by Forrest Richardson I think so. Just take a look at this 1983 memo from PGA Tour Commissioner, Deane Beman. In 1983 Beman had the foresight to alert the members of the American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA) on how far Tour players were hitting the ball. I’m not sure the full motive behind Beman’s memo, but today it really doesn’t matter. In 1983 the average drive at the Phoenix Open was 260 yards. In 2026 Phoenix Open players averaged 308 yards. 1983 Memo from PGA Tour Commissioner, Deane Beman That’s more than 18% longer. My golf design [...]

by Forrest RichardsonScottsdale Country Club — currently operating as Starfire Golf Club — prepares to introduce “The Six Shooter,” an innovative 10-hole short course. I designed this course to blend creative short course golf with playful elements that welcome both avid golfers and newcomers to the game. I grew up near Scottsdale Country Club. Besides playing there as a kid hooked on golf, my brother and I rode dirt bikes in the desert just north of the course. At one time it was at the edge of town, with nothing but desert beyond the course. Today, the course is among [...]

by Forrest Richardson Rediscovered with the 2024 Oscar-winning film Oppenheimer, the Los Alamos National Laboratory sits high among the southern reaches of the Rocky Mountains in the State of New Mexico. In was 1947 when the Atomic Energy Commission constructed an 18-hole course to help attract workers to this remote outpost operated by the U.S. Government. Today, the Los Alamos National Laboratory remains a scientific and engineering hub for nuclear innovation and stability. Its WWII origins are now aligned with “non-proliferation” — an initiative to ensure nuclear capabilities for America and its allies, yet without increasing world supplies. (1960s [...]

by Forrest Richardson It was U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower who made “The Domino Effect” a part of popular language. In 1954, Eisenhower reasoned that allowing even one country to fall to communism would open the door to others. He likened the threat to dominos falling — set one in motion, and the others will follow. Considering Eisenhower was an avid golfer, the metaphor of falling dominos as it relates to golf improvement projects is well suited. In golf renovation and remodeling the ‘threat’ of a domino effect obviously doesn’t rise to the level of world peace and stability. [...]

by Forrest Richardson The par-3 golf hole, quite simply, is the design where every player is expected to have an opportunity to make a hole-in-one. At each crack taken, that thrill — even if realized just once out of 10,000 or so attempts — creates fun and intrigue that cannot be duplicated on the longer holes. The anatomy of a par-3 begins with one basic theme: Players begin from just one point — a tee. That point, regardless of the number of alternative tees, is determined by the golf course architect. He or she decides on the basic premise. Then, [...]