61 eventually those problems begin to compromise the architecture itself. “My turfgrass and construction background probably makes me think about this more than some architects. I’m constantly thinking about where water goes, how it gets there, what happens after a major storm, how equipment moves around the property and how quickly the maintenance staff can get the golf course back into playable condition. Sometimes I do better at this than other times. Drainage is an aspect of golf course design and construction that should always be improved upon. No matter your club budget, annual funds should be allocated to make your course drain better. Good drainage makes the turf better, maintenance more efficient, and golf more enjoyable. “Major championships magnify all those issues because the expectations and consequences are greater, but the same principles matter to a member on Saturday morning. Good architecture and good infrastructure should support one another. I don’t see drainage, agronomy and recoverability as separate from design. They are part of making the architecture work. I am blessed to have seen this in every aspect and put it fully into who I am as an architect.” Green’s success in restoration has quickly made him one of the most dynamic names in the industry, and it is therefore unsurprising that developers of new courses want to get a piece of the action. Firefly in Tennessee, his first newbuild under his own name, opened to its members earlier this year, and Kawonu in South Carolina, being developed by Scott Ferrell, who used to run Gary Player Design, will do so next year. But Green says he never forgets the lessons he learned working on historic courses, even when presented with a blank slate. “Working on historic courses teaches you humility,” he says. “You spend a lot of time studying decisions made 80 or 100 years ago and asking why they still work. Very often the answer isn’t complexity. It is restraint, interesting ground, good angles, width, variety and features that feel inseparable from the landscape. It has also taught me that golf courses don’t need to explain themselves immediately. Some of the best architecture reveals itself over time. You discover different ways to play a hole depending on the wind, your ability, where the hole is cut or simply how aggressive you feel that day. That’s what I want to carry into new work. I want to apply the lessons that made those courses endure. “And perhaps the biggest lesson is that the land should have a voice. With a new course, there is an enormous temptation to show everyone what you can create. Studying the best old courses has taught me that knowing what not to do can be just as important. The goal is to create something that feels inevitable… as though the golf course belongs there rather than having been placed there. I am so proud of the new projects we have, because they are well connected to the ground, they flow well from hole to hole, they ask interesting golf questions and do it without crazy ‘window treatments’. I don’t need to flash my ego. Our courses have soul and for me that is what is most important.” Introducing young readers to golf course architecture As well as his design work, Green has found the time to co-author a book with Lee Carr McGovern aimed at junior golfers. From the First Tee to the Last Green is an introduction to the many different pieces that come together to create a golf course. It covers architecture and design, but also history, construction, maintenance, turfgrass, strategy and the people and places that have shaped the game. The book uses stories, illustrations, photographs and hands-on exercises to make those subjects approachable and hopefully encourage readers to look at golf courses differently and better understand everything that goes into the game beyond simply playing it. Proceeds from the sale of the book will benefit the foundation Green created to honour the memory of his mother, supporting scholarships in rural Virginia. From the First Tee to the Last Green will be published in November 2026 by Back Nine Press. GOOD READ
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