Designing Golf

Next week, Royal Birkdale Golf Club in Southport, England, will host the Open Championship for the 11th time. The pros will probably love it (because they almost always do), but will we like it? In this episode, Garrett discusses all things Royal Birkdale with his Fried Egg Golf colleague Joseph LaMagna, who recently visited the course. Garrett and Joseph talk about Royal Birkdale’s history,...

One of the biggest stories in the golf course industry over the past 30 years has been the rise of the public destination golf. The 2020s in particular have seen a remarkable surge in remote developments featuring neoclassical golf architecture. So where are we now in the evolution of this type of resort? How has public destination golf influenced golf architecture? After reviewing several ongoing...

William Flynn, the designer of Shinnecock Hills, was one of the greatest golf architects of the Golden Age. In this episode of Designing Golf, we explore his distinctively naturalistic, restrained design style. First, Garrett lists what he believes are the five essential Flynn courses. Then Garrett brings on Jim Nagle, an architect who has helped restore many Flynn designs, to delve deeper into Fl...

In two weeks, the U.S. Open returns to Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, for the sixth time. This episode of Designing Golf dives deep into the course’s history and current William Flynn design. First, Garrett talks with his Fried Egg Golf colleague Matt Rouches about the six things that make Shinnecock a great course. Then Garrett brings on golf historian Bob Crosby to di...

After a surprisingly controversial PGA Championship at Aronimink, Garrett brings on his Fried Egg Golf colleague PJ Clark to chat about championship golf course design and setup. First they discuss the factors that made Aronimink a polarizing venue: the lack of trees, the firm greens, the provocative pins, and the relatively low emphasis on driving accuracy. Then Garrett takes PJ through a brief h...

Donald Ross had one of the most prolific, impressive careers in the history of golf architecture. Yet his design methods and ideas are not as widely and precisely understood as those of, say, Alister MacKenzie or C.B. Macdonald. So in this episode, Garrett sits down with Bradley Klein, a longtime golf architecture writer and golf course consultant, to answer some Ross-themed questions asked by mem...

What do the different components of a golf course construction project cost? Or really — what should they cost? In today’s episode, we tackle the economics of building golf courses. First, Garrett outlines Alister MacKenzie’s ideas about economy in construction and applies them to today’s realities. Then he brings on golf architect Bruce Hepner to discuss Hepner’s recent work on public courses lik...

The golf course at Augusta National has changed a great deal over time. So what was the original version like? This episode dives into what Garrett calls one of the strangest and most interesting courses ever created. First, he is joined by Josh Pettit, founder of the Alister MacKenzie Institute, to discuss how certain holes at Augusta National were inspired by links templates. Then Garrett sits d...

Most golf architects will tell you that the most important step in designing a golf course is routing — that is, locating greens, fairways, and tees, and linking them together into a full sequence of holes. And yet routing is also probably the hardest aspect of golf course design to discuss. So in this installment of our Golf Architecture 101 series, Garrett sits down with PJ Clark to demystify th...

With the Players Championship approaching, we take a close look at the philosophy and influence of Pete Dye, the architect behind the Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass, Harbour Town Golf Links, and many other great courses. First, Garrett explains why golf architecture nerds tend to admire Dye even though Dye violated a lot of currently fashionable principles of design. Then, Garrett brings on Scot S...

With the Genesis Invitational returning to Riviera Country Club this week, Garrett digs into the masterful 1927 design by George Thomas and Billy Bell. First, he outlines what makes Riviera great and how he thinks it could be improved. Then he brings on Zac Blair, professional golfer and founder of The Tree Farm, to talk about the finer details of the course. See omnystudio.com/listener for privac...

How can you properly appreciate a golf course while you’re playing it? In this episode, Garrett talks about a couple of techniques he uses to understand golf architecture in the midst of a round. Then he brings on Geoff Shackelford (18:12), author of the book "Golf Architecture for Normal People" and the Substack newsletter The Quadrilateral, to discuss the “RED” system of appreciating and evaluat...

