Tom Doak was born in New York and was raised in Stamford, Connecticut. He played junior golf at Sterling Farms Golf Course, a five-minute stroll away from his front door. As a youngster Doak accompanied his father on business trips, visiting Harbour Town, Pinehurst No.2 and Pebble Beach whereby he became fascinated by the architectural variation between golf courses. He began reading dusty old golf course architecture library books unearthed by his mother. His obsession had well and truly begun.

Doak went on to study Landscape Architecture at Cornell University where he won a scholarship to travel to the British Isles to research the classic links courses. After graduation he literally lived on the links, first caddying at St Andrews and then spending the next seven months on the road, playing and examining every notable golf course he could find.

, Doak acknowledged: “Those travels left me with a love of good golf courses, and a fair grasp of the principles of sound design; yet I never would have been able to make the leap from student to architect without the guidance of 

. After I had bugged them by constantly writing letters for a couple of years, they let me come to work for them, in the most menial capacity, on the construction of Long Cove Club in the summer of 1981. For four years afterward I followed along from Plum Creek to PGA West to Riverdale Dunes and Piping Rock, gradually becoming more involved in the construction of their courses, and occasionally getting to contribute my own two cents worth to the final design. Of all the things I learned from Pete, the most important was just how much work was involved in getting a great golf course from the dream to the ground.”

Doak’s first solo design, High Pointe Golf Club in Michigan, opened in 1989. His Williamsburg lay-of-the-land public course has since closed, but this design bucked the trend of 1980’s blueprints and paved the way for minimalist, sustainable courses.

 (who also won the same scholarship) was his first employee. Doak has also trained others through his internship program, many of whom – including 

 – are creating an impact as designers or shapers.

Renaissance Golf Design is one of today’s foremost architectural firms with a portfolio that includes more than its fair share of World Top 100 ranked courses. Opened in 2001, Pacific Dunes was Doak’s first layout to receive global recognition, a collaboration with Michael Clayton at Barnbougle Dunes followed. The arrival of Ballyneal in 2006 cemented Doak’s place in the top architectural division. Today, he’s hot on the heels of his hero, 

 – it’s possible he may equal the good doctor’s design achievements in years to come.


"Starting in his college days, Doak freelanced design articles for 

 and later became a contributing editor and handled the publication's rankings of golf courses and golf holes," wrote Geoff Cornish and Ron Whitten in 

. "He also developed a reputation as a topflight golf course photographer. He authored and self-published 

 in 1988, what one observer called a 'no-holds-barred' rating of all courses Doak had played. Others more critical felt it could be called the controversial guide to golf courses."

In addition to the creation of an impressive collection of golf course designs, Doak has written more reflections on golf course architecture than just about any other author. His musings are both frank and insightful, but more importantly they are exceedingly readable, thought-provoking and demystifying.

This edited excerpt is from a short Tom Doak article entitled “Play it as it Lies” which appeared in the book 

“American golfers have become so used to pandering designs that they don’t even understand some minimalist ideas. The whole point of golf architecture is to discover and then present to the player challenging shots inherent in the landscape, but today anything remotely challenging is quickly criticised as ‘unfair.’

Many of the things which can make a golf hole interesting have been removed from the modern designers’ palettes. Today, even our best designers seldom produce a great golf hole, because they apply so many standards of ‘fairness’ that all holes begin to look and play alike.

It’s easy to talk about ‘working with the land’ but most architects use the land as an amateur interior decorator uses furniture, as a raw material to be moved around the room until everything looks perfect. Many modern designers now pay lip service to minimalism, but then back away by saying that they are seldom given pieces of land with natural features to use.

The minimalist’s objective is to route as many holes as possible whose main features already exist in the landscape, and accent their strategies without overkilling the number of hazards, Sometimes, though, the best solution for the course as a whole may require major earthmoving on a handful of holes to connect the others.

That’s minimalism too. And the key to success in those instances is to move enough earth to make the artificial work appear natural, not to move as little as possible.

In general, though, the minimalist moves earth to reduce severe slopes, not to create them. If you want to judge whether a particular designer is really comfortable in the minimalist style, ask him what he does when a hole has no natural feature to build upon.

The real minimalist will respond that he’s never faced that situation – he’ll always find something, whether it’s the length of the hole, or a small hump, existing vegetation, or simply the direction of the prevailing wind – and expand upon that to create an interesting golf hole.”

 published in 1992: “On one level, this is a lucid look inside the mind of a golf architect. On a second, more important level, it’s an instruction book – it tells you exactly how to read a course.” George F. Peper

published in 1996: Billed as “the ultimate insider’s guide to golf courses, Doak’s laser-like reviews may cause a chuckle or provoke an argument, but he is not afraid to challenge the reputations of some of the game’s most expensive resorts and revered clubs, while at the same time divulging his own far-flung favorites.”

