Featured architects

Harry Vardon

Six-time Open champion turned course consultant

Born
1870, Jersey
Years active
c. 1900s–1930s
Works
30+ in Britain and Europe
Era
Golden Age

Why the name endures

Vardon's grip changed how the game is played; his design work, done largely in his years at South Herts, changed how a number of clubs played. His courses reflect the priorities of a great striker: honest lines, generous width and greens that ask for control.

Design principles

  • Fair driving lines with real reward for accuracy
  • Green sites open to run-up play
  • Restraint in hazard count

Surviving work

Courses to see

Little Aston

Staffordshire, England

Parkland of exceptional quality, refined over decades.

South Herts

Hertfordshire, England

His home club for 34 years, with holes he reworked himself.

Royal Jersey

Jersey, Channel Islands

The links of his boyhood, on the sands at Grouville.