Digital Edition: Issue 86, October 2026

The global journal of golf design and development I SSUE 86 OCTOBER 2026

1 The basic philosophy of strategic golf design – challenge a hazard to get an easier next shot – has existed as long as the profession of golf course architecture. For sure, architects have not always adhered to it: though a lot of their work is rigorously strategic, it’s hard to think of Pete Dye without thinking of island greens, which are pretty much the definition of penal design. And Robert Trent Jones referenced another school of design, the heroic, defined by its carries (which may be considered penal by the likes of John Low). But strategic design has remained, at least in principle, the guiding light of golf architecture. Now, it is under pressure in a way it has never been before. The availability of detailed statistics on how people choose to play holes, and how they score as a result, has led thinkers like Mark Broadie and Scott Fawcett to conclude that challenging hazards is in fact not the way to achieve the best score. Instead, players should be aware of the scale of their likely misses and aim far enough away from challenging hazards to ensure they stay clear. On the face of it, this seems the death knell of strategic design. If playing close to, but not in, a hazard is not the best way to tackle a hole, where is the strategy? But, as our lead feature in this issue discusses, architects can place hazards and lay out their holes in such a way as to guide players to think their way round the course to best effect. It might not be strategy in its classical form, but it is still there. The new orthodoxy WELCOME ADAM LAWRENCE

PEFC Certi ed This product is from sustainably managed forests and controlled sources www.pefc.org PEFC/16-33-576 5 Golf Course Architecture is published with the support of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, the European Institute of Golf Course Architects, GEO Foundation, Golf Course Builders Association of America, and Golf Course Superintendents Association of America. Contributing Editor Adam Lawrence News Editor Richard Humphreys Editorial team Rebecca Gibson, Kasturi Datta, Laura Hyde, Alex Smith Contributors Kari Haug, Brad Klein, Jim Nagle Design Bruce Graham, Libby Sidebotham Publisher Toby Ingleton Publication & Sales Manager Benedict Pask Production Manager Stuart Fairbrother Website Development Chris Jackson Circulation Sophia Brinkley Subscribe www.golfcoursearchitecture.net/ subscribe Photography Bladerunner Farms, Cabot/Andrew Harvie, Caguas Golf Club, Channing Benjamin, Country Club of Louisiana, Ian Cronin, Tripp Davis, Fågelbro Golf & Country Club, Firefly, Green Golf & Turf, Caspar Grauballe, Vaughn Halyard, Hann Reserve, Harris Kalinka, Autumn Hartshorne, James Hogg, Inverness Club, JDR Golf Design, King Carter Golf, King Collins Dormer, Landscapes Unlimited, Gary Lisbon, Jason Livy, Joel Marklund, Austin Peckham, Don Placek, Royal Birkdale, Jacob Sjöman, St Andrews Links, Stirling & Martin, The Masters, The Rose, WAC Golf, Whistler Golf Club, Doug White Follow Golf Course Architecture: Published by Tudor Rose 6 Friar Lane Leicester LE1 5RA Tel: +44 116 222 9900 www.tudor-rose.co.uk ISSN 1745-3585 (print) ISSN 2754-9828 (online) Printed in Great Britain by Micropress Printers. © 2026 Tudor Rose Holdings Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be stored or transmitted or reproduced in any form or by any means, including photocopying, scanning, downloading onto computer or otherwise without the prior written permission of Tudor Rose Holdings Ltd. Views expressed in Golf Course Architecture are not necessarily those of the publishers. Acceptance of advertisements does not imply official endorsement of the products or services concerned. While every care has been taken to ensure accuracy of content, no responsibility can be taken for any errors and/or omissions. Readers should take appropriate professional advice before acting on any issue raised herein. The publisher reserves the right to accept or reject advertising material and editorial contributions. The publisher assumes no liability for the return of unsolicited art, photography or manuscripts. It is assumed that any images taken from sources which are widely distributed, such as on the Web, are in the public domain. It is recognised, though, that since such images tend to be passed freely between sources it is not always possible to track the original source. If copyrighted material has ended up being treated as public domain due to the original source not being identified please contact the publisher, Tudor Rose. Golf Course Architecture (ISSN No: 1745-3585) is published quarterly by Tudor Rose, and distributed in the USA by Asendia USA, 701 Ashland Ave, Folcroft PA. Application to Mail at Periodicals Postage Prices is pending at Philadelphia, PA and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: send address changes to Golf Course Architecture, 701 Ashland Ave, Folcroft, PA 19032.

