Arnold Palmer
Profile
The Arnold Palmer Design Company has designed and built hundreds of golf courses around the world, including several prominent tournament venues. These include the K Club in Ireland, Bay Hill (original Dick Wilson design) and the likes of Tralee, Laurel Valley and Sanctuary Cove in Australia. Arnold Palmer was golfing royalty, a legend of the professional game and an icon of the sporting world. He sadly passed away in 2016.
Like all major signature design firms, prior to Palmer's passing the quality of the work clients received from Palmer Design varied according to which associate actually designed the golf holes. There are several design associates now making a name on their own in the industry, and their work generally has a consistent theme in keeping with Arnie's design preferences.
The 300 odd Arnold Palmer courses worldwide certainly aren’t bad, but they aren't masterpieces either and most lack creativity and broad strategic interest. The likes of The K Club, Tralee, Laurel Valley and Old Tabby Links have their fans and can test elite golfers well, but unfortunately none of Palmer's best courses appear on reputable World Top 100 ranking lists. This is a shame, because had Palmer's design career matched his playing career his portfolio would have been among the most significant in our game.
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