Forrest Richardson and Jeff Danner have announced they are forming a new golf design firm called Richardson | Danner Golf Course Architects, with offices in northern California and Phoenix, Arizona.

Prior to forming the new firm, Richardson was principal golf course architect and president at Richardson & Associates while Danner was a golf course architect at Greg Norman Golf Course Design.

“It’s a goal we’ve had for several years, to bring the right person aboard,” said Richardson. “There’s strength in having two golf course architects coming together to build upon a shared passion that golf must be fun, inclusive and sustainable. It’s especially effective when one golf course architect is older and has ‘seen it all,’ and when the other is experienced, but younger, with a fresh perspective. Jeff fits the bill perfectly. He’s a young guy, but he has already done so much. We see great promise with Jeff and his abilities to create a bigger and better offering for our clients and the world of golf.”

Danner said: “Our personalities, skill sets and approach to things really complement each other, which provides a huge value to clients. We offer a combination of rich and diverse experience. Certainly, Forrest has seen just about everything, but I’ve seen a lot, too, in my 16 years in the business, especially with different cultures, climates and site conditions around the world. It gives a client the best bang for the buck when you have two people on the design team who can bounce ideas off each other. It’s a win-win to have that type of collaborative environment.”

Both men have studied in Scotland, Richardson at the University of Dundee, while Danner completed a postgraduate study in golf course architecture through the European Institute of Golf Course Architects (EIGCA).

And coincidentally, Richardson had a role in the start of Danner’s career. “Early on in my professional life, I had done a lot of remodel work, but not as much that required routing,” said Danner. “I picked up Forrest’s book, Routing the Golf Course: The Art & Science That Forms the Golf Journey. That book taught me the basics of how to route a golf course. There’s nothing more rewarding than putting the routing puzzle together and feeling like you’ve got it. At a 2007 golf show, Forrest was kind enough to sign that book for me. Another reason I’m so excited about this venture was that Forrest was there at the beginning of my career.”

The duo plan on creating golf courses that are fun, sustainable and compelling, as well as using outside-the-box thinking when the right project arises. Richardson said: “The largest canvas in the world of art is golf design, and we want to be brave in our solutions because that is what will bring about change – change that makes a difference.”