Some say that golf course designers are angels, while others describe them as psychopaths with a bulldozer. Who’s right? Maybe a bit of both. Golf is a sport full of nuances, but one of its most intriguing elements lies in the courses where the game is played.
How did they come to be what they are? And why do some designers seem to have a twisted plan to make you suffer?
Every golfer knows that the game was born in the Netherlands in the 12th century, but back then, there were no golf courses as we know them today. The land was wild, with no tees, no greens, no clear rules. Golfers would hit the ball through dunes, meadows, and dirt paths, searching for the hole using whatever the land provided. Until golf made its way to Scotland, and everything changed.
It was there, in the Scottish Highlands, where someone had the brilliant (or perhaps twisted) idea to bring order. The first course designers didn’t build from scratch; they discovered the courses. They realized that nature, with its wind, rain, and animals, had already created the perfect conditions; all that was left was to mark the start and the finish. It was a game of adaptation, not intervention.
But everything changed when Old Tom Morris set his eyes on the course. “This is too easy,” he thought. And thus began the transformation. Morris didn’t just play with the land; he played with the minds of the golfers. He created bunkers where none existed, designed greens that seemed like deadly traps, and adjusted slopes to make the ball do everything you didn’t want it to do. The result was clear: hitting the ball well was no longer enough; now you had to beat the design of the course itself.
Since then, golf course design became a psychological strategy. Golfers had to face not only their ability to hit the ball but also the mastermind behind the design. Who is playing with you? The land or the designer? In many cases, it seems like the land has a trick up its sleeve.
So, some see golf course designers as artists, others as sadists with pencils and bulldozers, ready to ruin your Sunday. But everyone agrees on one thing: without them, golf wouldn’t be the same.
Golf courses are more than just land; they are psychological stages, designed to test not only skill but also patience and the player’s mind. And although they might drive you crazy, in the end, they are what turn a simple course into the most fascinating challenge in the sport.