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, land, routing, greens, and architectural philosophy before delving into the changes the club made in preparation for this year’s Open.
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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 projects and discussing some recent trends, Garrett brings on architect Mike Koprowski to discuss his work at Candyroot Lodge, a new resort in the Carolina Sandhills. Garrett and Mike dig into the nitty-gritty of the design of Candyroot’s first course and how he’s challenging certain conventions of the public destination style.
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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 Flynn's career, philosophy, and legacy.
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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 discuss how the early iterations of Shinnecock Hills represent the evolution of golf architecture between the 1890s and the 1930s.
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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 history of the championship setup wars, starting with Robert Trent Jones’s “Open Doctor” shenanigans in the 1950s and 60s. Finally, Garrett and PJ both lay out what they’re looking for in a 21st-century major championship golf course.
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