When the golf course architectural firm Robert Trent Jones II was commissioned to design a new golf course on the vast sandy canvas of an abandoned rock quarry along the shore of Washington state’s Puget Sound, it was handed a unique design brief. First, the course should be capable of testing the world’s greatest players […]
Travel
Rory Plays the White Tees: A Fantasy in 18 Holes
Heron Lakes is a 36-hole golf complex located in the flood plain near where the Columbia River flows into the Willamette, not far from downtown Portland. Oregon’s second-largest city, Vanport, once stood here. Housing migrants who’d come to work in the Kaiser Shipyards during WWII, Vanport was destroyed when the Columbia’s dikes burst in 1948, […]
Frederick Law Olmsted and American Golf
Bill Hawkins of Portland, Oregon has combined a distinguished career as a practicing architect with a parallel life as a writer and champion of historical preservation. The 19th century cast iron buildings which have survived near the Willamette River in downtown Portland owe their existence in part to Hawkins’ advocacy. His most recent book, “The Legacy of the […]
Carne Golf Links’ New Nine
Carne Golf Links in County Mayo, by general acclaim an exhilarating and formidable addition to the world’s roster of great links courses since its opening in 1995, recently debuted a third nine to complement its original Eddie Hackett-designed 18,. There are good reasons, especially on a course with heavy play, to build 27 holes. You […]
Carne: A Muscular Links Masterpiece in Ireland’s County Mayo
The very existence of the Carne Golf Links in County Mayo, Ireland, came as a surprise to John Garrity when he first heard about it in 2002. The American course designer, Jim Engh, told Garrity that Carne came in as a close second to Ballybunion as his “favorite golf course in the whole world.” Garrity […]
What Makes Oak Hill Great? An Architectural Assessment
Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York has hosted the Ryder Cup, three US Opens, and now three PGA Championships. It’s always ranked among America’s best courses, in one recent list rising as high as number 17. What accounts for Oak Hill’s distinguished reputation? What defines Oak Hill’s greatness? In 1921, Oak Hill acquired […]