Combining design, construction, renovation, irrigation, maintenance, and agronomic expertise to enhance your course. For more information or to discuss how True Club Solutions can support your needs, contact Art Schaupeter at (314) 443.9029 or art.schaupeter@troon.com. TRUE CLUB SOLUTIONS WHERE AGRONOMY MEETS INNOVATION Agronomic & Renovation Services 15044 N. Scottsdale Rd., Suite 300 | Scottsdale, AZ 85254

8 FEATURE 44 Statistical analysis is changing the way elite golfers are taught to manage their way to lower scores, and a key result is a rather different approach to course strategy. Adam Lawrence asks if that means the philosophy of course design has to change. TEE BOX 10 Our Tee Box section kicks off with news about the opening of The Rose, a new private course designed by Tripp Davis near Athens, Georgia. INSIGHTS 37 Jim Nagle explains why ‘re-restoration’ is becoming increasingly common, and why it can be more than simply revisiting past work. 40 Kari Haug advocates for locating tees in relation to a player’s hitting distance rather than their handicap. She says this approach would allow for safer, more equitable and interesting courses. CONTENTS ON SITE 62 Toby Ingleton reports from Tralee in Ireland, where Graeme Webster has overseen eight years of renovation work, completed in time for this year’s Arnold Palmer Cup. Cover photography by Ian Cronin

9 78 Purebred Farm, a new 14-hole course by King Collins Dormer, is taking shape at Destination Kohler in Wisconsin. Adam Lawrence visited to learn more. PROFILED 82 Caguas Golf Club prepares to reopen following $20 million of investment from an owner aiming to turn the Puerto Rico club into a world-class facility. REPORT 88 WAC Golf is adding nine holes to Blackhawk GC in Canada, which already has 18 holes by Rod Whitman. HOLING OUT 92 We close the issue with a look at a new six-hole short course in Louisiana that can be lit for evening play. INTERVIEW 54 Andrew Green’s route into golf design came through construction, rather than a more traditional apprenticeship in a design office. In the last 10 years he has become one of the most in-demand names in the industry. ON SITE 70 Brad Klein reports on the back nine of the Donald Ross restoration at Seminole in Florida.

TEE BOX Tripp Davis designs new private course on 588-acre property near Athens, Georgia. The Rose opens for play 10

The Rose, a new private golf club near Athens, Georgia, has opened its Tripp Davis-designed golf course. The club was founded by Nick Cassini, a two-time All-American golfer and member of the 2001 Walker Cup team, and his brother Dimitri. The Cassinis have been joined by three professional golfers as founding members, twotime Masters champion Bubba Watson and multiple-time PGA Tour winners Brendon Todd and Chris Kirk. “I was able to spend some time with Nick and Dimitri looking at sites,” said Davis. “There were a couple that we were not that enthusiastic about, but when I got the topographic maps for the site we ended up with, I saw it had interesting movement. We walked it a few times and I suggested this was a worthy place.” The site in question is a 588-acre property located 10 minutes from downtown Athens that has 102 feet of elevation change, although it is generally gradual across the site. “We ‘saw’ a few holes that were just there on the first visit, notably what turned out to be our par-five twelfth,” said Davis. “The site did not have an abundance of great trees, so Nick and Dimitri came to me and said this feels a lot like Shinnecock, and in that I saw the same thing. This site has roll and elevation changes that we knew could mimic Shinnecock.” Davis developed a routing that brought the site’s ridgelines and knolls into play either off the tee or at the green. The clubhouse is located on the northeast side of the second-highest point on the property. This allowed Davis to allocate some of the best land to the opening and closing holes of each nine. “The routing fits on the ground really well,” said Davis. “We ended up moving the seventeenth green a little to get it higher and be more dramatic as a short par three that now has a 40-foot drop left of the green; we moved the tenth up more on top of a ridge as well; and moved the thirteenth green left to fit better on a ridge and make room for a better tee location for the fourteenth.” Duininck Golf has handled construction. There was relatively little earthmoving; Davis estimates around 80 per cent of the holes required shaping only. “Even where we did move some dirt, you can’t really tell we did,” said Davis. “We used the ridges and knolls so the course flows really well over the ground.” The brief given to Davis by the Cassinis was to design a course that would be strategically challenging. He has aimed to produce a layout where angles matter depending on hole locations and where every par four can be set up so that driver may not always be the play. “As a golf course architect, I prefer giving players a lot of meaningful options that require the scratch player to take on more aggressive lines to play at or near par, while providing more conservative options the average player can use to play to their handicap,” said Davis. “Providing room to be conservative also provides the better players a perceived place to miss, which 11 Photo: The Rose

www.bycaspar.com caspar@bycaspar.com +45 26 143434 Golf design that inspires By Caspar creates golf courses that are memorable and thought-provoking keeping golfers coming back for more Led by Past President of the EIGCA, Caspar Grauballe. Bringing visionary design, strategic mastery, and sustainable solutions to new and existing courses worldwide. Let’s discuss your course’s potential. Sustainable Economical Unique

