
- Born
- 1861, Pelham, New York
- Works
- 170+ courses
Walter J. Travis
The Old Man: champion, editor, and green-builder
- Born
- 1862, Maldon, Victoria, Australia
- Works
- Some 30 designs and remodels
Modern Era
Pete Dye & Family
The architects who reshaped modern golf design
- Born
- 1925, Ohio, USA
- Works
- 100+ worldwide
Robert Trent Jones Sr.
The architect who built the championship test
- Born
- 1906, England
- Works
- 400+ across 40 countries
Tom Fazio
The shaper of the modern American parkland course
- Born
- 1945, Pennsylvania, USA
- Works
- 200+ worldwide
Jack Nicklaus
The greatest player who became a prolific designer
- Born
- 1940, Ohio, USA
- Works
- 300+ across 45 countries
Dick Wilson
Postwar precision on the American seaboard
- Born
- 1904, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Works
- 60+ courses
Arnold Palmer
The King's design company, from Latrobe outward
- Born
- 1929, Latrobe, Pennsylvania
- Works
- 300+ courses in 37 countries
Greg Norman
The Shark's second career, drawn on six continents
- Born
- 1955, Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia
- Works
- 100+ courses worldwide
Contemporary
Kyle Phillips
The modern architect who builds like 1905
- Born
- 1959, California, USA
- Works
- 30+ worldwide
Cabell Robinson
The American who shaped Mediterranean golf
- Born
- 1941, Virginia, USA
- Works
- 40+ across Europe and North Africa
Nick Faldo
The major champion designing for the thinking golfer
- Born
- 1957, England
- Works
- 40+ worldwide
Gary Player
The global ambassador with a global design practice
- Born
- 1935, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Works
- 400+ projects in 37 countries
Tom Doak
The minimalist who walked the world's great courses first
- Born
- 1961, New York, USA
- Works
- 40+ original designs and restorations
Coore & Crenshaw
The partnership that returned golf to the ground
- Born
- Partnership formed 1986
- Works
- 30+ originals and restorations
Gil Hanse
Restorer of the Golden Age and builder of the Olympic course
- Born
- 1963, Pennsylvania, USA
- Works
- Originals plus major championship restorations
David McLay Kidd
The Scot who opened Bandon Dunes
- Born
- 1967, Scotland
- Works
- 25+ courses worldwide
Mike DeVries
Michigan sand, glacial ground, and a caddie's eye
- Born
- Michigan, USA
- Works
- A small, closely watched body of work
King Collins Design
Tad King and Rob Collins, golf's boldest small crew
- Born
- Partnership formed 2010s
- Works
- A short but influential list
Tyler Rae
Restoring the Golden Age from the ground up
- Born
- Pennsylvania, USA
- Works
- Restorations, renovations and new builds across the USA