A challenging course

“This is the first time I have had the opportunity, in this part of the world, to create such a unique course,” said Pete Dye, certainly one of the three best golf course designers in the world today.

He is known as a someone who has moments of genius and moments of madness, but with his feet firmly on the ground. “When I design a hole, I try to make par the test it should be of a golfer’s skill. There is nothing more stimulating for me than to observe a player following his ball attentively to see where it has actually gone. At St. Andrews, not only can you not see the greens, you can’t see the hazards either. After a while you get a certain vision of a course: that’s the case here.

“Moreover, I believe that the best golf holes are pars 2.5, 3.5 and 4.5. Players should be able to imagine scoring a birdie because the hole is short. The best are never unhappy at scoring a bogey with an approach shot with a 2 iron. On the other hand, if they score with a short wedge, they are in for a surprise on the next hole.
 

“At the Domaine Impérial, I think I found the right mix between these different concepts, while making the course more difficult than it appears.”

Date of Birth: 29 décembre 1925

Home: Delray Beach (FL)

Education: Rollins College

Distinctions: Donald Ross Award, American Society of Golf Course Architects

Member and former President: American Society of Golf Course Architects

Some of his best known courses :

• Crooked Stick, Carmel, IN (1966)

• The Golf Club, New Albany, OH (1967)

• Harbor Town Golf Links, Hilton Head Island, SC (1969)

• Caso de Campo (Teeth of the Dog Course), La Romana, Dominican Republic (1971)

• Oak Tree, Edmond, OK (1976)

• La Quinta Hotel - Mountain Course, La Quinta, CA (1981)

• TPC at Sawgrass - Stadium Course, Ponte Vedra, FL (1981)

• Long Cove, Hilton Head Island, SC (1982)

• Honors Course, Ooltewah, TN (1983)

• Firethorn, Lincoln, NE (1985)

• PGA West - Stadium Course, La Quinta, CA (1986)

• Old Marsh, West Palm Beach, FL (1987)

• Domaine Impérial - Switzerland, Geneva, Gland, (1987)

• Blackwolf Run - River Course, Kohler, WI (1991)

• Ocean Course, Kiawah Island, SC (1991)

• Pete Dye GC, Clarksburg, WV (1994)

• Brickyard Crossing, Indianapolis, IN (1994)

• Medalist Club, Hobe Sound, FL (1995)

• Mystic Rock at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort, Farmington, PA (1995)