Who are your Favourite "Lesser Known" Architects?

[Wayne Wiggins, Jr.]

I like Bill Diddel's work at Wichita CC and Northwood (in Dallas, TX).

[Will E]

Mike Nuzzo
Kevin Aldridge
Ian Andrews

[Tom_Doak]

Huck:

Thanks for keeping it in perspective.  Some of my friends are continually asking people at random if they know my name ... their reported percentages are a bit higher than yours, but not much.  Which is fine with me, apart from the prospective clients who still give us the "this course will make you famous" speech to try and keep down the design fee for their special project.  If THEY ask, please tell them I'm a household name.  

[Daryl David]

Heck, Tom just point them to Wikipedia.  You can tell them you are already famous and then ask them if they are in there!

[TaylorA]

I'll echo Tim Liddy

In the southeast, Denis Griffiths (http://www.dgagolf.com) who has done a number of good courses, in particular in the Atlanta area.

Also, Michael Riley (http://www.michaelrileydesign.net/) who also is in the Atlanta area. He is a former Nicklaus guy, but his courses, and in particular his green complexes, are far more interesting than any Nicklaus course I've played to date.

[Kirk Gill]

One old dead guy that doesn't get a lot of discussion is James Foulis. I can't say I know a great deal about him other than he designed the original Denver Country Club and St. Louis Country Club courses, and some others in the midwest. This in addition to winning the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills in 1896 and being named the golf pro at Chicago Golf Club by C.B. Macdonald in 1894.

[Mark Bourgeois]

Charles Tippet. Not so much for the architecture but for his fascinating, Gatsby-like life story.  If there's one architect Hollywood could make a movie about, surely it must be him.

[Russ Miller]

I'll second Taylor's statement about Denis Griffiths although I have only played his President's Reserve course at The Hermitage in Nashville (in fact I played it today).  It is one of the better in Nashville in my opinion.  He really did a terrific job of incorporating the course into the landscape, while also coming up with some good strategic holes, and many of the greens very large and quite enjoyable to play.

[mike_beene]

I spend far too much time on this site:I thought you said "Presidents Reverse Course"

[David Stamm]

I've never played any of his courses, but from what I've seen, I like what I see of Herbert Strong's courses. I don't know if that qualifies as a lesser known. I do like what I've played of Todd Eckenrode's.

[Andrew Mitchell]

Tom Doak.

Don't think he's "lesser known"?  Go ask 50 people who don't frequent this website two questions:

1. Name 5 golf course architects.
49 won't be able to get past Jack Nicklaus.

2.  Name the architect who designed Pacific Dunes.
40 will say "what's that?"  8 will guess someone other than Doak, one will say "isn't it Hoch or Choke or something"?  One will get it right.  Maybe.

I know Tom's fame is growing, and rightly so.  But let's not get too carried away with fame of non-Tour playing guys in this field.  I doubt Tom himself does.

Tom

I'd second that.  Both before and after the recent GCA gathering in East Lothian I mentioned to fellow golfers that I was getting a guided trip by Tom Doak of the new Renaissance Club at Archerfield.  Everyone of them replied "who's he?"  Whilst TD may have a lower profile in the UK as Archerfield is his first course here I think point 1 is equally valid in this country - most people couldn't name a present day architect other than Nicklaus.

[W.H. Cosgrove]

Jack Reimer a canadian who completed several courses in Western Washington and British Columbia from the 60's to the eighties.  

The original at Gold Mountain, Fairwood, Spanaway Lake, Oakbrook G&CC (my home) and Twin Lakes were his.  While many of the sites were sub standard or forced into housing, the courses have stood the test of time.  

Reimer was simply a guy who did solid work work a paycheck.

[Phil McDade]

Herbert J. Tweedie.

He is credited with a number of original designs/layouts in the Chicago area, including Flossmor, Onwentsia, Midlothian, La Grange, Exmoor, Park Ridge and Glen View (some of which were later reworked). In Wisconsin, he was the original designer of Maple Bluff CC in the Madison area, generally regarded as one of the state's top privates.

