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Gil Hanse: Timeless designs

Over a career that has spanned more than 30 years, Gil Hanse has established himself as one of the leading designers in the game. His accomplishments are almost too extensive to list—reworking legendary classics like Winged Foot and Los Angeles Country Club in preparation for the U.S. Open. Or creating new timeless designs like Castle Stuart, Ohoopee Match Club, and Streamsong Black, while winning a world-wide design competition to create the course in Brazil for the return of golf in the 2016 Olympics.

Throughout it all, Hanse and his team, including design partner Jim Wagner, have been widely recognized for crafting courses that were found instead of created, exhausting the possibilities offered by a natural landscape.

A natural approach and an unforgettable creations

The property where SkyFall will reside offers a distinct change from the existing courses at Forest Dunes. Hanse says the course will certainly have some nods to a couple of his noted designs, including the sandy and rustic expanses that punctuate Ohoopee Match Club in Georgia mixed with the strategy and naturalism found in Scotland at Castle Stuart, and the rolling charm of the firm’s latest projects, France’s Les Bordes (respectively No. 81, 89 and 97 on Golf Magazine’s Top 100 in the world).

But beyond any previous work, Hanse’s inspiration comes from SkyFall’s intriguing landscape.

“This design is focused on some of the landforms on the property,” Hanse says. “When you look at some of the old courses by Tillinghast or Ross, there tends to be a landform they go away from and come back to. On the front nine at SkyFall, that hub is a big compelling ridge which dissects the property with elevation changes approaching 100 feet.”

Hanse says the conclusion of both nines will be unforgettable, and he points to 9th hole as a potential highlight: “We’ve talked about a comparison as the second hole at Pine Valley where you have a level to slightly downhill tee shot playing through some interesting terrain and then a significant uphill shot to the green. Given the sandy nature, the vegetation and the grasses that are out there, we feel we can build a really compelling hole.”

Putting the band back together

One of the keys to crafting a great golf course, Hanse says, is the team. In the case of SkyFall, Hanse is returning to work with Forest Dunes owners Rich Mack and Tom Sunnarborg at Streamsong, the award-winning resort in central Florida. Hanse equates his connection to the ownership at Forest Dunes as “putting the band back together” to bring SkyFall to life.

“This is the first time we’ve worked on separate projects with the same owner, having worked with [Tom and Rich] on the Black Course at Streamsong,” Hanse explains. “They understand how we work and that will ultimately yield the best possible course.”

Accolades for Hanse Golf Design

“Golf’s hottest architect. He has crossed the line from prolific to ubiquitous.”

Jerry Tarde, Golf Digest

“One of the leading lights in modern golf course design.”

Golf Monthly

“Across the global golf landscape, there are good courses, bad courses, and unforgettable ones. Architect Gil Hanse has created several of the latter.”

Men’s Journal

“I mean, how long did Gil Hanse, the game’s stealthiest architectural craftsman, actually think he could maintain a career cruise under the radar with a portfolio of originals like Castle Stuart, Boston Golf Club, and Rustic Canyon in the ground?”

Jeff Silverman, Links Magazine

“From Winged Foot to Sleepy Hollow and Pinehurst to Rio de Janeiro (where Hanse designed the first Olympic golf course in more than a century), Hanse has built a career shaping many of the game’s finest tracks.”

Golf Magazine

“Gil Hanse’s redesign work has gained notoriety and praise, particularly over the past couple of years—working at some of our country’s best courses, such as Merion (East), Winged Foot (West and East), Los Angeles Country Club (North and South), Plainfield, Aronimink, Sleepy Hollow, Ridgewood, and many others. Plus, Hanse’s team has projects upcoming at Oakland Hills (South) and Southern Hills.”

Stephen Hennessey, Golf Digest

“Hanse could more aptly be called the “Open Therapist.” He does not remake a course, but unearths how architects like A.W. Tillinghast, the designer of Winged Foot, wanted to challenge golfers. Hanse does extensive research and then brings those original features back, making adjustments to fit the length of the modern game.”

Paul Sullivan, NY Times