Featured architects
Donald Ross
Dornoch's greenkeeper who taught America the ground game
- Born
- 1872, Dornoch, Scotland
- Years active
- 1900–1948
- Works
- 400+ in the United States
- Era
- Golden Age
Why the name endures
Ross learned his trade as professional and greenkeeper at Royal Dornoch before sailing for America in 1899. Over the next half-century he designed or remodelled more than four hundred courses, and his crowned greens, subtle fall-offs and preference for the run-up shot became the default grammar of the American club course.
“Golf should be a pleasure, not a penance.”
Donald Ross
Design principles
- Greens crowned so that a weak approach is rejected rather than punished
- The ground game preserved by open fronts
- Hazards placed for the good player, avoidable by the modest one
Surviving work
Courses to see
Pinehurst No. 2
North Carolina, USA
The turtleback greens that define his reputation.
Seminole
Florida, USA
Dune ridges and wind used with unusual economy.
Oakland Hills (South)
Michigan, USA
A championship test later toughened by Robert Trent Jones Sr.