The Master Architect

Discover theTimeless Geniusof Donald Ross

Explore legendary course designs, plan your perfect Ross pilgrimage, and track your journey through America's golden age of golf architecture.

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126
Year Legacy
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Latest Updates

News from Ross Courses

AWARD / RANKINGOct 28, 2026

Certified as an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary

Asheville Municipal Golf Course

Asheville Muni is now a certified Audubon International Cooperative Sanctuary after 18 months of work by the course team. Soil moisture sensors have cut annual water use by 50%, fertilizer use is down nearly 20%, and neighborhood volunteers raised over $29,000 in grants for native plantings, including a pollinator garden above the 11th green.

EVENTOct 21, 2026

Will host the 2027 Visit Knoxville Open on the Korn Ferry Tour, June 10–13

Holston Hills Country Club

The PGA Tour’s 2027 Korn Ferry Tour schedule keeps the Visit Knoxville Open at Holston Hills, played June 10–13, 2027.

PGA Tour
EVENTOct 21, 2026

Will host the 2027 UNC Health Championship on the Korn Ferry Tour, June 3–6

Raleigh Country Club

The PGA Tour’s 2027 Korn Ferry Tour schedule keeps the UNC Health Championship at Raleigh Country Club, played June 3–6, 2027.

PGA Tour
RENOVATIONOct 15, 2026

Course reopens after Andrew Green's restoration; now par 72

Charlotte Country Club

Charlotte Country Club reopened its course on October 15, 2026, after a closure of most of the year for Andrew Green's restoration, which leaned on a 1938 aerial photograph. The biggest changes are on holes 14 to 18: the 14th is now a drivable par 4, the 15th and 16th greens moved back and left, and the 16th is a par 5 again, making the course par 72 for all players. The 11th now plays much shorter, the 17th has a new 235-yard back tee and a redesigned green, and many trees were removed, including the grove left of the 1st. Play is limited for a while as the new turf beds in.

RENOVATIONOct 13, 2026

Construction halted again after brief summer restart

Hillcrest Country Club

Architect Tripp Davis told The Fried Egg he visited twice in early summer 2026, but construction then stopped again and the property is quiet. No reopening date has been announced.

The Fried Egg
CLOSINGOct 13, 2026

Club Closes for Residential Development

Wyckoff Country ClubPermanently Closed

Owner Cesar Ruiz announced that Wyckoff Country Club would close on November 1, 2026, and that the roughly 110-acre course and surrounding property would become an upscale residential community of about 126 homes. The land is zoned residential, so no zoning change is needed. Events from November 2 on were cancelled.

NEWSOct 10, 2026

North Course reopens October 10 after storm cleanup

Mill Creek Park Golf Club - North

Mill Creek MetroParks reopened the North Course to golfers on Saturday, October 10, 2026, more than three months after the July 5 tornado and macroburst closed both of the park’s Donald Ross layouts. The Hole #55 Bar & Grille reopened with it. The South Course and practice range remain closed after more significant damage and are expected to reopen in April 2027.

NEWSOct 2, 2026

Course will not reopen in 2026 due to efforts to remove downed trees from storm damage

Mill Creek Park Golf Club - South

North Course to reopen October 10 but South Course will not reopen this year as efforts to remove downed trees and grind stumps are more involved than originally anticipated.

WKBN
RENOVATIONOct 1, 2026

Restoration complete; full course reopens October 31

Seminole Golf Club

Gil Hanse and Jim Wagner finished the back nine of Seminole’s restoration, with every green rebuilt to Donald Ross’s 1929 plan and enlarged about 15 percent. The 12th lost its post-war ditch and its green was turned back toward Ross’s line, and the 15th’s four mid-fairway bunkers became seven again, as built in 1930. 50,000 tons of sand raised the back nine’s low ground. A third phase of refinements is planned for summer 2027.

RENOVATIONSep 30, 2026

Township approves $8 million Hanse restoration; course to close June 2027

Denison Golf Club at Granville

Granville Township trustees voted unanimously to approve Phase 1 of Denison University’s donor-funded, $8 million restoration by Hanse Golf Course Design, needed because a conservation easement covers the course. About 362 trees will come out in late 2026 and early 2027 while the course stays open. It then closes in June 2027 for drainage, irrigation and regrassing on holes 1–13 and new greens, tees and fairways on 14–18, and is expected to reopen in spring 2028.

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Renovation Watch

Restorations at Ross Courses

Every restoration, renovation and redesign at a Donald Ross course since 2010, with architects, dates and sources.

See all renovations
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Completed since 2010

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The Master Architect

Who Was Donald Ross?

Donald James Ross (1872–1948) was a Scottish-American golf course architect who designed over 400 courses in the United States. His designs are known for their strategic bunkering, subtle green complexes, and timeless playability.

Born in Dornoch, Scotland, Ross apprenticed under Old Tom Morris at St Andrews before emigrating to America in 1899. His masterpiece, Pinehurst No. 2, has hosted multiple major championships.

Learn More About Donald Ross
340
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Years of Legacy
The Term Explained

What are “Greens Visited”?

The term “Greens Visited” is often associated with the designs of legendary architect Donald Ross and particularly the famous crowned or “turtle-back” greens at courses like Pinehurst No. 2.

For Ross enthusiasts, the term describes a shot that lands on the green but does not come to rest on the green due to the severe slopes and contours of the putting surface. The ball might roll off into collection areas or bunkers, even if the initial shot was well-struck and on target. This design philosophy demands extreme precision; a seemingly good shot “visits” the green but is quickly repelled, leaving a challenging recovery shot.

A testament to Ross's belief that golf should reward precision over power, where even a well-played shot demands respect for the green's subtle complexities.