Architects Roundtable: Donald Ross

The 2023 PGA Championship is at one of architect Donald Ross’s most well-known designs, Oak Hill East. We thought it would be a good idea to get a few current architects who know a bit about Ross to weigh in on some subjects related to the legend. We are joined by Jaeger Kovich, Kris Spence, and Tyler Rae, who have all restored Ross in some form or fashion, to answer a few questions about the venerable architect.

Aside from his routing abilities and how prolific he was, what impresses you most about Donald Ross as an architect?

Kris Spence: I’ve always been impressed with his ability to create golf courses that were unique to each and every site he worked on. Once the routing was established, Ross carved out his bunkering and green sites in a fairly simplistic cut-and-fill method tying them all together with the natural topography. Therefore, each course has a unique relationship with that particular piece of ground.

He created around 400 golf courses and there is very little repetition in his work and his courses are enjoyed and playable for every level of player in the game. Not many modern day architects could make that claim.

Tyler Rae: I think what impresses me the most is how he scaled a business (which at one time in the Roaring 20s employed over 2,000 people) and how he traveled relentlessly in days when travel was arduous and cumbersome. I always think about this when visiting clubs and building golf courses on the road. I’d love to ask him; what did he do when it rained or when it was 98 degrees on property or when he got all muddy? How did he travel for a month straight, year after year? How much luggage did he have? It must have been immensely complicated and logistically taxing to catch train after train. The production and what he garnered out of each day and each site visit is incredible. Sometimes it makes me feel like we waste a lot of time on our site visits!

Jaeger Kovich: His design process and how efficient and effective he was at building really, really good golf courses from just one or two days on site, or even less, and just having a topo map.

His field notes and gridded graph paper plans were one of his remarkable tools. Not only did they lay a road map for the guys on-site to build 400-plus good golf courses with his name on them, but lots of architects including myself, Gil Hanse, and many others use basically the same format for planning today.

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How would you describe “a Donald Ross green”? Feel free to dispel any common misconceptions on this topic.

Spence: Ross built a wide variety of putting surfaces ranging from low profile on natural grade to greens elevated on fill pads or higher ground with shoulders falling sharply down and away. His greens tended to be as wide or wider across the front than the back, most often square-ish shape. Ross utilized a wide variety of features within his surfaces, most prominent were spines and rolls emanating into and across the green from the edges. He also incorporated terraces and plateaus a foot or so above the main body of the green to create distinctive and well-defined hole locations. My personal favorite is the “diagonal swale” running through the green creating all sorts of deceptive hole locations.

The two greatest misconceptions about Ross greens are that he (1) primarily built small greens and (2) he only built raised “turtleback” greens. Nothing could be further from the truth. From a size standpoint, Ross used an 80′ x 80′ grid when laying out the green plans, with the edge working inside and along the edges of the box with the occasional extension outside and beyond the corners of the box grid. The majority of his greens were above 6,000 square feet, which is not considered small even by modern standards. I’ve restored original Ross greens using his field drawings ranging from 2,700 to over 8,000 square feet. The turtleback fallacy is based on the world class championship greens on the No. 2 course at Pinehurst, which were raised over time through organic build up and topdressing and then shaved down along the outer edges. The majority of his drawings show putting surfaces sloping from the outer edge inward in a slight saucer fashion with the occasional back corner section working away and off a back corner.

The 14th at Oakland Hills with its "diagonal swale which cuts across the green to the back left corner

Rae: Ross greens were typically graded back to front with “wings” or large shoulders or noses that interjected into the putting surface. These would help slow down the golf ball so it wouldn’t roll right over the fill pad of the perched target. Think about how low the ball flight was in the golden age of golf. They needed to stop the golf ball somehow. With that said, the best Ross greens have lows and highs that sort of create mini waves around the perimeter of the putting surface so the water sheds off the surface in different directions.

The par-3 8th at Cedar Rapids CC and it's back wings and nose.

Kovich: He built lots of different types of greens, but I’m normally a sucker for his rolling potato chip greens (as you call them) that roll and spill-off in every direction. The best Ross greens have those spilling edges, but also a few paces along the perimeter of each green will be flat and flush with the surrounds, other parts of the green will be gathering on the edges, sloped up to kick balls to the center. From the edges, I love how the contours flow across the green. These rolls and waves sometimes start from just one bump in a bunker and make their way halfway across the green before they start to turn and connect into another bump from another bunker in a random but graceful way.

