NEWS

The (Open) Doctor Is In

Robert Trent Jones' second son has his way with Open venues, Congressional included.

Courtesy of Matt Ward
Fairways + Greens

Rees Jones was born into the game of golf. He learned to play as a youngster and competed as a junior golfer, in college, and while in the US Army. He grew up traveling with his family to golf courses all over the world and worked in the summers for his father, renowned golf course architect Robert Trent Jones. After college at Yale and graduate studies at Harvard, he went to work in 1964 as a principal in Robert Trent Jones, Inc. Ten years later he founded his own design firm in his hometown of Montclair, N.J.

In the last 30 years, Jones has become renowned in his own right, designing more than 100 courses and earning the nickname “Open Doctor” for his redesign of courses in preparation for major championships. To date he’s left his mark on seven U.S. Open venues, six PGA Championship courses, four Ryder Cup sites, and one Walker Cup redo, plus an original design for the 2001 Walker Cup. His redesign of East Lake is now the permanent site of the PGA Tour's Tour Championship.

Among his original designs are Nantucket Golf Club, Atlantic Golf Club, The Golf Club at Briar’s Creek, RedStick Golf Club, Ocean Forest Golf Club, Quintero Golf and Country Club, The Bridge and Cascata Golf Course.

Jones has won a slew of different awards for his many years within golf. For someone who for quite some time lived in the shadows of a famous father — Jones has emerged as one of the leading designers in the world today.

What's it been like to create your own career given the legacy of your late father — Robert Trent Jones?

It some ways, it has been easier, in some ways harder. It helped me to have the last name Jones. I grew up immersed in golf course architecture, and through my father I was able to see the world’s best courses and meet many important people associated with the game. It’s been harder because we have always, even early on, been compared.

At what point did you feel you had arrived - meaning you had carved out your own identity — separate from that of your father?

Within the space of a year in the mid-80s, I designed Haig Point, Pinehurst No. 7, and redesigned The Country Club in Brookline, Mass. During the telecast of the U.S. Open at Brookline (The Country Club), the commentators, for the first time, never referred to me as Robert Trent Jones’ son.

Was your dad one of those old school types who provided his own brand of tough love ? What was Trent like behind the public side he presented?

He was much same in public and private. His life revolved around the game of golf and those associated with it.

You had exposure at a young age with a range of people who worked closely with your dad. Did any of them serve as a mentor to you?

Bill Baldwin, who was my father’s construction manager and a genius on a bulldozer. He taught me that design ideas also have work on the ground, and how to go about making sure the terrain and the ideas work together.

In terms of styles — how do you differ from your dad's?

Dad designed big greens for an aerial game. Hard par, easy bogey was his philosophy. I believe in the ebb and flow of a round with custom greens for a variety of shot options.

Do you make it a point to review your past work and see if you're falling into any patterns? Sometimes — patterns can be good things — they obviously help land you future work, but there are other times when patterns can get dull and quite predictable.

No. I do so much restoration work on courses designed by other architects, I am able to learn from their styles and incorporate their ideas in my future designs. Every architect continues to adapt his style during his career.

If you had to name a breakout course for you in terms of creating expanded visibility — would it be the restoration work you did at The County Club in preparation for their hosting of the '88 US Open?

Yes. It was the beginning of the nickname "Open Doctor" and led to my getting other championship renovations. It also gave me name recognition.

You've been a big part of a number of key major events over the years from redoing past places like East Lake for the PGA Tour Championship, to the work you've done as "Open doctor" for the USGA with Bethpage Black, Torrey Pines / South and Congressional to name just three plus your work with the PGA Championship and various venues which have hosted the tournament such as Hazeltine National and Atlantic Athletic Club, along with others. Given all that is there one that strikes the most pride for you?

They have all been gratifying for me. However, there was nothing quite like the feeling of walking inside the ropes in 2002 and having the public golfers cheer their appreciation of the renovation on their much-beloved Bethpage Black.

If you had to name the work of a contemporary competitor that you have the most respect for who would it be and what course best captures that style?

Cabell Robinson, who works primarily in Europe. We both worked for my father and learned from him. I think his best and most interesting design is Golf Club de Sperone on the cliffs of Corsica.

What's your take on the gains made through equipment technology. Has enough been done by the USGA and R&A?

The equipment gains are good for the average golfer. They give an advantage to the professional, but then again, professionals are a small percentage of the people who play golf.

The Asian market looks to be the next hot area for course development — especially China and Thailand. Is the US market tapped out for the near term with too many courses and too few players able to handle the high costs tied to playing?

China is a growing golf market because of the emerging middle class. In the U.S., golf’s decline is tied to the economy and the decline of the golf-development real estate market.

Are too many of the courses that have opened in the USA over the last 25 years simply too hard for the average player? Do you see the growth of 12-hole courses with minimal challenges being a possibility to keep more players playing?

I think that there is so much pressure on architects in the last couple of decades to produce a "top 100" golf course, that maybe they are too hard for the average golfer. We need to design more courses that have multiple shot options so that every caliber player can enjoy the game.

If you had to name one element most golfers have little awareness of when it comes time to designing a course what area would that be?

There are environmental constraints that often dictate the layout, which is a good thing. So some design elements the golfer sees are actually more a response to preserving the environment than deliberate design. I think sometimes golfers think a hazard to be unfair when in fact, we were adhering to proper environmental stewardship.

When you have a prospect that interests you what is the key element you use in determining whether you wish to move forward?

It is important that we are on the same page with the client. It many ways, it is as important to have a great client as it is to have a great site.

Is there any course that came on the scene that you were in the running to get but ultimately the owner(s) went in a different direction and you wish you had gotten the assignment?

I would love to have had an opportunity to design a course at Bandon Dunes. The land, the vistas, the atmosphere are all suited to having a great golfing experience.