The October 2025 issue of Golf Course Architecture is out now!
The cover of our latest issue features Rock Golf, a new nine-hole course just outside Helsinki, Finland, photographed by Jacob Sjoman. Adam Lawrence visited to see whether the owners have achieved their goal of creating the world’s best par-three layout. Golf course architect Lassi Pekka Tilander and contractor David Nelson provide their insights on the project, too.
For our main feature article in this issue, we ask, can collaboration work in golf course design? Tom Doak, Phillip Spogard, Kevin Ramsey, Jeremy Slessor and others provide their perspectives.
“My style of design is all about my routings and green sites, and I do a lot of work very quickly in my head, so having people try to collaborate on paper never helped much,” says Doak. “When we’re out there looking at potential holes on the ground, that’s when someone can weigh in with an idea.”
“Debate and discussion should be a part of any design process,” says Tim Lobb in our feature article on collaboration in golf course design (Photo: Lobb + Partners)
Brad Klein reports from Seminole in Florida on a major project by Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner to ensure the sustainability of the storied layout, while recapturing Donald Ross’s original design intent.
We also visited Trump Turnberry in Scotland, where Martin Ebert continues to oversee changes to the Ailsa course, which recently has included moving the seventh green closer to the water’s edge.
At The Wisley in Surrey, England, Bruce Charlton of Robert Trent Jones II has led a renovation that demonstrates that less can be more, for both visual appeal and course strategy.
GCA visits the Ailsa course at Trump Turnberry to see the latest work by Martin Ebert (Photo: Trump Turnberry)
Our feature interview for this new issue is with Bill Coore. He speaks about his first projects, his 40-year partnership with Ben Crenshaw, and his design philosophy. “I believe that golf architecture needs to be represented, just like any sort of creative endeavour, by different forms from different eras,” he says.
Architect Forrest Richardson tells the story of how an unexpected phone call led to the development of a golf art business; and Julian Mooney of Turfgrass discusses how early engagement between architects and agronomists helps to deliver courses that are tournament-ready.
Also, we have a report on a new 18-hole course that will open next year at the Hilton Dalaman Sarigerme resort in southwest Turkey – we speak with the project team about the site, routing and its environmental goals. And there’s a report on Kevin Norby’s masterplan that will see the nine-hole Williston Municipal layout in North Dakota expanded to 18, as part of a city redevelopment project.
The Dalaman course is designed by architect Andrew Craven (Photo: International Design Group)
Our Tee Box section includes news of the new 18-hole Faldo Design course that will open in Qiddiya, Saudi Arabia; the new routing that Brian Schneider of Renaissance Golf Design has developed for San Diego CC; an interview with Greg Norman architect Chris Campbell about the firm’s design approach to tournament courses; and the renovated Tandridge course in Surrey, photographed by Jason Livy.
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