13 I have found draws their focus away from the aggressive lines they need to take. It makes it more of a challenge to see the shot, feel the shot and commit. “To that end, there are no two shots that are the same. Every hole is quite different and so are the meaningful options. When you couple this with bermuda greens that are not overly severe but have changes in direction of slope – and changes in speed because of the slopes – it requires a better player to position their ball well to leave themselves putts where they can more easily match line and speed. These subtleties are a challenge for the better players trying to play at or near par, but the average player is not going to be taking four or five shots to get up and down from around greens, or three-putting a lot during the day.” The Cassinis have said that the parfive twelfth is an early favourite of the members who have played the course during preview play. “This is the hole where we parked on the first day to start our walk around,” said Davis. “The tee location was just there on a knoll and ridgeline, with the fairway falling pretty gently from the tee as it drops about 30 feet to the landing area, and then a layup area nestled between a huge old oak on the left and the largest pine on the site to the right, and finally a green on a subtle ridge that has an infinity backdrop.” Davis also highlights the eighteenth as one of his favourite holes on the course. “It is a hole you play down the right to be safer, but that leaves you a really long approach,” he said. “At 510 yards from the back tee, the big hitters can try to cut the corner and take on a creek that’s around 300 yards, leaving them with a shorter approach.” Davis and Duininck Golf were supported on the project by general manager Adam Kushner, golf course superintendent Jimmy Humston and Davis’s shaper Jason Gold. EC Design Group designed Rain Bird’s integrated control system, incorporating CirrusPRO, with Carter Engineering Consultants providing technical support. “We worked hard to give the course an older feel, a lot of stunning visuals, and a walk to remember, but this is all grounded in a golf course where the play of the game was the focus,” said Davis. “Substance was the focus and we worked style into it.” TEE BOX Photo: Tripp Davis ‘The routing fits on the ground really well,’ says Davis “ We worked hard to give the course an older feel, a lot of stunning visuals, and a walk to remember”

Redesign helps Norway’s Losby club cope with climate challenges TEE BOX Losby Golf Club in Norway has reopened nine holes following a renovation by Caspar Grauballe. The Danish architect was hired in 2024 to renovate greens and bunkers so that they cope better with climate challenges. “It was clear the greens had several issues that contributed to them being vulnerable to weather patterns,” said Grauballe. “Over the years, the grass has transitioned to a poadominated sward that would not survive under prolonged ice cover. Many greens were benched into the side of slopes, and the water would run straight onto the putting surfaces where, in winter, it would settle and form an ice layer causing the grass to die. Compounding the issue was the fact that some greens were very large, and when snow would melt during the day, it needed to travel a long way to exit them, often resulting in it freezing again at night.” Drainage and rootzone issues coming from the course’s original construction were also a factor in the club’s desire to renovate greens. “The solution has been a total redesign of greens with a heavy emphasis on managing water flowing off greens and making sure it will not flow onto them, even in periods when the drainage system may be frozen,” said Grauballe. The architect has shaped greens and surrounds so they divert water away from the putting surfaces. “We have also added a new layer of strategy to the holes by varying angles of the greens and bunkers and have set up the course to provide easy options for the less skilled players and give players the option of playing aggressively for a low score – but at a risk.” Bunkers have been rebuilt and now feature liner from CapillaryFlow and edging from Durabunker. Renovations began in autumn 2025 with nine holes worked on at a time. Despite a wet autumn and winter, nine holes reopened for play in August 2026, with construction then shifting to the other nine holes. Losby also operates a Rain Bird integrated control system with CirrusPRO. “An important part of delivering the holes on time has been the fact that the greens and surrounds have been turfed with locally grown grass, which has settled in very quickly,” said Grauballe. “The surrounds have been maintained from almost the day those areas were turfed. This was made possible by robots, because they are small and don’t disrupt the turf even with very shallow roots. The work of robots has led to playing surfaces being ready quickly, thus allowing greenkeepers to focus on other areas.” All 18 holes are expected to be reopened by summer 2027. 14

15 In our last issue, Sandy visited The Grove, a Kyle Phillips design in Hertfordshire, England. Congratulations to Ana Martinez, whose name was drawn from the hat of all those who identified Sandy’s location correctly. A golf shirt is on the way to you. This month, Sandy stayed in England and headed north to a heathland course. There are not many such courses in that part of the country, so that should be enough of a clue… especially as you can see the 1910 clubhouse in the distance. To be in with a chance of winning your very own ‘Sandy’, send your answer to gopher@golfcoursearchitecture.net. GOPHER WATCH Tom Doak has created and co-funded, alongside the new Childress Hall club in Texas, a scholarship for students of golf course architecture. The Doak Award will be granted every two years to selected individuals, primarily under the age of 30, who have showcased a commitment to a career in golf course architecture. As with the Dreer Award at Cornell University, which funded Tom Doak’s travels to study golf courses in 198283, applicants must propose their own programme of study, to include both travel and practical education. “I am keenly aware that it is much more expensive to see great courses today than when I spent nine months in the UK for about $10,000 in 1982!” says Doak. “To that end, I am enlisting a bunch of my former clients to provide lodging and food in key locations, and asking fellow architects to host a student for a day or two if travelling to their part of the country.” Search for ‘Doak Award’ on the GCA website for details of how to apply. This year’s deadline is 1 November. Photo: Doug White Doak creates new design scholarship Photo: Caspar Grauballe

