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“I begged my parents into stopping for a few hours at Pinehurst on
the way back from a summer vacation trip. I was maybe 13 or 14
and all I wanted to do was walk around and look at the courses. I
was immediately hooked on Donald Ross! I have the utmost respect
for all of the greats, but I wouldn’t say I am an architect who tries to
‘channel’ dead architects from the past. I know it’s cost me at least
two renovation projects, but I think you have to respect their work
while keeping your eye on the reality of the modern game and it’s
my duty to a potential client to give them that opinion open and honestly. The clubs
and balls, the agronomic practices—it’s all light years beyond what the greats of the
past had at their disposal. And I’d like to think that Ross and the others would agree
that we have to adapt. You can renovate or restore a course to reflect and honor
the past, but you have to do it in a way that fits the modern game. The modern day
architects I find myself drawing inspiration from are ASGCA members, including
Pete Dye for his boldness and willingness to push and exceed the envelope; Bob
Cupp for his subtlety, depth perception, and angles; and Rees Jones, his longevity,
the finished lines of his work—sometimes very understated—and his bunkers always
seemingly in the right place at the right time (or wrong place if you hit a poor shot).”
Nathan Crace, ASGCA Associate, Watermark Golf/Nathan Crace Design
“Ed Seay was a mentor. He was a born leader and taught me the
art of clear and direct communication on the job site. Arnold Palmer
taught me how to see the course through a tournament player’s eyes
and the importance of building features that help a golfer intuit the
strategy of the course. Erik Larsen taught me some of the technical
aspects of the business and how to travel and work effectively across
12 time zones. I’ve been equally influenced by the courses and
people outside of APDC. My early travels lured me west to Cypress
Point where I gained a deep appreciation for the routing and striking bunkering of
MacKenzie and Hunter. I also studied George Thomas’ and Billy Bell’s work in the LA
area, the sculptural bunkering, bold design features, and efficient routing at Bel Air and
Riviera left a lasting impression. While located in Ponte Vedra, I was fortunate to play
TPC Sawgrass multiple times, gaining an appreciation for the pure strategy and gravity
defying shapes of a Pete Dye design. More recently, I’ve gotten to know ASGCA
members Bill Coore and Gil Hanse and their teams. I have a tremendous appreciation
for the thoughtful and timeless work they are doing. Our upcoming work at Castle Stuart
has us studying great links courses like St. Andrews, Brora and North Berwick.”
Thad Layton, ASGCA Associate, Arnold Palmer Design Company
“Since I’ve been a part of Nicklaus Design for 16 years, my career
and design personality has been molded significantly by Jack
Nicklaus and the various talented design associates who work
for the company, especially Chris Cochran, ASGCA. They have
particularly opened my eyes to the strategic side of design and how
we as designers can encourage players to think their way around
the course, rather than to try and constantly overpower it. I still find
myself learning something new every time I collaborate with them.
Outside of the company, I draw influences from across the history of the profession.
While I try not to tie myself to a particular designer or style, I have always admired
the aesthetic talents of Dr. Alister MacKenzie and some of the ground-breaking
strategic concepts of George Thomas.”
Chad Goetz, ASGCA Associate, Nicklaus Design
DESIGN INFLUENCES
We asked the three new ASGCA Associate
members about their design influences
most noteworthy new designs in Spain
in recent years, including Las Saurines
de La Torre, Mar Menor, El Valle and
Hacienda Riquelme in southern Spain,
and the new third course at Golf
La Moraleja, one of Madrid’s most
prestigious clubs.
“Of the courses in my submission
for membership, I’m most proud
of our recently completed course
in Brazil called Fazenda Boa Vista,”
says Layton. “It is the culmination
of everything I’ve come to learn and
believe about golf course architecture
over the past two decades. The
golf course has a rugged, natural
beauty that doesn’t impose itself
on the landscape. Native grasses
were planted in the outer roughs,
providing a low maintenance
ground cover requiring no fertilizer
or irrigation. The fairways are wide
where it matters most and hazards
are used sparingly, offering multiple
angles of play for golfers of every
caliber. A wide variety of green sizes
and shapes give the course an almost
unlimited array of setup options and
the surrounds provide a multitude of
recovery options. I’ve played it at least
a dozen times now and I never tire of
the experience.”
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Thad Layton, ASGCA Associate (right), works
alongside Arnold Palmer, ASGCA Fellow