[Tom Huckaby]

Huck:

Thanks for keeping it in perspective.  Some of my friends are continually asking people at random if they know my name ... their reported percentages are a bit higher than yours, but not much.  Which is fine with me, apart from the prospective clients who still give us the "this course will make you famous" speech to try and keep down the design fee for their special project.  If THEY ask, please tell them I'm a household name.  

TD - I've just been watching a lot of TV about history of Rome... as well as Mel Brooks' History of the World movie...

"remember, thou art mortal... remember, thou art mortal... remember, thou art mortal...."

 

It does make me chuckle though how out of touch this forum can get.  And hey, your fame is safe with me...  

[Scott_Burroughs]

I neglected to say so earlier but my favorite lesser-known architects are all the guys who still work for me.    They might well be better on their own than some of the practicing architects mentioned above, but fortunately they are happy not to test out that theory.

On that note, I'll nominate Gil Hanse, "the one that got away".  

I'd nominate him regardless.

[Greg Clark]

Again, certainly not "lesser known" on this site, but I've enjoyed most of Keith Foster's work quite a bit.

[Gary Slatter]

Tom Doak.

Don't think he's "lesser known"?  Go ask 50 people who don't frequent this website two questions:

1. Name 5 golf course architects.
49 won't be able to get past Jack Nicklaus.

2.  Name the architect who designed Pacific Dunes.
40 will say "what's that?"  8 will guess someone other than Doak, one will say "isn't it Hoch or Choke or something"?  One will get it right.  Maybe.

I know Tom's fame is growing, and rightly so.  But let's not get too carried away with fame of non-Tour playing guys in this field.  I doubt Tom himself does.

 

TH

ps - to answer the question less smart-assedly, allow me to add Forrest Richardson and George Santana.

With all due respect, I was just going to say Tom Doak. Ron Garl was mentioned, he has quite a following and has some projects in Canada as well as the south.  Rick Baril is a comer!

[Tim Leahy]

Some I know in the Nor. Cal area that I really enjoy are Bert Stamps-Rancho Murieta North, Alta Sierra and Cameron Park CC, Jack Fleming-Mather GC, Sharon Heights, and Brad Bell-Empire Ranch, Turkery Creek and Apple Mountain. Brad Bell is an up and comer and may be well known in the future.

[Jim Adkisson]

In Oregon/SW Washington, Bill Robinson has done some great work...the OGA owned course at Tukwilla, Tri-Mountain in Ridgefield WA and Ocean Dunes in Florence (which he used to own) are all fun courses with lots of character...He is finishing up a back 9 for the new Chehalem Glen GC in Newberg Oregon at this time...I am looking forward to playing it later this summer...the front 9 has gotten rave reviews from friends...

[Ray Tennenbaum]

Bill Mitchell -- New Seabury might be his best-known but he pops up all over New York (Noyac) & New England.  Also the Thomas Carvel Country Club which I've never played but yes, heard good things about.

[mark chalfant]

I would love to see work by Vernon Macan and especially Alex
Findlay.  Langford, starting to rise,   is  splendid  

[Mike_Cirba]

When I think about "unknown", I guess I'm thinking about architects who are generally unknown among those with more than a passing knowledge of modern architecture.  I'm also thinking about living, practiciing architects.

Therefore, Tom Doak and even Gil Hanse have no business being on an "unknown" list on GCA as everyone here knows who they are and what they've done..   I even debated about including Kelly Moran, but figured he was just possibly under the radar enough to qualify.

On the other hand, I felt comfortable that enough folks would have no idea who Dan Schlegel is that it would add something to the discussion of architects who are doing some really good stuff without much notoriety.

[KBanks]

James Braid.

(Gleneagles Kings and Queens, Carnoustie, Nairn, Rosemount, Panmure).

Owing to the great descriptions of them on GCA, I am keen to see Brora, St Enodoc, and Pennard.

Ken

[Kirk Gill]

I've only played one of his courses (Murphy Creek), but based on that experience I'm a fan of Ken Kavanaugh.

[Phil McDade]

Braid may be lesser known here in the States, but even those with a passing knowledge of golf in the UK and esp. Scotland (which, is a lot of folks) know of his work. Braid was quite prolific, sort of the UK's version of Tom Bendelow, and built both championship-caliber courses and fairly rudimentary ones, particularly some on fairly constricted sites, such as Glencruitten near Oban on the western coast of Scotland.