16 TEE BOX Construction is expected to begin in early 2027 on a new 18-hole golf course designed by Tom Doak and Blake Conant at The Hill Club. The destination is being developed on the Gold Dust Farms property near Brooksville, Florida. “The site is very unusual for Florida; the top of The Hill in the southwest corner of the site is 208 feet above sea level, and the fourth green at the northeast corner is at 100 feet above sea level,” said Doak. “Most of the site is open, except for some big oaks near the clubhouse and some oaks and pines in the northwest part of the property. This gives us a wide variety of uphill and downhill holes, and also several holes with five-to-six per cent tilt to the fairways. “We don’t have to do a lot of earthmoving to build green sites, but we do have to do a fair amount to comply with the state’s stormwater detention laws, which weren’t designed for hilly terrain like this!” Doak and Conant have been working on plans for the past two years, with the aim of transforming the site into a course well suited to matchplay and a home for The Hill Golf Society. “Our client has emphasised building a course that’s fun to play and a bit quirky by American standards; he has given us carte blanche to build wild features,” said Doak. “As a result, we are making a short study trip to England in October to see what he thinks of some of our favourite places over there: our itinerary includes Woking, Rye, Royal Ashdown Forest and Royal Worlington & Newmarket. If that’s not too much for the client, and if we manage to capture some of the spirit of those clubs and courses at The Hill, I think it will be a home run.” A primary challenge for Doak and Conant’s design, which as usual has been beautifully drawn up by their colleague Don Placek, was quite how they would negotiate the property’s elevation change. “We had to decide first whether the clubhouse would be on the hill or down below; we decided that the grove of oak trees on top of the hill would make for such a family-friendly area that we should put the clubhouse up there,” said Doak. “So, that means we are going to have two sharply uphill holes and two sharply downhill holes in the round. “Our client had mentioned at the beginning that he’d prefer unequal loops of six and 12 holes as alternatives for a late-day addition, so that’s what we have given him. Our long par-four first plays downhill to a fallaway green, which we imagine will be something like Oakmont; the thirteenth will be a long four or a short five playing down the steepest part of the hill to the north, with the descent a bit reminiscent of the tenth at Augusta. An old water tower near the clubhouse site will be refurbished as an aiming point for the finishing hole.” The Hill is expected to open for play in October 2028. COURSE BLUEPRINT The Hill Club

17 Holes seven, eight and eleven share a large expanse of fairway At the client’s request, the routing has been arranged in loops of six and 12 holes Options on the driveable par-four sixth appear to be somewhat reminiscent of those at Riviera’s famous tenth hole No bunkers are planned for the par-three third hole With the clubhouse located at the highest point of the site, the long par-four first plays downhill to a fallaway green Image: Don Placek The thirteenth will play down from the steepest part of the hill as a long par four or a short par five

The Art and Science of Golf Course Architecture Kasugai Country Club, East Course, Japan Photo:Taku Miyamoto USA +1-707-526-7190 • golfplan@golfplan.com • www.golfplan.com Golfplan Host Course 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026

19 TEE BOX Fågelbro renovation addresses agronomy and strategy Fågelbro Golf & Country Club on Fågelbrolandet Island, 20 miles east of Stockholm, Sweden, has enjoyed its first season of play following a renovation by Johan Benestam. The project was carried out in two phases, with Nelson & Vecchio completing work between August 2023 and June 2025. “After more than three decades, our greens had reached a point where maintaining consistently high-quality playing surfaces was becoming increasingly difficult,” said course manager Martin Hall. “Low-lying areas had led to recurring ice damage, while the gradual increase of poa further compromised quality and delayed the opening of the course in spring. From a construction perspective, the greens were also well below modern USGA standards, leaving them vulnerable to Scandinavian winters.” The decision to renovate was about more than solving agronomic problems, with Benestam looking to add more strategy. “We saw an opportunity to rethink the playing experience itself – to create a course that would be more engaging, more strategic and more enjoyable for golfers of every level,” he said. “Safety was another important consideration, with the aim of creating a more secure environment, not only for golfers and staff, but also for residents and hotel guests.” All greens and surrounds were renovated, every bunker was rebuilt with CapillaryFlow, new tees were introduced and some existing tees were moved or enlarged. Some holes, landing areas and lakes were also reshaped and the club updated its Rain Bird irrigation system. “One of the most visible changes is the new character created around greens,” said Benestam. “The redesigned bunkers and carefully shaped undulations provide a more modern appearance while also introducing a greater element of strategy. Approaching the green is no longer simply a question of distance and execution; golfers are encouraged to consider angles, risk and reward, and their own strengths. The bunkers and green surrounds create a stronger sense of place while adding another layer of thought to the game.” Hall added: “The project represents an investment in the future. The aim was to establish stronger foundations, improve the resilience and quality of the playing surfaces, and create a layout that remains enjoyable, challenging and relevant for years to come. The result is a course with a renewed identity – one that respects its past while embracing a more dynamic future.” Photo: Fågelbro Golf & Country Club

20 TEE BOX THE BIG PICTURE The par-five fourteenth at The Metropolitan Golf Club in Victoria, Australia, as photographed by Gary Lisbon, has been remodelled as part of Crafter & Mogford’s work at the club. J.B. Mackenzie designed the course on farmland in Oakleigh, a suburb of Melbourne, in 1908. However, it would be Alister MacKenzie and Dick Wilson who shaped the layout golfers see today. Wilson designed several new holes following the compulsory acquisition of land in the 1950s. Over the past 10 years, Paul Mogford has overseen work across the course, including the nineteenth hole and practice facilities. “This was the first time in the club’s history that an architect had evaluated all holes,” said Mogford. “Fundamental to our vision was unifying the course’s architecture – to imbue the back nine with the unique features MacKenzie bestowed upon the club.” The fourteenth is one Wilson hole that has been remodelled. “Essentially, the hole was redesigned from the approach bunkers onwards,” said Mogford. “The approach was lowered and reshaped, and the bunker lip raised and extended further right to create hidden ground between it and the green. The green bunkering was changed to tighten the approach to one of the course’s easier holes. With the bunkers cutting closer to the green surface, the green was extended back-right to create a new ‘corner’ for more difficult pin locations – a common theme we implemented across the course.”

