Ever dream of building your own golf course, or staking out a career in the field of design? Or are you a serious golf architecture nerd (total respect given) who wants to soak up all available information? Here’s an exclusive opportunity to broaden your knowledge.
The American Society of Golf Course Architects Foundation will host what has been dubbed Design Boot Camp at Erin Hills in Wisconsin this September, giving 16 students a chance to get their hands dirty and learn about architecture from experienced course designers.
The instructors include architects Mike Hurdzan and Dana Fry and former Golf Digest architecture editor Ron Whitten, the trio that designed Erin Hills. The layout was used for the 2017 U.S. Open won by Brooks Koepka, and it will be the site of the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open. Ranked by Golfweek’s Best as No. 5 among all public-access courses in golf-rich Wisconsin and tied for No. 65 among all modern courses in the U.S., Erin Hills also has hosted several other USGA championships.
Other past presidents of the ASGCA also will serve as instructors, including Jeff Blume, Tom Marzolf, Steve Forrest, Damian Pascuzzo, Jason Straka, Jan Bel Jan, Bruce Charlton and Jeff Brauer.
The Design Boot Camp – scheduled Sept. 10-13 – will focus on designing new golf holes on unused land adjacent to Erin Hills. Students will walk the site to assess natural features, then prepare a routing and a strategy plan including hazard placement while learning about topography, green design and more. Each foursome of students will work with a pair of architects to route and detail four or five holes that will connect as a fantasy second 18 at Erin Hills.
It’s not cheap. The cost is $20,000 a person, but $15,000 of that qualifies as a charitable tax deduction to the ASGCA Foundation in support of the Clearview Legacy Foundation and other non-profits including the Golf Heritage Society, The British Columbia Golf House and the Wee One Foundation. The fee includes lodging in a cabin and a round of golf at Erin Hills (plus a round on the five-hole Kettle Loop and a putting competition), food, beverages, caddies, a special gift and more. Check out this link for details.