Summer 2025 issue of ASGCA’s By Design magazine is out now
The Summer 2025 issue of By Design magazine from the American Society of Golf Course Architects is now available in digital format.
The main feature asks: what inspired you to become a golf course architect? Jan Bel Jan, Steve Forrest, Trey Kemp, Don Knott and Logan Thompson speak about the people, courses and experiences that planted the seed for their career in golf design.
Bel Jan’s father George and his five brothers all had careers in the golf industry at various clubs in Florida, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. “I recall listening to these men animatedly discussing the courses they’d played, the shots they made, and their competitors,” she says. “Adult talk was generally boring, but their enthusiasm and intensity piqued my interest, even though I was too young to grasp the depth of their discussions.”
Kemp says: “There were three courses I played during family vacations that left a lasting impression: Colonial Country Club in Fort Worth, the Plantation course at Kapalua, Hawaii, and Pinehurst No. 2. Experiencing those layouts in high school opened my eyes to how varied and thoughtful golf course design could be. I’m not sure if they were the reason I chose this path, but they certainly didn’t hurt!”
Also in the issue, By Design hears from the project team responsible for transforming Cypress Bend Resort in Louisiana, where Jeff Blume has redesigned the golf course and a new Hunter irrigation system has been installed, together creating a completely new golfing experience.
“The entire project team have all had a hand in transforming a tired resort facility into a vibrant, well-maintained destination that is, perhaps, the best golf property in the state,” says Blume.
By Design also covers the Olde Eight project in South Carolina. The former Links at Stoney Point has been transformed by a team comprising JDR Golf Design’s principal Drew Rogers and architect Joel Hornickel, John Lytle and crew from Total Turf Golf Services, Chris Jordan as the club’s director of golf course and grounds, plus experts from Leibold Irrigation, Mazzella Partnership and Better Billy Bunker.
Shane LeBaron, one of the founding partners of Olde Eight, says: “We want that awe factor, the sense that you’ve arrived somewhere. I don’t want someone to come here and say it looks like X or Y, it has to have a unique feel to it; that this is Olde Eight.”