Drawing Up A Challenge

Confessions of a Golf Course Architect

Golf course designer/architect Brandon Johnson joins the show this week. As the PGA TOUR returns to Bay Hill for the Arnold Palmer Invitational, Brandon shares his stories about working for The King at Arnold Palmer Golf Design, what makes Bay Hill special, and how you can decipher a golf course design to play better. The episode also covers detailed insights into the philosophy and challenges of golf course design, highlighting the importance of risk-reward layouts, strategic thinking, and player enjoyment. This conversation provides keen insights into how legendary golfers and architects influence the game today.

00:37 How Golf Design Became His Inspiration

02:11 Career at Arnold Palmer Golf Design

03:59 Arnold Palmer Stories

06:50 Bay Hill As A Great Golf Course

11:01 Do Great Players Design Courses Differently?

14:51 How Conversations With Brandon Helped Andy's Teams

16:48 Challenging Great Players

18:46 Are Modern Players Too Aggressive?

20:22 Ball Rollback

21:28 Do Angles Matter?

24:04 How Architecture And Course Setup Converge

25:07 Prince or Michael Jackson?

26:19 Do Golf Courses Have A Rhythm?

29:50 Tips On Determining Intent Of Architect

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