The Life and Work of Dr. Alister MacKenzie

 published in 2001: “Considering the fact that he was one of the greatest golf course architects in the history of the game, Dr. Alister MacKenzie has long been something of a puzzle — if not a mystery. He liked to wear kilts, but he wasn’t a Scotsman. He graduated from medical school, but he never made a living at it. He designed spectacular courses, but he was not a good golfer.”

The Confidential Guide to Golf Courses Volumes 1 to 5

: Volume 1 published in 2014 (Volume 4 is still to be released). Written by Tom Doak and based on his own personal observations plus input from three co-authors: Ran Morrissett, Masa Nishijima, and Darius Oliver. The series is a much-extended version of his original 1996 title where once again the author juxtaposes both criticism and approval. 

Tom Doak's Little Red Book of Golf Course Architecture

 published in 2017, edited by Bob Crosby: "The comments by Tom Doak collected in this book were taken from his posts at 

, a website devoted to the discussion of golf architecture and related topics... Tom's posts at GCA brought something different. They were by turns critical, sympathetic, and remarkably honest, all in a conversational voice not found in Tom's more formal, long-form writing."

“It’s not unusual that some of the deepest thinkers about golf architecture have played relatively few courses… others are so busy putting new notches in their belts that they never have time to think.” Tom Doak

Tom Doak

Tom Doak studied Landscape Architecture at Cornell University where he won a scholarship to travel to the British Isles, he then spent seven months on the road, literally living on the links.

“A.W. Tillinghast, known in his day as “Tillie the Terror”, was as outstanding golf architect, and also one of the most colorful characters in the history of golf,” wrote Geoff Cornish and Ron Whitten in 

. “The only child of a wealthy Philadelphia couple, Tillinghast was a spoiled, pampered youth. He ran with a local gang of boys – called The Kelly Street Gang – who seemed bent on engaging in the most scandalous behaviour that could be attempted in the late 1890s.

At the age of 20, Tillinghast abruptly left the band of ruffians, joined a more refined social circle and married a lovely young woman named Lillian. He then worked hard to develop an aristocratic image. He took on the trappings of a connoisseur and raconteur, collected beautiful pieces of furniture, china and art, and wrote self-published novels full of maudlin prose. He lived the life of a sportsman, dabbling in cricket, billiards, polo and bridge.”

Albert’s father took him to St Andrews in 1896 and introduced him to 

. His passion for the game developed rapidly following a number of lessons from the old master and four-time Open Champion. Tillinghast wrote later: “I got to know the old man very well indeed in succeeding years, and I spent many happy hours with him in his little sitting-room over his shop. It was there that I handled the Champion’s Belt won by his son, as Old Tom got it out reverently and his eyes filled with tears as he told me many things about his boy.”

Between 1905 and 1915, Tillinghast competed in the US Amateur Championship alongside golfing notables including Chandler Egan and 

. “In 1906, at the behest of Charles Worthington (who had made a fortune with his pump company),” continue Cornish and Whitten, “Tillinghast somewhat audaciously laid out a golf course on the Worthington family’s farm at Shawnee-on-Delaware, Pennsylvania.” Tillinghast’s inaugural design (once known as Poxono Country Club) is still accessible for public play (for a very modest green fee) at The Shawnee Inn and Golf Resort, which is set on an island in the middle of the Delaware River.

 continue: “It was about the first honest work Tillie had ever done in his life, and he found that he not only enjoyed it, but also that he was good at it. He formed a design and construction firm that immediately became a success, and Tillinghast was a millionaire from his own efforts by the mid-1920s.

He honed his aristocratic image even further during his years as a golf designer. From his home in Harrington Park, N.J., Tillie routinely rode a chauffeured limousine to his office in midtown Manhattan. Not one to slave over working drawings and detailed plans, Tillie preferred to tromp through the thick brush of a course site – always dressed in the garb of a Wall Street banker – and lay out the course with his perceptive eye and uncanny intuition. During course construction he would routinely appear in a three-piece-suit, plant a shooting stick in the shade, settle his bulk on it, sip from a flask and shout directions all day long to laborers.”

During an illustrious career, Tillinghast was involved with more than 250 golf course designs in the USA. Fifty major championships have been staged on twenty-four of his different designs, including Winged Foot and Baltusrol.

The Great Depression brought an abrupt end to Tillinghast’s aristocratic lifestyle and ill-fated investments almost bankrupted him. He worked for the PGA of America for a few years advising clubs on course updates, but the economic climate proved too challenging. He moved to Beverly Hills and opened an antique shop. “His own family’s furniture and art collections formed most of the stock.” Commented Cornish and Whitten. “When this venture failed, so did his health. He moved in with a daughter in Toledo, Ohio, where he died shortly after, nearly forgotten by the golfing world.”

Tillinghast was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2015, and according to their facts, “Tillinghast’s Brook Hollow Golf Course in Dallas, TX, built in 1921, was the first course to have complete fairway irrigation.” Tillie is quoted as follows: “A round of golf should present 18 inspirations. Every hole must have individuality.”

 by Geoff Cornish and Ron Whitten states Tillinghast; “also coined the word “birdie” to describe a hole shot in one less stroke than par.”


