By Design – Issue 51, Winter 2020

15 Photo: Jon Cavalier @LinksGems from the early years of the twentieth century, when a course was truly arranged or routed for the best ‘fit’, and so little had to be done to build and maintain it.” Rogers says he is also inspired by the architectural philosophies of the time. “Holes were designed with simple means and purpose, with width in mind, where strategic angles could be employed, where hazards could be placed in a manner where the most direct lines of play were well guarded and optional routes had to be often considered. That is a game that can be enjoyed by everyone. “I feel it is not only my desire, but also my responsibility, to grasp a firm understanding of the works and methods of this era as there is not a better time to put them back to work than now.” Thad Layton, ASGCA, of Arnold Palmer Design Company, says: “The past few generations of golf architects have been fortunate to inherit a treasure map from our predecessors practicing in golf course architecture’s Golden Age. “While I draw inspiration from their courses and design features just like anyone else, the timeless concepts and ideas they laid down in their various books and missives describing the qualities of a great golf course are still relevant almost a century later. “When I’m wrestling for the right words to communicate a design idea or process, or just looking for moral support from guys who long ago traveled the road I’m trying to “Golden Age creations are the inspiration for almost all of my work” Alister MacKenzie's layout at Cypress Point in California, one of the game's most revered designs