Golf course architecture firm Tripp Davis and Associates celebrates 20 years of world-class golf course design work this year.
“Getting to ‘20’ is strange,” said Davis. “It certainly doesn’t seem like that long. I started my own firm without having worked for a name architect before, which is very unusual, so that is what I am most proud of. It required a longer learning curve, but what I learned I learned on my own and I had to not only learn what to do, but I had to learn why to do it. I think it gave me a better base over time. It made it hard to develop a reputation, but it made me work harder. It has been an interesting ride, but I hope the best is yet to come.”
A highly regarded amateur golfer, Tripp decided to follow the profession of golf course architect instead of pursuing a playing career and that decision has paid off.
“As a player I see a golf course strategically and I can see specific shots. I have a much more focused view of a golf course than someone without my experience would have,” said Davis. “It is something that allows me to feel things when evaluating an existing course or designing a new one. It allows me to see how subtle things can make a huge difference in the playing interest of a golf course.”
The Tribute Golf Club in Dallas, which opened in 2000, was the firm’s first big break with new course construction. And in the same year, being hired to rebuild a green at Engineers Country Club on the north shore of Long Island was Davis’ first opportunity with a historic restoration project. Since that time, Davis has been fortunate to work at many of the most historic clubs in the country. An admirer of Perry Maxwell, A.W. Tillinghast, C.B. Macdonald, Seth Raynor and Charles Banks, Davis now is regarded as one of the leading restoration specialists in the U.S.
The award-winning original design and restoration/renovation projects by Tripp Davis and Associates have been praised highly for their strategic substance, giving Davis the recognition as a “craftsman” of the most strategically interesting and enjoyable golf courses of our time.
Recent and current work by Tripp Davis and Associates includes: Brook Hollow Golf Club, DallasTexas; Old American Golf Club, The Colony, Texas; The Tribute Golf Links, The Colony, Texas; Oak Tree National, Edmond, Oklahoma (site of the 2014 U.S. Senior Open); Preston Trail Golf Club, Dallas, Texas; The Whippoorwill Club, Armonk, New York; Spring Lake Golf Club, Spring Lake, New Jersey; Engineers Country Club, Roslyn, New York; and Eco-City International Country Club, Eco-City, China.
Tripp Davis and Associates www.tdagolf.net