Gary Johnston of European Golf Design (EGD) has become the new president of the European Institute of Golf Course Architects (EIGCA), following a ceremony at the institute’s annual meeting and 25th anniversary celebrations in Dornoch, Scotland.

Johnson has been with EGD for over 20 years, collaborating with Ian Woosnam for the Pirin CC and Lighthouse Golf Resort designs in Bulgaria, and Colin Montgomerie for newbuilds in Morocco and Turkey. He oversaw the renovation of Prince’s Golf Club ahead of the 2011 Open Championship Qualifying and in 2019 completed the Dubai Hills course in the United Arab Emirates. More recently, Johnson has returned to Turkey and Dubai for new projects, and also designed the nine-hole Rixos GC in Kazakhstan.

“It is a true honour to be part of such a milestone event for our industry and to take on the mantle of the presidency in my home country,” said Johnson in a post on LinkedIn. “A sincere thank you to Caspar Grauballe for his outstanding leadership as president. I’m honoured to follow in your footsteps and will do my utmost to build on all you achieved.”

The event also saw Andy Brown of Toro receive the EIGCA’s Harry Colt Award for his exemplary service to the development of golf. Brown has been with Toro for more than 25 years and has worked closely with EIGCA since its foundation in 2000.

Attendees at the EIGCA annual meeting played golf at Cabot Highlands, Nairn and Royal Dornoch, as part of a programme of events that included sessions on the changing perceptions of golf and positive impacts delivered in the field.

The presidents of EIGCA, the American Society of Golf Course Architects and Society of Australian Golf Course Architects also signed a joint pledge to for greater collaboration for the good of the game.