Sam & Tom both do some homework on Dornoch man Donald Ross, who would go on from an upbringing on the ancient Scottish links to become the most prolific golf course architect in the United States. Designing and working on over 400 courses, his journey is a fascinating one.

With the US PGA taking place this week at Aronimink, it is our third instalment on biographies of some of the game’s most celebrated architects.

Having studied under Old Tom Morris in St Andrews, a chance encounter with Harvard professor Robert Wilson would see him take the leap of faith and move to the US, working at Oakley Country Club. He would then turn another chance encounter with an attorney into a career-defining move, as he set up his winter office at Pinehurst, designing four of the courses over many decades and using it as a base from which he met and took on numerous commissions from travelling golfers across America.

For more on Ross, Bradley Klein's magnus opus on Ross can be sourced here. 

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