21 Photo: Gary Lisbon

22 The Grove extends partnership with Toro to 2036 The Grove in Hertfordshire, England, has signed a 10-year agreement with Toro to replace its entire maintenance fleet and install a new irrigation system. The partnership builds on one that has been in place since the Kyle Phillips course opened in 2002. A central aspect of the new agreement is the integration of connected technologies designed to support a more precise and datadriven approach to turf management. Toro’s advanced fleet management tools, GPSguided spraying, moisture-based irrigation control and autonomous mowing solutions will enable The Grove to optimise its use of resources, improve operational efficiency and maintain consistent playing conditions. The club has already tested Toro irrigation technology on redeveloped areas of the course and has recorded encouraging results. It is now moving ahead with a course-wide installation. The new system is expected to improve water management while providing greater control and responsiveness to changing turf conditions. Toro and Reesink Turfcare, its distributor for the UK, supported by Oliver Landpower, will collaborate to ensure The Grove gets a streamlined approach to equipment, irrigation and service support. The club will also benefit from technical support, on-site service visits and training for its greenkeeping team. Photo: Bladerunner Farms In 2025, Lanny Wadkins, a 21-time PGA Tour winner turned golf architect, led a renovation of TPC Craig Ranch in McKinney, Texas, which hosts the CJ Cup Byron Nelson tournament. “The course was nearly 25 years old and needed to be updated, not only to match member expectations but for Tour player expectations,” said Jay Abbott, senior vice president of agronomy at ClubCorp. After touring high-end clubs in Dallas, the Craig Ranch team chose zoysia. Bladerunner Farms developed Stadium Zoysia that was grown and installed by Thomas Turfgrass on fairways, tees, collars and approaches. “We couldn’t be happier with how Stadium has performed across the course,” said Abbott. “You can push it with fertiliser; it isn’t as finicky with disease, and the healing of it far exceeds any other zoysia I’ve seen. I was proud of the way the golf course performed during the CJ Cup in May 2026.” TPC Craig Ranch hosts CJ Cup following regrassing TEE BOX

23 Grassing is underway on 27 holes of golf at Tenuta Toscana Golf & Field Club in Tuscany, Italy, a new Discovery Land destination. Fazio Design is working alongside contractor SOL Golf and grass supplier Bindi Pratopronto Nord on the project, with the 18-hole private course and nine-hole public layout routed on what was previously the 27-hole Castelfalfi golf complex. Sodding of bunker edges and greens, plus the sprigging of fairways with Tahoma 31 bermudagrass, began in September 2025. “We sprigged Tahoma 31 for the old course [Castelfalfi] and it performed well,” said technical director Daniele Bindi. “Castelfalfi has very cold winters and very hot and dry summers, so Tahoma 31 is the best solution.” Tahoma 31 has been chosen for tees, fairways and rough, while greens feature 007 bentgrass. “Tahoma 31 offers several advantages for a project like this, including excellent drought tolerance, reduced water requirements, early spring green-up, tolerance to low heights of cut, strong wear tolerance, cold hardiness and outstanding turf density and quality,” said Javier Farrán, Tenuta Toscana’s director of agronomy. “Tahoma 31 will provide firm, consistent playing surfaces while helping us maintain high standards of efficient water use and sustainable maintenance practices.” Nine holes of the private course are expected to open in summer 2027, with the full 18 ready by autumn 2027. Discovery Land destination takes shape in Tuscany Photo: Landscapes Unlimited Image: Harris Kalinka Photo: GCA New Los Cabos short course approaches completion Landscapes Unlimited is building a new 11-hole par-three course designed by Agustín Pizá for The Reserve Club at the Palmilla Reserve community in Los Cabos, Mexico. The 1,017-yard course is routed across 17 acres in the valley at the western end of Palmilla Reserve, on rolling ground with a network of arroyos. Large greens are carved into the mountainside at varied elevations and have been designed to accommodate two flags. “We are reimagining golf with a one-of-a-kind experience with multiple elevated tee areas, target greens and a variety of ways to experience the more casual, social side of golf,” said Pizá. “El Once is the epitome of exciting, ever-changing challenges for every level of golfer, and Landscapes Unlimited is executing construction with trust and precision.”

