Happy holidays to all Golf Course Architecture readers!
As we pause our regular coverage for the holiday season, we like to share a selection of our most popular articles from this year’s four issues for those who might have some time to read during the festive break.
Adam Lawrence reported on a trip to Jameson Golf Links near Dublin, Ireland, for our January 2024 issue, following a renovation by Jeff Lynch. “The course has a much clearer identity of its own and, thanks to Jeff Lynch’s excellent work, is also a stronger golfing experience. That puts the resort in a very good position.”
We explored what makes Vietnam one of Asia’s great golf destinations for our April issue. The country’s 2,000 miles of coastline, sand dunes and mountain sites make it an exciting canvas for architects, and it is home to many highly regarded courses. Several golf course architects gave us insight into their experiences and what the future looks like for the nation. “From a tourist standpoint, Vietnam has the potential to be a hub for southeast Asia,” says Adam Calver of Faldo Design, who moved to the country in 2017 to run the course at Laguna Lang Co.
Another of this year’s most popular stories, appearing in our July issue, was our interview with Brian Curley. A golf designer for close to 40 years, Curley has surely clocked up more air miles than anyone else in the business. Adam Lawrence caught up with him to discuss his career and his new venture with ex-Nicklaus Design associate, Jim Wagner. “Landmark Land hired me and my first day on the job we started PGA West, and I met Pete Dye and Lee Schmidt,” recalls Curley on his start in golf course design.
For our final issue of 2024, in October, Inwood Country Club’s greens chairman Daniel Friedman detailed the work that the New York club and Renaissance Golf Design have completed to recapture the character of the Herbert Strong course. “There have been benefits from taking our time in that we have been able to tease out subtleties that might have been missed if we had proceeded at a faster pace,” says Friedman. “Details matter; it takes time to get them right.”
Our October issue also includes a report on our visit to The Keep at McLemore. With a spectacular setting on a mountaintop plateau in northwest Georgia, USA, the Bill Bergin-Rees Jones design is destined to make a big impact when it officially opens in 2025.
Many thanks to all our readers, sponsors and contributors to Golf Course Architecture for your support in 2024. We’re looking forward to teeing off next year with another new issue. Subscribe to receive your copy.
Best wishes for the holidays, and here’s to a great 2025!