Golf Course Architecture – July 2026

Summary

The Cliffs Kangaroo Island opens October 2026 on the coast of South Australia — a new golf destination featured in the July 2026 issue of Golf Course Architecture (Issue 85) that leads a report on the British and Irish participation boom and the new projects it has triggered. David McLay Kidd gives a career-spanning interview (p50) covering his design philosophy from Bandon Dunes to his latest work, while on-site reports track renovations at Ballybunion's Cashen course (p60), Saudi Arabia's Shura Links (p66) and Interlachen near Orlando (p72). The issue opens with a round-up (p10) that includes new irrigation at Osterakers Golfklubb in Sweden and the opening of the first 18-hole course in Benin, Ouidah Golf Club (p78).

The tee-to-green philosophy of Golf Course Architecture is unapologetically technical — this is a magazine written by and for course designers, superintendents and developers, not the average golfer. The Insights section (p34) includes John Clarkin on early agronomic input in course projects, backed by case studies from Hunter Industries. The Feature (p40) explores how the participation surge in Britain and Ireland is fuelling new-build and renovation projects across the regions, from pay-and-play facilities to high-end links extensions.

The On Site section is the core of the issue: four detailed project breakdowns with before-and-after aerials, construction photography and budget context. The Cashen course renovation (p60) by Team Niblick and Tom Watson Design tackles Robert Trent Jones's 1982 routing, softening forced carries to improve playability while maintaining strategic interest. Brian Curley's Shura Links (p66) on a Red Sea island presents a different challenge — building a course on sand with salt-tolerant grasses and extreme wind management. The Profiled section (p78) on Ouidah Golf Club in Benin documents the challenges of building a modern 18-hole course in a country with no prior golf infrastructure.

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Content Guide

▸ Features
p.40 · Britain In Boom
A data-driven analysis of the participation surge in Britain and Ireland — how many new courses are in development, where the investment is coming from, and whether the boom is sustainable. The statistic that suggests participation could level off by 2028.

p.50 · David McLay Kidd Interview
Kidd talks about his design process from Bandon Dunes to the present, the shift toward walkability in modern routing, and why he turned down projects that didn't fit his philosophy. His opinion on the "one architect, one signature" era and why he thinks it's ending.

▸ On Site
p.60 · Ballybunion Cashen Renovation
Team Niblick and Tom Watson Design's renovation of the Cashen course — softening forced carries, widening fairway corridors, and rebuilding green complexes to modern USGA specs. The single green change that reduced play time by 20 minutes per round.

p.66 · Shura Links, Saudi Arabia
Brian Curley's design on a Red Sea island — how the team built greens and tees on sand substrate, the irrigation challenges of extreme salinity, and the wind data that shaped every hole orientation. The turfgrass variety that survived where 12 others failed.

▸ Profiled
p.78 · Ouidah Golf Club, Benin
Building the first 18-hole course in West Africa — logistics, labour, and the agronomic strategy for a tropical climate with a six-month dry season. How the design incorporates local cultural elements into the routing.

▸ Reports
p.84 · Carmel Country Club South Course
Rees Jones's renovation of the South course at Carmel Country Club, focusing on green expansion and bunker repositioning to restore Golden Age shot options. The strategic trade-off between difficulty and pace of play.

p.88 · Augusta Municipal Reopening
The collaboration between Tom Fazio, Beau Welling and TGR Design on Augusta's municipal course — a public facility renovation funded by private philanthropy. The design choices that make it playable for 30-handicappers while testing single-figure players.

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Editor's Take

This is a deeply technical issue that delivers exactly what course architects need — detailed project case studies, construction photography, and honest interviews. The McLay Kidd interview is the highlight; he speaks with a candour rare in golf design journalism, calling out projects and trends by name. The Ouidah piece is genuinely newsworthy — golf development in West Africa is barely covered elsewhere. On the downside, the round-up section (p10) is too brief; each item deserves a full page at least. The advertising-to-editorial ratio is high, with multiple full-page spreads from irrigation and turf companies, which is typical for the trade but can frustrate the non-industry reader who picked this up for the design stories. The production quality is excellent — paper stock, photography and course aerials are all first-rate.

Strengths
• McLay Kidd interview is candid and design-forward
• Ouidah Golf Club profile covers a genuinely under-reported market
• On Site project breakdowns include budgets and timelines

Weaknesses
• Round-up section is too compressed to be useful
• Event coverage (Villa d'Este) feels out of place in a design-focused issue

Verdict: Essential — the best single issue this year for golf architecture professionals, with genuinely global coverage from West Africa to Saudi Arabia.