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Courses

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Todd Eckenrode

The architect has worked on newer gems like the Links at Terranea and Barona Creek Golf Club.

BY JOEL BEERSPublished: August, 2009

Eckenrode's Barona Creek is one of the top casino courses in the country.
On the home page of his website (originsgolfdesign.com), Eckenrode writes that his designs “reflect the time-honored traditions of the game of golf.” His layout at Barona Creek Golf Club in Lakeside is a good example of that philosophy.

“A great golf course has a strong sense of identity that is its own,” said Eckenrode, whose nine-hole course at Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes opened in June. “The easiest and most authentic way to achieve that is by fully utilizing and
integrating the natural features of a site. These can be landforms like ridges or arroyos, landscape features such as our Southern California native oaks or chaparral. Even views are part of a site. Anything that’s part of a place.”

The recent emphasis on hitting straight, long drives at the expense of playing a hole with different routes and strategies isn’t something Eckenrode is excited about.

“Overall width in playing corridors is key to the tenet of strategic design,” he said. “Without width, the game can be monotonous, less exacting between the ears, and in the end, less exciting or interesting.”

Eckenrode believes that with the right property, a golf course can be labeled great immediately after opening.

“If the land is rich in features, and the design takes utmost advantage of those, it will evoke a feeling of instant maturity,” he said.

Eckenrode agrees with other designers that golf courses are considered great for different reasons.

“If there is one shared characteristic between most great golf courses, it’s that each course has its own strong sense of identity,” he said. “When you walk off one of the finest courses in the world, it rarely reminds you of any other, it’s unique in its own right. That’s a powerful characteristic.”


THE ART OF DESIGN: TEN GOLF COURSE ARCHITECTS

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