Drew's Blog

Is There a Silver Bullet in Golf Course Architecture?

As you might imagine, architects get pressed quite often to profess our opinions about what makes one golf course better than another. And while I think that is more an individual preference (or left to magazines), there are some courses that stand out among the rest.

The Psychology of Change

For many things in life, routine and comfort can be good. In golf, however, we can easily get our boots stuck in the mud to the point that our reluctances and preconceptions do us more harm than good.

Sage Advice

For the sake of maybe learning something, reminding us of a worthwhile thought - or just for pure entertainment, I have gathered a small collection of some of my favorite noteworthy thoughts for your reading pleasure.

What to Make of a Golf Course Restoration

A number of years ago, Brad Klein invited me to speak at Golfweek's Restoration Conference in Williamsburg, Virginia. So as I prepared for my talk, I thought it might be high time to explore just what we all refer to as a "restoration" and how that differs from a "renovation"...

Jens Jensen & the Evolution of Today's Landscape

Now I can recall sitting in a college lecture hall, over 20 years ago, listening to my Landscape Architecture History professor babble on about English gardens, pocket parks, Sir Humphrey Repton, Capability Brown.and a fellow by the name of Jens Jensen.

Back Again to Bandon

Surely by now the word is out.there is a world class golf resort on the coast of southern Oregon. It's called Bandon Dunes. There are four 18-hole courses on the property and they're all ranked among the Top 100 in the US.

Golf Courses and Machu Pichu; A Connection?

Several weeks ago, I found myself channel surfing (a common, last ditch effort before going to bed). I happened to stumble upon a program on PBS on Machu Pichu.

Reflections on Long Island Part Three of Four

Day three found us at Maidstone Club, again on the east end of Long Island. Maidstone opened in 1891 as a tennis and swimming club and then added a three-hole golf course in 1894.

Reflections on Long Island Part One of Four

Several weeks ago, I joined up with nearly 100 of my golf course architect friends from Europe, Australia and the US for five days of golf, architectural study and camaraderie on some of our country's finest venues. Our destination: Long Island, NY.

Why is Golf Fun?

I'm not attempting to be trite here! The subject of "fun" has become a trendy topic of late and, in all seriousness, fun is something that has frankly been overlooked in our fine game for some time. Not because of lack of interest, but because the game became perhaps a bit too serious on the business front.