25 GTM Golf Construction has completed work on a new 18-hole golf course by Blake Stirling and Marco Martin for the Macenas Mediterranean Resort near Mojacar on the southern coast of Spain. More than 500 homes have already been built at the Cosentino Group development, and work is about to start on a 140-room Hyatt hotel. We spoke with Marco Martin to find out more. What is the client’s vision for the development? Macenas Mediterranean has been conceived to recapture the traditional architecture of Almeria’s ‘Pueblos Blancos’ (whitewashed houses on hillsides) and integrate that with a modern, masterplanned community where the golf course and Mediterranean coast are key parts of the views and the landscape. Cosentino has a clear idea about the golf course: it should be a fun and family-friendly place. The course will be for families and residents, so it needs to be enjoyable, not extremely difficult and playable in less than three hours. How are you incorporating the course into the landscape? The site is a gentle slope half a mile away from the Mediterranean Sea. Due to the elevation, most holes enjoy impressive ocean views. Beautiful sites are full of hundreds of natural and environmental restrictions, so Cosentino is pushing everyone to create a golf course that is naturally integrated into the arid landscape. A team of environmental experts from the University of Almeria has defined all the vegetation that will be included in the design. I am proud of our work to create a golf course integrated into nature. As golf architects, we have found that the natural restrictions have helped push our design imagination to the max. TEE BOX “ Natural restrictions have helped push our design imagination to the max” A Stirling & Martin golf course is taking shape at a new resort and residential development on Spain’s south coast. Q&A with Marco Martin Photo: Stirling & Martin Safety and the environment have been key aspects of the work at Macenas Mediterranean Resort, located on Spain’s south coast

27 Photo: Stirling & Martin Construction work at Macenas is now complete and the course is ready for seeding How do you approach the design of a golf course attached to a residential development? As golf architects, when we design a course in a residential area, we always analyse the safety of the golf course first – we want every hole to be totally safe for all the residents. We also want residents to be proud to have a beautiful golf course bordering their property. So, we analyse the potential views, strategy and how to incorporate the existing natural features of the site. What will the playing experience be like at Macenas? Both Blake and I agree with the owner on making a fun golf course. The layout is not long, has generous landing areas and multiple routes to green complexes of varying difficulty. We can describe every hole as having a unique design, but one that comes to my mind is the 175-yard par-three second, where players fly their balls over a natural creek, surrounded by eucalyptus trees. There is also the short par-four fifth, which is reachable in one, but players run the risk of losing their ball in the Mediterranean Sea. Then there’s hole seventeen, a short par five that has panoramic views of a natural barranca to the left and the sea right in front of the players. How has work progressed and when will the course open? Golf course construction started in October 2025 in parallel with a fivemillion-euro wastewater treatment facility, which will treat 2,000 cubic metres of grey water every day. That treated water will then be used to irrigate the golf course and public gardens. Irrigation and drainage are almost complete, too. From October 2025 to January 2026, GTM moved around 180,000 cubic metres of dirt, and a skilled team of shapers, led by Diego Nene as well as Raul and Jose Manuel Aldón, has manicured creative holes and greens following the detailed plans created by Blake. The course is now ready to be seeded, although that may be delayed until April 2027 due to irrigation and warmseason grass windows. The course is expected to open by October 2027. TEE BOX

28 Monte Rei reopens North course TEE BOX The North course at Monte Rei Golf & Country Club in the Algarve region of Portugal has reopened following a six-month renovation by Nicklaus Design. The project came after Portuguese firm Details, backed by Arrow Global, acquired the club in January 2025. “Monte Rei is one of Portugal and European golf’s most iconic venues and is a must-play course for anyone who loves golf,” said Nuno Sepúlveda, co-CEO of Details. “It was already a great design, so it was important that the work undertaken focused on renewing rather than reinventing it to restore the course to its former glory and put it back where it belongs.” Work has included greens reconstruction, bunker upgrades, irrigation and pump station improvements, cart path refurbishment and enhancements to practice facilities. “Closing the golf course for the past season provided the opportunity to undertake a comprehensive renovation and carefully restore many of the elements that have made Monte Rei such a special golf experience,” said Dirk Bouts, senior designer at Nicklaus Design. “The enlargement of numerous tees, the renovation and restoration of the greens and bunkers, together with the extensive clearing work throughout the property, have made a tremendous difference while ensuring that the integrity and character of Jack’s original design have been preserved.”

Development group Cabot has unveiled plans for its newest resort and residential destination. Cabot Wilds will be built on 2,500 acres of rolling terrain in Nova Scotia, Canada, and will include an 18-hole golf course by Jeff Mingay. Cabot has partnered with Canadian businessman John Bragg and his family – founders of Oxford Frozen Foods – on the development. “We are honoured to work with John Bragg and his family to bring Cabot Wilds to life and shine a light on this beautiful corner of Nova Scotia,” said Ben Cowan-Dewar, CEO and co-founder of Cabot. Mingay’s course will be built in the foothills of the Cobequid Mountains, next to River Philip and traversing rugged highlands and tree-lined valleys. Mingay to create course for new Cabot destination Photo: Cabot/Andrew Harvie Photo: James Hogg Photo: Whistler Golf Club Layton progresses with Whistler renovation The Arnold Palmer layout at Whistler Golf Club in British Columbia, Canada, will reopen in July 2027 following a $10 million renovation by Thad Layton. The project includes updating bunkers to improve their playability and aesthetics, redesigning the third and twelfth greens for player safety and improved sightlines, resurfacing fairways and greens, redesigning tee complexes, and updating cart paths. “When we reopen in July 2027, golfers will discover a course that feels distinctly Whistler while offering a more contemporary and welcoming experience,” said Alan Kristmanson, general manager of Whistler Golf Club. “These improvements will elevate the course’s playability, beauty and safety while preserving the character that has made Whistler Golf Club special for more than four decades.” 29

