Michael Benkusky was elected president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA) on the organisation’s latest 77th Annual Assembly in Milwaukee.
A local of Iowa, Benkusky graduated in 1988 from Iowa State College with a level in Panorama Structure. He grew up working and taking part in at Cedar Rapids Nation Membership in Iowa, a course designed by ASGCA founding member Donald Ross. Previous to 2005, Benkusky labored as a Senior Challenge Architect at Lohmann Golf Designs with ASGCA Previous President Bob Lohmann.
In 2005, he started his personal design agency, Michael J. Benkusky Inc. – Golf Course Architecture. The corporate’s mission is to “Create, protect, and improve golf programs and their environments.” By combining quite a lot of design choices with a hands-on method, he has an in depth working relationship along with his shoppers to boost their golf programs. He has used greater than 30 years of expertise in his work on tons of of tasks, together with reworking jobs and restorations of programs initially designed by Ross, Tom Bendelow, Larry Packard, Dick Wilson and Robert Trent Jones.
“Now we have seen a resurgence in golf and our members are busier than ever with all varieties of tasks,” Benkusky stated. “After a slowdown in design, a lot of our members downsized to one-man retailers. Now a few of them have began to group up, which permits them to finish extra work, share their abilities and meet their consumer’s timeframe.” That is in line with how lots of the high Golden-Age golf programs have been designed.
“If you take a look at a number of the high golf equipment, you see that they have been group efforts,” he continues. “Pine Valley benefited from 10 contributing architects, George Thomas and Billy Bell had visits from Alister MacKenzie throughout the building of Riviera, and everyone knows that Augusta Nationwide included MacKenzie, Bobby Jones and Marion Hollins as designers.”
Benkusky additionally emphasizes that ASGCA members proceed to study from one another. “By combining efforts and design philosophies, members are creating timeless designs which can be extra web site particular. Now we have members unfold out throughout the continent and who’ve experience in several areas; whether or not it’s in particular grasses or soils, sharing experiences creates a greater course. Search for ASGCA members and our affiliated companions to search out extra methods to get collectively on tasks in these busy occasions and create extra design groups.”
The design portfolio for Benkusky contains Beaver Hills Nation Membership, Iowa; Palm Aire Nation Membership, Florida; Canyata Golf Membership, Illinois; Level O’ Woods Golf & Nation Membership, Michigan; and St Charles Nation Membership, Illinois.
Benkusky turned an ASGCA member in 1997 and can function ASGCA President by way of the autumn of 2024.
