Palmer Course Design Company

PALMER COURSE DESIGN COMPANY

Palmer Course Design

     Few names, if any, have captured such widespread, devoted and instantaneous recognition in the world of golf as the name Arnold Palmer. This colorful and productive athlete earned and maintains today the prominence of being the King of golf. His brilliant career in tournament golf - which includes the winning of virtually every major golf tournament in the United States and around the world has given him the opportunity to create and expand a vast golf buisness enterprise. While many of the buisness enterprises he has become involved in the centering on golf are well known, his talent and dimension in the area of design and construction of outstanding golf courses is among the leaders of the profession today.

     With the expertise of partner Ed Seay, the Palmer - Seay touch has left its mark on course located throughout the world. Seay, who is a past president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, had the distintion on his own prior to joining Palmer in 1971, of designing many well known courses. The most prominent of these is Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach. Florida, which was the site of the Tournament Players Championship from 1977 through 1981, as well as some 100 other courses and residential developments in the United States.

     The Palmer Course Design Company has been involved in over 150 golf course projects covering 30 states, as well as internationally in Japan, Thailand, Korea, China, Taiwan, The Phillipines, Guam, Malaysia, Sarawak, Singapore, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Germany, Spain, Australia, and Canada.

     A unique achievement was the awarding of the remodeling contracts to the Palmer - Seay team for both the United States Open Championship at Cherry Hills in Denver and the PGA Championship at the Oakmont Country Club in Oakmont, Pennsylvania - both tournaments were in 1978.

     The 1986 #7 at Shanty Creek, Bellaire, Michigan, was selected by Golf Magazine as one of the top 50 public golf holes in the country. In 1987 Semiahmoo in Blaine, Washington, was selected by Golf Digest as Best New Resort Course in the USA. In 1988 Golf Digest nominated Fossil Creek, Fort Worth, Texas, and Teton Pines, Jackson, Wyoming, for best new resort course and The Plantation in Ponte Vedra, Florida, for best new private course. Aviara Golf Club in Mesquite, Nevada, was rated as being in the top five best new resort courses in 1995 by Golf Digest.

     A number of major golf tournaments are held on courses designed by Palmer Course Design Company. They include: 1995 European Open, Kildare Hotel and Country Club, Straffan, County Kildare, Ireland; 1995 Alfred Dunhill Masters, Emralda Country Club, Jakarta, Indonesia; 1995 Johnnie Walker Classic, The Legacy Course at the Orchard Golf and Country Club, Dasmarinas, Cavite, Phillipines; 1996 Host Course for the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, The Grove Course at Indian Ridge Country Club, Palm Desert, California; Nike Dakota Dunes Open, Dakota Dunes Country Club, Dakota Dunes, South Dakota; 1996 Greater Vancouver Open, Northveiw Golf and Country Club, Cloverdale, British Columbia, Canada; and the Bay Hill Invitational presented by Office Depot, Arnold Palmer's Bay Hill Club, Orlando, Florida. Course View

     Palmer Course  Design Company is a complete world wide golf course planning and design orginazation. The foundationof its design and buisness philosophy is the genuine, traditional and sound standard of excellence that Arnold Palmer has demonstrated throughout his life and career. " The entire staff of the Palmer Course Design Company is driven by the highest degree of professionalism and urgency for our client's needs and requirements," says Seay.

     The Palmer Course Design Company mandate is to design the kind or style of courses that are requested by their clients, and not to design courses that just satisfies Palmer and Palmer Course Design Company. Wether the course is private, resort, or public, the Palmer traditional philosophy is the foundation of every design. " All of the great courses blend In naturally with the existing environment," says Palmer. " We respect and try to preserve the existing terrain and environment on every course as much as it will allow us to do so and still stay within the framework of playability. Put simply, we do not force or design unnecessary grade work or features."

Arnold Palmer on Course Design

     The Palmer Course Design Company courses are among the most varied and exciting in all of the profession. " I truly enjoy designing fun and challenging golf courses," said Palmer.

     When asked about his design philosophy and that of the company, Palmer replied; " Ed's basic philosophy of golf course design as well as our Senior Golf Course Architects, Harrison Minchew and Erik Larson, is the same as mine. and that is I beleive in traditional straight forward design that produces courses with lasting quality and that are exciting and enjoyable for all players. The designs are founded on the principles and stratagies of the game and are sensitive to the land and the environment. All of us work very well together. I give them my feelings and thoughts on a particular hole or course and they fit it in."

     Arnold and Ed both feel that one of the company's strongest assets and success is that everyone with Palmer Course Design Company has the freedom of design an all of the courses.

     "Hopefully all of our courses are different. We do not have a design trademark, nor do we want one. We do, however, strive to design all of our courses so that they are beautiful, constructed soundly within the budget and are fun to play," says Seay.