Donald Maclennan Arklay Steel (born 23 August 1937 in Hillingdon, Middlesex) is a prolific Golf Architect, designing, remodeling, or adding to 57 Courses in the UK, Europe, North America, Caribbean, and South America. A large number of these Courses feature in the Top 100 in their respective countries and regions.
Educated at Fettes College and Christ's College, Cambridge, Steel became a talented amateur golfer and the highlight of his playing career was qualifying for the 1970 Open Championship at the Old Course at St Andrews where he is the only player to have scored a hole in one on two occasions.
A preference for the natural, traditional look has always guided the working hand of Donald Steel whose architectural philosophy states that a good course should make the best use of the terrain, winding its way through varied features and routed so as to provide balance in its make-up. Steel states that only as a last resort should the landscape be transformed to accommodate the golf course-good courses protect the environment, bad designs disfigure it.
Donald's course designs also highlight the importance of the proper angling, shaping, and contouring of greens as the centerpiece of every hole where clever variations of level help add to their interest and appearance. He believes golf course architecture is a creative endeavor and it should be"the art of the possible". Making courses impossible is easy and whilst spectacular holes undoubtedly lift any course, enjoyment is the watchword to ensure freedom of choice in shot-making remains one of the joys of the game.
Steel has had a long and successful international architectural career and as well as the many courses he has designed around the world he is credited with general course studies to review bunkering, planting, and overall layout on over 500 courses around the world. In 2003, Steel was named as the 4th most influential golf course architect in the world by Golf Magazine. More recently, in February 2006, Steel received the singular honor of being elected President of the English Golf Union, never having previously played an active part in the Union's affairs
Website: http://www.donaldsteel.com/index1.htm
