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Arthur Hills

Hills & Forrest, International Golf Course Architects
Toledo, OH

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Philosophy of Design

I think my design philosophy comes from a very traditional or historic approach to the game. I have always admired the more traditional courses like Pinehurst #2, Shinnecock Hills, Cypress Point, Prairie Dunes, Seminole, Merion and Inverness.

We try to build a course that is natural, that relates very carefully to the land and doesn't require a tremendous amount of earth moving, always keeping in mind the strategy of the game and the elements that provide beauty in a golf course -- textures and colors, shadowing and framing.

Some of the elements which we try to incorporate into our courses are multiple tee areas, so that golfers of any caliber can comfortably play the course; variety, in terms of shot values and angles; interesting grasses and plants; gently plateaued greens; water, when available and appropriate; and views and vistas (when possible, a view of the entire hole from the tee). All these subtleties help us build a fair and balanced course which is both aesthetically pleasing and strategically sound.

Our primary goal is to be responsive to our clients' needs and design a course which exceeds their expectations, not in terms of difficulty, but in beauty, preservation of natural features, strategic design, quality of construction and ease of maintenance.

We will always strive to design as good a golf course as we can, every time we have the opportunity.