Great Golf Is Found, Not Forced

For more than three decades, we've designed and restored courses by walking the land, understanding what it wants to be, and shaping golf that belongs there.

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Golf design doesn't need more spectacle

It needs more restraint.

Too many courses are imposed on land instead of drawn from it. They chase length, manufactured drama, or the latest trend—and lose sight of why golfers return to a course again and again.

We believe great golf emerges from patience, presence, and deep knowledge of what makes strategic play compelling. That belief guides every project we undertake—from untouched sites to the restoration of historic designs.

Strategy Over Spectacle. Always.

We don't design from a distance. 
We build in the dirt.

Renaissance Golf Design is known for a hands-on approach that devotes more time, talent, and field presence to each project than any other firm.

We walk every property repeatedly before committing to a routing

We shape greens and bunkers in the field, solving sculptural problems as they arise

Our associates spend ~150-200 days per year on-site across all projects

Lead designers are present for ~100+ days on each course, from groundbreaking to seeding

The result is golf that feels inevitable, as if the land was always intended to be a course.

Built On Trust.

Renaissance Golf Design is known for a hands-on approach that devotes more time, talent, and field presence to each project than any other firm.

Renaissance Golf Design brought our vision for CommonGround Golf Course to life with creativity, expertise, and hands-on leadership, delivering a course that continues to exceed our expectations.

Ed Mate

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How It Works —Our Process

Understand

We begin by listening… to you, to the land, to what the site can become. This may mean walking courses together, discussing goals, and testing assumptions before any routing begins.

Route & Test

We produce multiple preliminary routings, walking each in the field. We won't commit until we're certain we've found the best use of the property, not just a workable solution, but the right one.

Shape & Refine

We stay on site throughout construction, shaping features ourselves when possible. Greens, bunkers, and contours are sculptural decisions best made in the terrain, not on paper.

Result

Courses that challenge skilled players, delight all who play them, and earn their place among the game's enduring designs.

Learn more about our process.

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By the Numbers

50-200 days shaping golf courses on six continents

Every detail refined through direct collaboration in the dirt

8 Courses ranked in Golf Magazine's World Top 100

Dozens Of Routings Tested before final commitment

35+ Years shaping golf courses on six continents

100+ Days Our lead designers are on-site per project

Where Strategy Finds Its Shape

Aerial view of a golf course at sunrise, featuring a large green surrounded by sculpted sand bunkers. Golden morning light and low-lying mist stretch across the fairway, while trees line the horizon beneath a sky filled with soft clouds. The scene highlights the dramatic contours of the course and the tranquil atmosphere of an early morning round.

The Story Behind the Work

Led by the Land.

Renaissance Golf Design was founded by Tom Doak in 1989, during an era when golf architecture had grown bloated with earthmoving and manufactured difficulty. Tom believed the solution was restraint: let the land lead, study what made the Golden Age courses great, and build golf that rewards strategic thinking over brute force.

Today, the firm is led by the designers Tom mentored: Brian Schneider, Eric Iverson, Don Placek, and Brian Slawnik, each of whom has spent 15-20 years learning the craft in the field. They carry forward the same principles with the same rigor, curiosity, and commitment to courses that endure.

Meet The Team

Read Tom’s Philosophy