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31 TEE BOX Mirasol begins new round of changes to Sunset course The Country Club at Mirasol in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, has initiated another round of renovation work, led by Drew Rogers’ JDR Golf Design, on its Sunset course. “Just as previous efforts in 2015, 2018 and 2023 helped the club to evolve and improve, the current endeavour aims to do the same,” said Joel Hornickel, design associate at JDR Golf Design. The latest work began in June 2026 and concluded in early September, and included changes to the eighteenth, the practice green and short-game area, all a knock-on effect of the club’s investment in a new 41,000-squarefoot indoor facility. The practice putting green ended up being shifted approximately 35 yards closer to the starting holes on both the Sunset and Sunrise courses. Likewise, the short-game area was relocated, which gave JDR Golf Design the opportunity to expand the single green and chipping areas. “The most significant change to the eighteenth hole involved moving the green complex approximately 20 yards left of its former position to increase its separation from the adjacent practice range, while also improving its visibility from the new multi-purpose golf building,” said Hornickel. “The green was enlarged to provide more pinnable areas as well as more variety between them. The remainder of the hole received minor expansions of the teeing areas, rebuilt bunkers, new irrigation and new Bimini bermuda turf. Landscaping areas, which help to frame the hole, have also been expanded and refined. While the enhancements may seem minimal on paper, the visual improvements are significant as a result of the enhanced bunker styling – a departure from the flat floor and grass-faced character to a more elaborate, sand-flashed presentation, built with Better Billy Bunker liner.” The renovated hole and practice areas are expected to reopen in November 2026, with efforts set to restart in March 2027. Next year’s work will cover the remaining holes, and Hornickel says the focus will continue to be on “enhancing the bunker styling and rebuilding the green complexes to further increase their interest and memorability”. Photo: JDR Golf Design

32 Lobb’s renovations prepare Henley for future TEE BOX Lobb + Partners has completed two phases of renovation work on the 1907 James Braid course at Henley Golf Club in Oxfordshire, England, with a third phase expected to start in 2027. “The objective has been to make sure Henley continues to provide a really strong golfing experience for all levels of golfer,” said James Brockington, general manager at Henley Golf Club. “The game has changed considerably – particularly with advances in equipment and the distances the ball now travels – so some of the features that historically influenced how a hole played were no longer having the same impact. Equally, some features were excessively punishing one level of golfer and had become an afterthought for another level. “Many of our bunkers were old and increasingly difficult to maintain, with drainage and sand consistency affecting both their condition and playability. The renovation gave us the opportunity to use modern construction techniques.” The first phase was carried out in winter 2024-25, with the second completed in winter 2025-26. “We have focused on enhancing the strategic interest and challenge for the golfers, primarily through bunkering but also by thinking about angles and approach play to the green complexes,” said Tim Lobb. “The greens are smallish but retain a great challenge with bunkering and slope on the surfaces. “The bunkering is certainly more visible, which I think is a good thing. The style has changed from a smaller pot style to a larger and more freeform shape. We felt that this befitted the grand landscape that the club sits in.” Brockington added: “It’s not about making the course harder for the sake of it; it’s about making it more interesting and strategic. We want golfers to have decisions to make – where to position the ball, which hazards to take on and when the percentage play is the better option. “We want Henley Golf Club to retain its James Braid identity, but we also want someone playing the course in 2026 to face meaningful strategic choices. It’s about respecting the past without allowing the course to become dated by it.”

33 Photo: Jason Livy Photography Photo: Jason Livy Photography Photo: Hann Reserve Second course at Hann Reserve to open in 2027 Hann Reserve, a US$3 billion development in New Clark City, Philippines, is targeting an early 2027 opening date for its second golf course. Its first 18-hole layout, Dragon’s Landing, was created by Nicklaus Design and architect Jim Wagner. It opened in February 2026, and the resort describes it as “a commanding highland course with sweeping mountain vistas, purposebuilt for strategic, world-class play”. The second course, Six Moons, is a KJ Choi and John Cope design. In the July 2025 issue of Golf Course Architecture, Cope spoke about how he and Choi routed the parkland layout through natural vegetation to produce a course with scenic views and plenty of strategy. The third layout, Cavern’s Deep, was designed by Nick Faldo’s firm and is now under construction. This course is being built in a river valley and will integrate natural watercourses and changes in elevation. All three courses will feature zoysia grasses from Sports Turf Solutions and water features built by WR RockGroup Construction. Toro equipment is being used for irrigation and maintenance. In late September 2026, IMG and Hann Reserve announced an expanded strategic partnership that sees the resort join the IMG Prestige Network. “From the earliest stages of the project, we have worked closely with the Hann Reserve team to help bring their vision to life,” said Russell Hannah, vice president of IMG Golf Course Services. “We are delighted to extend our relationship and support the resort’s continued growth through world-class guest experience programmes, strategic marketing support and access to IMG’s extensive global network across golf and luxury travel.”

