There is no criteria other than pick 4 iconic golf course architects in your opinion deserve to be on the Mount Rushmore of Golf Course Architects. You can state a sentence or two about your explanation, but it is your opinion which we all have a different one. In any case, there are only 4 faces on the mountain in South Dakota. Tough.... yes, thought provoking of course which is this site. Unlike the 147 Custodians with a set criteria, who you put on your Mount Rushmore of GCA is based on whatever you feel the criteria should be.
My humble list.
Classic or Golden Age"The Good Doctor" Alister Mackenzie - How could he not be on here right? ANGC, CPCC, etc. Traveled internationally quite a bit, notably to Australia. Great greens IMO. Tutored a young Maxwell.
CB MacDonald - Father of the template holes and first great American architect and major influence on Raynor's successful career. Bonus points for being first in the US I guess.
AW Tillinghast - Had his own unique style with groups of fairway bunkers, designed many courses. Has more designs that have hosted majors than any other designer at one time (maybe still I don't know).
Harry S Colt - There are designers with more iconic courses or volume, but he played a role and influence over many designers and projects. Probably more of a mentor figure than stand alone golf course designer, with Mackenzie and Colt obviously partners. Influence on Crump at Pine Valley and Ross and his career.
I guess I gave special consideration to the forerunner (sans Old Tom Morris), not the accomplished apprentice who would create greatness themselves (Alison, Raynor, Maxwell, Ross).
ModernPete Dye - After WWII he was one of the most successful to create designs. Penal designs, genius with hazards, not flat and boring for sure. Many here know his influence on present day architects via his company's projects and development of associates. Assist from his wife Alice I think many would want mentioned.
Tom Fazio - Hated by some for his flash and high end, big money projects, he is like Frank Sinatra in that he did is "my way" as I see it(albeit empowered by clients big $). He created whatever by moving tremendous amounts of dirt and sand. Epitomized the gluttonous 80/90's golf course boom.
Tom Doak - So fortunate he posts here for all of us to give perspective. Minimalist who I think because of the new course construction slowdown has had to do much of his work as a consulting architect as much as his relatively small portfolio of new designs. Quality over quantity. Had he started out on his own in 1980 I think we would have been all the better with more designs.
Bill Coore / Ben Crenshaw - Sum of the whole more valuable then the parts. Ben was still playing full time when they started and as a golf historians they are minimalists who challenge the golfer with using the ground when able in the US, which is not a typical course stateside. Wonderfully nice gentlemen where had Ben just been a GCA with Coore they could have maybe had 30-40 more designs to their names through the boom times.
As this totally subjective, I left of Nicklaus as I just don't enjoy his penal designs with raised greens and too many bunkers IMO. Hanse I enjoy as well as Kyle Phillips, but with so few spots sorry. RTJ could maybe had found a place as well. It is apples and oranges to a certain extent as there just aren't many courses being built in the last 10 years and the near future so it will be hard for young guys to elbow their way to projects. It will be renovations and redesigns for the near term.
Who is on your Mount Rushmore? Enjoy.