“A green has features like a human face. Of course, many are no more impressive than the vacant, cow-like expression of some people, but then again there are some with rugged profiles which loom head and shoulders above the common herd.”

Tom Weiskopf, talking about the course at San Francisco, said: “the course is unquestionably in my Top 10 golfing experiences in the world. I am still amazed why I cannot come up with anything close in design to what exists aesthetically and strategically on this marvellous piece of property. I still marvel at the brilliance of Tillinghast.”

 by Keith Cutten: “As a prolific writer on the subject of golf and course architecture, Tillinghast, ultimately, was considered more than just a golf course designer. Tilly’s first-known major writing effort was his February 1901 article for 

magazine, titled ‘St Andrews’. Between 1901 and 1940, Tilly published numerous articles in 

The American Golfer, Country Life and Golf Illustrated. 

In June 1933, Tillinghast was named Editor of 

; while from 1935 to 1937 he frequently had articles published in 

 magazine: “A.W. Tillinghast is remembered as a worthy contributor to the Golden Age. However, there can be little doubt that, had he been designing in any other era, his reputation and recognition would have been far higher. With classic courses popping up seemingly every year, to this day unsurpassed in their ability to test the best, the quality of his design has been somewhat lost in the crowd.

Taken in isolation, however, his work stands up against any architect in terms of quality, quantity, innovation, maintenance and just about any yardstick you want to use. However, his contribution runs deeper. Like no designer before him, Tillinghast grasped that through thoughtful design, you could build a single golf hole that challenged the elite player while remaining playable for the hacker.

While it is true that some of his most famed courses veered towards the former, the innate options and versatility of his approach led to courses that were the direct prototypes of for the so-called ‘strategic’ school of golf course design, a philosophy that has pretty much dominated the game ever since.”

Tillie (or should it be Tilly?) published a number of books, including a humorous title in 1915, 

Cobble Valley Golf Yarns and Other Sketches

. He also produced three volumes of collected articles and the first volume, 

, chronicles more than one hundred essays on golf course architecture.

A.W. Tillinghast: Creator Of Golf Courses

World Golf Hall of Fame – Class of 2015: “An original member of the PGA of America, Tillinghast laid out his first course in Shawnee-on-Delaware in 1909 at age 36. His Brook Hollow Golf Course in Dallas, TX, built in 1921, is the first course to have complete fairway irrigation.”

A. W. Tillinghast

A.W. Tillinghast’s father took him to St Andrews in 1896 and introduced him to Old Tom Morris. His golfing passion developed rapidly following lessons from the old master and four-time Open Champion.

California

Curtis Cup

Albert Warren Tillinghast was probably the greatest American golf course architect of his day and “Tilly” was the genius who crafted San Francisco in 1915.

“Now Tillinghast’s genius was being given free rein and it shone brightly out in California as well, at the San Francisco Golf Club.” Wrote Philip Young in the book entitled: 

. “There are those who, to this day, after viewing all of his great courses, believe this to be his finest work.”

Situated close to Golden Gate Bridge, the course was not only the first remarkable example of the great architect’s craft, it was also the first course of any real quality to be constructed on the West Coast of America.

Laid out on a rolling pine-forested landscape near Lake Merced, the course stretches out across a number of valleys and ravines with the front nine occupying the most dramatic terrain. It’s here that one of Tilly’s favourite holes, the appropriately named par three 7th “Duel Hole,” is located.

This short hole is situated on the site of the last legal duel in American history (when a Supreme Court Justice shot and killed a US Senator in 1859) and it plays downhill to a small kidney-shaped green that drops off to the right.

The par three 13th hole (recently restored by Tom Doak’s Renaissance Golf Design firm) is another great one-shotter on a back nine that finishes, like the outward half, with a wonderful par five hole. With no cart paths or yardage markers to distract on the fairways, a round here with a member at San Francisco is one to savour.

The following comments were kindly provided by Tom Doak:

About 8-9 years ago we rebuilt all of the greens at SFGC in order to combat nematode infestation which had gone beyond the bounds of chemical control. We had to rebuild some of the greenside bunkers as part of that, and at the same time, we restored a few fairway bunkers that had been filled over the years, on holes 1 and 17. We added back tees on holes 2, 3, 6, and 9 as well.

About 5 years ago, we rebuilt holes 13-14-15 to the original Tillinghast design. Those three holes had been completely re-routed in 1949-50 by a local club professional, Harold Sampson, when the highway on the eastern boundary of the course was being expanded.

It's a bit hard to describe exactly what we did, without knowing which version of the course you are familiar with. This restoration was a cause of some heavy political infighting at the club: almost none of the members remembered the course prior to 1949, so to them it was a redesign, and a few of the opponents of the project are still critics of the work, even though no one has argued that what we did wasn't true to form.

San Francisco

Pacific Grove

North America

Albert Warren Tillinghast was probably the greatest American golf course architect of his day and “Tilly” was the genius who crafted the course for San Francisco Golf Club in 1915.