In the 1980s, the concept of a stadium golf course seemed poised to take off. The Stadium Course at TPC Sawgrass and the PGA West Stadium Course, both designed by Pete Dye, made high-profile debuts on the PGA Tour in 1982 and 1987, respectively. But then the trend ended before it really became a trend. In this episode, Garrett explains the idea of a stadium course and offers some theories as to wh...

It’s a new year, so we’re looking ahead. First, Garrett talks about whether modern golf architecture is running low on fresh ideas. Then he is joined by his Fried Egg Golf colleague Matt Rouches to discuss six (or, by the end of their conversation, seven) course openings they’re excited about in 2026. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the future, when we look back on the years between 2010 and 2025, what will we see as the golf courses that defined the era? Andy Johnson and Matt Rouches join Garrett Morrison to discuss. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What is the so-called “Golden Age of golf architecture”? In this installment of our Golf Architecture 101 series, Garrett introduces his Fried Egg Golf colleague PJ Clark to the three big ideas that sparked the Golden Age at the beginning of the 20th century. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the U.S., many of the greatest old golf courses have already undergone restoration work. So where can historically informed golf architecture go next? In this episode, Garrett explores a few projects that represent intriguing frontiers of the golf course restoration and renovation industry. First, he sits down with Jeff Stein to talk about Stein’s and Brian Ross’s historically inspired redesign...

The Sandbelt of Melbourne, Australia, boasts one of the densest concentrations of great golf courses in the world: the West and East courses of Royal Melbourne, Kingston Heath, Victoria Golf Club, and more. In this episode of Designing Golf, Garrett dives deep into the Sandbelt’s history, geology, golf, culture, and virtues as a destination. His guests are Harley Kruse and Lukas Michel, both Austr...

Last year, a devastating wildfire hit Jasper National Park in Alberta, Canada. Jasper Park Lodge and its beautiful Stanley Thompson-designed golf course sustained heavy damage. In today's episode, Garrett speaks with Canadian golf architect Ian Andrew about Jasper Park's road to recovery. They also discuss the history of Jasper Park Golf Course and the design philosophy of Stanley Thompson. See om...

Garrett sits down with Greg Nathan, president and CEO of the National Golf Foundation, to take stock of the U.S. golf course industry. Has the post-Covid surge in participation proven sustainable? What kinds of golf course development are we seeing? Why does there seem to be an under-supply of public golf facilities in certain areas? How are short courses faring? Garrett and Greg get into these qu...

With the Ryder Cup approaching, Garrett asks a question that has been on his mind for a while: what, if anything, suits a golf course to the match-play format? Garrett talks to two different architects: first, Andy Staples, who recently designed a match-play course called The Match at PGA National Resort; second, Brian Schneider, who is somewhat skeptical of the notion of a “match-play course.” To...

Building off of our latest Golf Architecture 101 episode, Garrett Morrison sits down with golf historian Bob Crosby to discuss the historical roots of the notion of fairness in golf course design. Garrett and Bob explore how two major figures of the game in the late 1800s and early 1900s, Laidlaw Purves and John Low, came to represent opposite sides of the fairness debate—a debate that still rages...

On today’s episode, we dive deep into the history and architecture of Cypress Point Club, site of the upcoming 50th Walker Cup. First, Garrett speaks with David Normoyle, author of Cypress Point’s soon-to-be-published centennial book, about the history of the club. Then Garrett offers some of his own reflections on the course’s land, routing, and design features. Finally, he brings on Joshua Petti...

In the latest installment of our Golf Architecture 101 series, Garrett sits down with PJ to discuss the hot-button issue of fairness. What does it mean for a golf course to be fair? What kinds of design features might be considered unfair? Should we expect fairness out of a golf course? Garrett and PJ discuss it all in this episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

American golfers who visit the UK often come back wondering the U.S. doesn’t have more private golf clubs that encourage outside play. There are a number of reasons for the differences between the UK and U.S. club “models”—some tax-related, others having to do with history and culture. Still, it is possible to create a golf club in the U.S. that combines a strong local membership with a welcoming...