Gil Hanse

Gil Hanse (born August 12, 1963) is an American golf course architect. Hanse, along with his business partner Jim Wagner, was selected to design the Rio 2016 Olympic Golf Course, the first Olympic venue to host golf since 1904.

Gil Hanse attended secondary school at Hunter Tannersville High school in Tannersville, New York, and earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Denver. Hanse earned a master's in landscape architecture from Cornell University in 1989 and was the recipient of the William Frederick Dreer Award, which allowed him to spend a year in Great Britain studying the history of golf architecture.

In 1993 Hanse founded Hanse Golf Course Design. His long-time design partner, Jim Wagner, joined the firm in 1995. Friend and golf historian Geoff Shackelford also assisted Gil in the design of several projects.

The courses designed by Gil and his firm follow a philosophy that focuses first and foremost on the player and his or her experiences on the course. They create courses that are simple and elegant in appearance yet sophisticated in strategy and design. Hanse's layouts are never repetitive as he believes that every golf course site is unique and therefore each design should reflect that individuality.

Image(s) courtesy of the Boston Globe.com

Website: https://www.hansegolfdesign.com/