The Interview Series The Major Designer, RScion of the eesfamous Robert Trent Jones Snr.J and alsoon known as “!e Majores Designer”, Rees Jones has had his name stamped on many heartbreaking and celebratory major championship grounds. BY BENNY TEO life spent in golf. Now wouldn’t and was hooked from the beginning. Later that be a dream. For Rees on, I worked in the summer on some of my Jones however, it has been father’s projects where I learnt "rst hand how one that has spanned seven a golf course is built.” decadesA and counting. Born in New Jersey Being in a gol"ng family, it seems, had to a family that has been involved in golf everything to do with his decision. “I have for the greater part of the 20th century been immersed in golf my whole life because through the elder, and then his older of my father. It was an easy decision to make. brother, it seemed natural that the younger In the United States, it is not uncommon to Jones would do likewise, and, hundreds, follow in one’s father’s footsteps,” he says, if not thousands of hours of Major continuing, “Because of that, I think it was championship golf later on prime-time TV, easier to get started in the industry, but at the world is glad he did. the same time, my clients held me to a higher As a boy, Rees Jones would accompany standard because of my father’s reputation his father as he goes about surveying golf but my background and my family name courses. “As a young man, I took vacations certainly helped me "nd clients.” with my family to my father’s jobs,” he And it is here that we begin our look into recalls. “I became interested in golf course his extraordinary career than has spanned over OPENING PICTURE: design because I visited many of the sites 100 golf courses, served as the president of the Cascata, situated at the under construction and became fascinated American Society of Golf Course Architects, entrance of Boulder City just 30 minutes away from with the work.” and recipient of the 2004 Old Tom Morris the Las Vegas strip. A!er graduating from Yale and Award from the Golf Course Superintendents INSET: Rees Jones. Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, he Association of America, which is its highest unsurprisingly joined the family business at honour. “I enjoy the con"rmation that Robert Trent Jones Incorporated where he these awards bring and especially looking assisted on numerous courses until coming forward to receiving the Donald Ross out on his own in 1974. “I decided to Award in April from the American Society become a golf designer while still a junior of Golf Course Architects, as this was voted at Yale, so I enrolled in art, math and design on by a group of my colleagues.” courses in order to apply to the Harvard “When I started out, the country was School of Design.” in a recession. In a way this was good, as “I had a great childhood, enjoyed school it gave me time to get myself organized and all kinds of outside activities. I played and let people know I was on my own. I golf from age six or so, o!en with my father had four courses on Hilton Head Island 62 GOLF VACATIONS MAR ! MAY 2013 MAR ! MAY 2013 GOLF VACATIONS 63 The Interview Series IMAGES ON THIS PAGE: Yunling Golf Club & Rees Jones at the project site. “After graduating from Yale and Harvard’s Graduate School of Design, he unsurprisingly joined the family business at Robert Trent Jones Incorporated where he assisted on numerous courses until coming out on his own in 1974.” (South Carolina) that gave me a good start. It was, however, his work at Brookline updating the course to match today’s experienced designer consults in. Most of that assumes our own design style and for them to be selected. Jobs were steady, but it was not until I that made the biggest impact. “I made playability and maintenance standards. #is depends on the quality and condition of the philosophy.” Interestingly, they are all, noticeably, completely redesigned #e Country Club changes on several courses prior to is easy with my Dad’s courses, since I am so existing course, as well as the owner’s goals With a keen eye for detail and creative American classics. “I love to work on in Brookline, Massachuse$s, in preparation 1988, but Brookline is my most signi"cant familiar with his design philosophy and style,” and objectives. Nowadays, because of bigger landscaping, his projects soon developed the great old courses, especially (A.W.) for the 1988 United States Open that complete redesign, done in 1985 in he says, further explaining, “Sometimes, the budgets and be$er technology, more can be reputation as strong championship Tillinghast, (Alister) McKenzie, (Seth) my business took o%. #at was a de"nite preparation for the 1988 U.S. Open. client wants to retain the original design achieved sometimes without sacri"cing the grounds. While some of the courses had Raynor and (Donald) Ross. I learn from milestone and the positive feedback from In order to restore Brookline, I used old style of their course, in which case, we will soul of the original plan. already been awarded a Major before them as I do the work.” the gol"ng world helped my business and photographs to bring the course back to its restore or reconstruct the course. While “I just like to work for good clients with he was selected to work on them like Re&ecting on his lifework, he observes, my reputation.” original design intent.” restoring a course, we are also up-dating it good vision on a good site. With a new Brookline, as mentioned above, Hazeltine “I have been fortunate to have worked As con"dent as he had been back then, As his reputation for bringing new life by repositioning bunkers and tees to bring design, there are o!en many possibilities. and Bethpage Black, others required on many classic golf courses. I take what the young designer never thought to consult to old championship tracts spreads, Jones it into the 21st century and keep up with We study the land to ‘"nd’ the best course, remodeling before they could be selected. I learned and apply those ideas to my his more experienced family or sought began to get more and more interesting modern equipment.” so to speak. Sometimes with remodeling, For example, at Congressional Country modern designs. All good architects today assistance in his &edging career but he did jobs that demands meticulous research into However there are instances where the depending on the existing conditions and Club’s Blue Course, #e South Course use good ideas from the past. I like courses take his father to Haig Point and Pinehurst each project’s unique characteristics and owner wants even more extensive changes to the client’s goals, we either restore and at Torrey Pines, the Highlands Course at that have a more traditional feel to them. No. 7 for a look like any proud son would. how best to bring it a new lease of life. the course, including re-routing some or all of update the existing course - I like to call Atlanta Athletic Club, and Bellerive Country I think more traditional designs, with no “When he a$ended the 1997 U.S. Open “When I restore a course, I typically try the holes in order to achieve his needs. #at this process a “restoration-modernization” Club in St. Louis (this most recent, for the gimmicks, have stood the test of time and at Congressional, he praised the work I did to understand and maintain the original is a redesign. #e decision, while it usually - or we undertake a more comprehensive 2018 PGA Championship), a complete have proven to be be$er.” there,” Jones beams in recollection. designer’s philosophy and style, while lies with the owner, is also something that the remodeling approach where the course remodeling needed to be done in order Having said that, the ‘Major Designer’ 64 GOLF VACATIONS MAR ! MAY 2013 MAR ! MAY 2013 GOLF VACATIONS 65 The Interview Series TOP LEFT PAGE: Bethpage State Park (Black Course); BOTTOM: Congressional Country Club (Blue Course). does have certain philosophies of his own two truly spectacular golf courses from a To that end, he maintains certain criteria that golfers of every ilk will appreciate as playability and visual perspective,” says when selecting jobs. “I think the most being fair. Emphasizing strategy, variety and Jones of both courses which are among the important thing is to have a client that has playability, he abstains from blind hazards or "nest in their respective states. the same objectives that I do. We evaluate holes in order to show the golfer the shot Unlike his well-travelled brother Robert many projects throughout the world, but at hand. Trent Jones Jnr., Rees has, for many years, we are primarily interested in working with “Because skill levels vary greatly between worked mainly in North America and has great clients who have a great site and are golfers, I think it is important to design and only a sma$ering of projects overseas. #is commi$ed to building a quality product.” locate features and fairways in a manner is a departure from many others who have “Our design team has worked together that provides a genuine challenge for the moved to the ‘promised land’ of Asia and for years.