PROMOTED

35 TEE BOX Updated sustainability standards renew focus on water environments and social good GEO Sustainable Golf Foundation has released the third edition of Sustainable Golf Development: Voluntary Sustainability Standard, which it describes as “the most significant update to the expectations the industry has today around the sustainability outcomes that projects can seek to achieve”. The latest edition has a renewed focus on good stewardship of water environments and the social good that can be generated through golf developments. The revision was led by an international expert working group including Dr Sara Beavis, Robert Donkers, Richard Holland, Tom Mackenzie, Ross Perrett, Martin Moore and Jason Straka, and the consultation process was facilitated by GEO Sustainable Golf Foundation in alignment with the International Social and Environmental Accreditation Labelling Alliance’s Code of Good Practice. Sam Thomas, director of golf developments at GEO, said: “It has been enjoyable to facilitate these conversations with the public, stakeholders and the international working group over the past six months to help publish these updated standards. We are excited to use these in the field over the coming years – and to keep helping golf developments round the world be at the front of sustainabilityled approaches and outcomes.” Tyler Annan, project manager at GEO, added: “It’s clear that thinking has shifted – sustainability is now built into how decisions are made, and people want to push that further. Day to day, we see the drive and creativity that individual projects have to meet these standards. That is what really drives sustainability to the next level.” Download the third edition of Sustainable Golf Development: Voluntary Sustainability Standard at: sustainable. golf/about/ credibility/ standards/ developmentstandard Photo: Jacob Sjöman La Réserve Golf Links at the Heritage Golf Club in Mauritius was the first golf course in Africa to achieve GEO Certified Development status

37 JIM NAGLE INSIGHT More than 40 years ago at Texarkana CC in Arkansas, Ron Prichard kickstarted the movement to restore golf courses to something like what their original architects intended. In the years since, many hundreds of courses have gone through a restoration, or at least projects billed as such. Now, and it seems faintly odd to say so, quite a few courses have been through multiple restoration projects. Is ‘re-restoration’ just a question of architects and clubs creating work, or do such projects have real value? Both explanations can be true. The restoration movement has evolved a great deal since its early years. Although it is easy to say that going for a second project must mean either that the original restoration architect got it wrong, or that the club has more money than sense, that isn’t always the case. Circumstances, the availability of historical evidence, and members’ willingness to undertake significant work can all change. I have experience of working with clubs that restored in the early 21st century and then did so again in the last few years. At Kirtland in Cleveland, Ohio, we were not able properly to restore Hugh Alison’s bunkers in 2007 because the liners available at the time did not allow us to do what we wanted to. By 2023 the liners made it possible for us to do what we had wanted to do first time round, and I think the results more than justified the work. At Philadelphia Country Club in the early 2000s, the club embarked on a regrassing programme for greens and fairways that also came to include the building of new tees and a thoughtful restoration of the bunkers. That was implemented by Forse Design; it was a job I did jointly with Ron Forse. The club had installed new irrigation in the 1990s and didn’t want to replace it less than a decade later, so our ability to expand fairways and greens to the fullest was limited. It isn’t that Ron and I didn’t have the vision to do it, but the infrastructure at that time – principally irrigation – didn’t allow us to do so. And that is why so many Many golf courses have gone through multiple restoration projects. Is this a sensible response to changing circumstances, a sign that the original project was not all it should have been, or evidence of club committees being out of control? Is re-restoration crazy?

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39 Photo: Vaughn Halyard At Kirtland in Ohio, Nagle has recaptured original green dimensions and bunker shapes of the second-generation restoration projects incorporate enormous new irrigation systems. The funds available for restoration have also changed massively in recent years. In the late 1990s to early 2000s, a big project might be US$3-6 million. A project now is typically double that. A combination of confidence in the strength of their business and the successes of earlier projects has emboldened clubs to sign up for more comprehensive restorations. For example, a number of clubs have now bought into much stronger tree management programmes. An architect’s vision for a full restoration in the first generation was often limited by the willingness of the club to implement tree management fully. Beginning in the late 2010s, the idea of a tree management programme that had goals beyond agronomics was gaining traction, allowing fairways and greens to be expanded back to their original scale. The boldness that clubs have embraced as a result of the success of previous restorations, as well as those at other, sometimes competing courses, has also been enhanced by the technology and information now available to restoration architects; this has given clubs more confidence that the architect is able to deliver the vision they outline. The fear of losing the contours of century-old greens designed by Golden Age masters has diminished through the use of modern technology, specifically the ability to laser scan greens and put them back to their original form. The treasure trove of aerial photographs and online information available to an architect today is way bigger than that which could be found 25 years ago. And the ability of architects to take that information and scale it to match today’s golf courses has transformed how we approach projects. I’m currently working on a plan for the Meadow Brook Club and have secured a 1966 aerial photograph. We can identify three greens in that photo that still exist, triangulate them and compare them to today’s images, and create a scale that gives the precise size of all the original features. This means we have much more detailed information about what was originally built, giving us a far stronger foundation for making informed decisions about how to restore it. Jim Nagle is a golf course architect and founder of Nagle Design Works INSIGHT

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