Aronimink's 6th green, note the spines that cut in from the edges and carry into the green.

Pick a Donald Ross hole that you love and describe it.

Rae: The 13th at Franklin Hills CC is likely one of my favorite short par-4s in America. There is so much to love on this tiny hole. The downhill tee shot, wide valley fairway, and the well-guarded volcano-like green setting that houses one of the smallest yet boldest greens in golf with cliff-like fall off on all sides. Just describing it has me yearning to play there. Ross built similar versions at Holston Hills CC, TN (No. 16) and Idle Hour CC, KY (No. 5) that are close comparisons but not equals.

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Kovich: Whitinsville No. 9

It’s as bold a finishing hole as you’ll find. I’m excited about playing this hole when I get to the first tee. The tee shot is over the water set on a diagonal to the rumpled fairway in the distance. Bold lines will get the benefit of a big kick towards the green. The steep left-to-right green is located a long ways away and up on the high point by the clubhouse. If you didn’t hit a good drive, or even if you did, you’ll probably want another go at this hole. It is as compelling as any hole you’ll find and it has the special sauce that seals the deal for Whitensville as the best nine-hole course in the USA (At least that I’ve seen).

Other notable: Holston Hills #15

An imaginative blend of Ross mounds and bunkers make this short birdie opportunity par-4 an absolute thrill.

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Spence: The 325-yard par-4 16th hole at the Kahkwa Club (1916) in Erie, Pa. is one of the most fascinating, quirky, and cool little drivable par-4s I’ve seen by Ross. The green is situated at the base of a ridge at 50 to 60′ below the fairway, out of sight from both tee and fairway. A large bunker left of the landing area guides the player to the location of the green out of sight over the hill requiring a carry of 255 yards on the direct line from tee to green. A tee shot just right of the bunker can reach the top of the downslope, rolling an additional 75 yards down the slope and onto the green.

The 16th at Kahkwa Club courtesy of Kris Spence

Donald Ross designed a lot of courses, not all of them particularly well known. What’s an under-recognized Ross course that you like?

Kovich: Oyster Harbor Club is probably his best course that nobody talks about…and it’s because the people there seem to want it that way (In case the guard and drawbridge didn’t give it away!). The greens are truly among the best he ever built. Hopefully one day they’ll see the light and remove the trees and restore the sandy waste that was there when Ross would return to play. They probably won’t go through with it because a who’s who of golf architects have told them to do it and nothing changes!

Spence: Mimosa Hills Golf Club in Morganton, NC is a 1929 Ross that has changed very little since it was built. It is one of the most authentic Ross courses still intact in the southern U.S. The routing brings the player back to the clubhouse after the 3rd, 5th, 8th, and 12th holes, providing options for shorter loops. Mimosa is an absolute delight to play with hickories, the cross bunker and fore bunkers reveal his design philosophy very well. Mimosa was the home course for the legendary amateur Billy Joe Patton, who shared his memories of the early course assisting us with the restoration. He insisted I not alter a shallow rock under the 7th fairway that Ben Hogan could hit for extra distance during their rounds together.

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Rae: French Lick Springs, IN. It’s got incredible character in every single green and has tremendous landforms and routing. The whole package. Go see it, you won’t be disappointed!

How do we weight “prolific” in the analysis of an architect? Is that not given enough credit when analyzing Ross, or too much?

Spence: I tend to think not enough credit is given to Ross given the limitations he faced in time, trave,l and construction means. He was certainly prolific, especially from the early 20s up to the great depression in 1929. The overall quality of the courses he produced is quite impressive given the limitation he faced. Most often when I come across a Ross that is perceived to be bland or less of an effort on his part, research usually reveals a solidly designed and well-thought-out course consistent with his other efforts but softened or altered by uninformed committees or architects without a background and understanding of his design philosophy. I have found his design integrity did not waiver much.

Kovich: The older I get and the more courses I’m lucky to work on, the more impressive his business acumen and his decisive design skills are.

Rae: Prolific is someone in architecture that has been legendary or produced such a great deal of work that everyone can enjoy the benefits. The credit has been given and Ross’s name is highly regarded all around the world. I think the credit is deserved and just the right amount.

Many thanks to Jaeger, Kris, and Tyler for participating. Do you have your own answers to the questions? Let us know in the comment section below.