Featured architects
Seth Raynor
The engineer who made the templates repeatable
- Born
- 1874, Southampton, New York
- Years active
- 1908–1926
- Works
- 100+ courses
- Era
- Golden Age
Why the name endures
A Princeton-trained civil engineer, Raynor was hired to survey the National Golf Links and stayed in golf for the rest of his short life. Working from Macdonald's template holes, he produced courses of unmistakable geometry — squared greens, flat-bottomed bunkers, clean earthwork — that have aged into some of the most admired ground in America.
Design principles
- Template holes adapted rather than copied
- Bold, engineered earthwork rather than soft naturalism
- Greens squared off and heavily contoured within
Surviving work
Courses to see
Fishers Island Club
New York, USA
His finest routing, on a rocky island in Long Island Sound.
Camargo Club
Ohio, USA
A near-complete set of templates on rolling parkland.
Yeamans Hall
South Carolina, USA
Lowcountry golf restored to his earthwork by Tom Doak.