J Drew Rogers

Course Design

My Time With “The Donald”

  Do you ever find yourself wondering what could have been?  In 1995, our firm (AHSF) was commissioned to design Donald Trump’s first golf course…Seven Springs, just outside of Bedford in Westchester County, NY.  It might be the least known and talked about of Trump’s golf efforts, but it had oodles of potential. The site […]

Brown by Design

  It sure has been a heck of a summer, hasn’t it?  The upper Midwest has seen some brutally hot periods… very dry, and windy.  Not a great recipe for keeping a golf course looking good – not to mention our own yards. Our droughty conditions should serve as a great reminder though – that […]

Resurgence of the Par 3 Course

My friend, writer Chris Santella placed this interesting piece in the NY Times earlier this week called "Pitch and Putt and Behold the Glory."  His placement is a timely one now with waves of non-traditional golf facilities popping up all over North American and the World.  Why? The people have spoken and their messages are […]

Can’t See the Course for the Trees

Donald Ross, architect of over 400 notable golf courses, said once of trees, “As beautiful as trees are, and as fond as you and I are of them, we still must not lose sight of the fact that there is a limited place for them in golf.” So why then is the notion of removing […]

Thoughts on Rio

This past week marked a bit of history, and perhaps the dawning of a new movement in high profile, international golf course architecture. Pennsylvania based Gil Hanse was appointed to design the official golf venue in Brazil for the 2016 Olympic games, and we take with that decision a few, key notes. Much to the […]

My Fifteen Most Enjoyable Courses to Play (for the fun of it)

For me, this is a fun list – not to be taken too seriously.  So, it’s not up for debate or for comparison with the Top 100 lists.  It is simply a mentioning of some courses that offer up a good day on the course – for me at least, and maybe for you as […]

The Florida Swing

This week marks the beginning of the annual PGA Tour sweep through Florida …including stops at PGA National, Doral, Innisbrook, Lake Nona, and Bay Hill – all tune-ups for the April bloom date in Georgia.  So let’s say hello again to palm trees, white sand, grainy bermudagrass greens and lots of liquid trouble. It’s too […]

Reflections on Riviera

  I confess that I am less intrigued these days by watching the PGA Tour on TV than in previous years.  Aside from the linksland challenges of the Open Championship and being serenaded on my sofa by the guitar music of the Masters (is there a better afternoon nap, interrupted occasionally by chirping birds or […]

Scroll to Top