12 DESIGN INSPIRATION Lessons of the When Pete and Alice Dye first experienced the links courses of Scotland in 1963, it shaped their philosophy and the direction of golf design in America. But how are today’s architects inspired by links golf? The true links course is the supreme test of golf,” ASGCA Founding Father Donald Ross once wrote. “It is not only a physical challenge but a mental one. Each hole is a puzzle to be solved, and the changing winds make it so that no round is ever the same.” British and Irish links are revered by golfers, architects and TV viewers alike, providing a glimpse into golf’s past and often described as the purest form of the game. The venues of the Open Championship, like Royal Troon this year, stand apart from almost any others on tour, and place unique demands on the golfer. “Literally, everything we do here is completely different than what we do in the States,” said Xander Schauffele, shortly after winning the Claret Jug. In 1963, Pete and Alice Dye took a trip to Scotland, to experience links golf for the first time. It shaped their own design philosophy and influenced much of their subsequent work, and the work of their protégés, in the United States. Today’s architects are typically well travelled, and many have seen and designed courses across the globe. So how do links courses influence their work? Upon joining the Society in 1995, Raymond Hearn, ASGCA, was encouraged to set out for the British Isles. The advice from Dye? “Be a sponge, ask lots of questions, meet the club historians and take in as much as you can.” Hearn took those words to heart and went on to make numerous trips to the UK and Ireland. Between 1997 and 2003 he cotaught a seminar on golf course architecture through Michigan State University (MSU), which saw him visit courses such as Turnberry, Muirfield and Royal County Down. “I learned as much as I taught. These trips were the best thing that could have ever happened to me as a young designer.” During a visit to Royal Portrush, Hearn vividly recalls the historian saying that the 1970s and 80s of American golf course architecture veered away from playability and the ground links “
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