Education
Harvard University - Master in Landscape Architecture
North Carolina State University - Bachelor of Landscape Architecture
Selected Professional Accolades and Milestones
• Featured in The New York Times
• Golf Inc. “Golf’s Up and Coming Superstars”
• 2019 ASGCA Design Excellence Award
• Featured on Golf Channel’s Golf Today and Morning Drive during “Architecture Week”
• Featured in Golf Industry Magazine as leading the “Next Generation”
• The First Tee Central Florida Board Member 2008 – 2015
• TFT Central Florida Advisory Board 2015 – Present
My Story - The Formative Years
As a kid I could not get my fill of golf. I remember vividly, after playing my first nine holes the pro asked, “What are you going to do next?” With nothing planned, my friend and I ignored the intense summer heat and played 27 holes… then came back the next day for more.
The thrill of smashing a ball across the open landscape, enjoying the outdoors while spending time with friends, was captivating. This charming, mysterious yet wonderfully sophisticated game found a cozy place in my head and heart. Long days spent at the course couldn’t suppress a seemingly endless appetite for the game nor quell the yearning for a return trip after the sun set to try and duplicate that one sweet shot the next day, and the next.
Watching pros play on TV and then trying to emulate them—that was my “golf lesson.” as I routinely paused telecast recordings to scrutinize swings, eventually I began to notice the courses on which the pros were playing, which often included courses designed by Pete Dye. Pete’s courses, depicted in so much brilliance on the screen, were radically different from my home course, and they sparked an interest in what might be possible. Suddenly, the courses became more fascinating to me than the swings I was trying to emulate. Soon I was imagining my own designs, then doodling golf holes during class lessons. I had a burning desire to become a Golf Course Architect, and the same fire that drove me to pursue my passion is as strong now as it was when I was just beginning.
My Philosophy
endless summer days spent at the golf course honing my game proved to be influential in how I think about design now. I often viewed those courses as rudimentary, but in retrospect they were full of subtle strategic interest. By learning how the ball fed off slopes, gathered in bowls, deflected off humps — or as a player, how best to navigate subtle shot-obscuring tree lines to find the best angle of approach, shaped the way I perceived the game and only enhanced my falling in love with golf.
Inspiration for design comes from a myriad of both golf and non-golf sources. Art, architecture, music, nature and the canon of golf courses from the “Golden Age” to modern creations are just some of the sources that fuel my design practice.
The refinement of a fertile thought occurs on many levels. To draw is to see, analyze, explore, and communicate. A thoughtful and thorough design process is backed by a belief that great golf courses are created in the field. Those early loose sketches and exploratory drawings that evaluate strategy, style function and aesthetics become the inspiration for what we create and polish on site. To manifest a thoughtful, hand-crafted architectural experience that conjures that familiar giddy childhood feeling begging for an immediate return to the links—that is my inspiration.
Give Back and Pay it Forward
I believe everyone should have an opportunity to experience and enjoy that “giddy childhood feeling” on the golf course. My personal and professional journey has benefited from the encouragement, support and guidance I have received from friends, family and the wider golf community.
I am committed to donating a percentage of proceeds and professional time, collaborating with partners and organizations dedicated to expanding access, growing participation and leaving golf better than I first found it, and ever closer to its full potential as a unifying game that welcomes and celebrates the whole of the human experience.
