In short, yes. It must be remembered that both Royal New Kent and Stonehouse are real estate development golf courses and that when combined with the existing contours at both sites, it was pretty much a given that we would not have short distances between all the golf holes.

They are as different as two courses can be. Tot Hill Farm in Asheboro, NC has very much the look of a mountain course – 250 feet of elevation difference over the site, extensive use of rocks and boulders, meandering streams, natural waterfalls, etc. Probably one of the best pieces of land I have been given to work with up until now.

At Bull’s Bay near Charleston, the vista is everything. Two and a half miles of pristine salt marsh span all the way to the intracoastal waterway, after which come the barrier islands and the Atlantic Ocean. The site is situated in the area hit hardest by Hurricane Hugo in 1989 so a large portion (200 acres) is either farmland or very weak, storm-ravaged vegetation. The idea here is to excavate 60 acres of lakes and fill the entire site, with the clubhouse situated 50-60 feet above existing elevation, so it has a view of the marsh, creeks, waterway, islands, ocean in the distance, and it has a view of almost every golf hole.

At Stonehouse, we (Larry and Danny Young, the owners, and myself) let the dramatic contours and the large scale of the site dictate the design. Essentially, we used the same approach that would have been taken by those before us who didn’t possess the technology to move large quantities of earth. As I stated earlier we routed golf holes over, around, and through as many undisturbed contours as possible, incorporating them as golf features and giving the course it’s very unique and bold look. So the origin for the look at Stonehouse was the very land itself.

The look at Royal New Kent was inspired by our golf experiences in Northern Ireland and Ireland, particularly Royal County Down and Ballybunion. A couple of years before this project we had formed a friendship with some of the staff and members at Royal County Down. We would go over there and play matches with and against them, then they would come to the U.S. and we would do the same, spending the non-golfing hours in various pubs, bars, restaurants, inns, whatever, having a great time.

Strantz's experiences at County Down influenced his work at Royal New Kent

Note: If I have to read one more article by a golf writer stating that this is not a 'true links course' and alluding to the fact that I do not know what constitutes a 'true links course,' I am going to throw up! I know it’s not a 'true links course,' the writer knows it, the golfer knows it, hell, my wife knows it … it’s in the middle of Virginia, for God’s sake. It was done to honor our friends and their country’s courses and to allow the people of this country to have a different golf experience – and I think it does both – successfully.

Forrest is my right hand man. He is largely responsible for making sure I don’t go absolutely nuts. Seriously, he handles a lot of the details that would make this job a living hell. He deals with the contractors and subcontractors along with their assorted problems, handles all of the personnel issues, lines up equipment rentals, sets up fuel accounts, makes sure all appropriate paperwork gets to the accountants, hands out checks, acts as a guidance counselor to the crew, plus has to listen to me rant and rave when things aren’t going just right – and they rarely are.

I cannot imagine how much more difficult this job would be without him. He is the hardest working man I have ever met. He understands my vision and has the ability to enhance it with his attention to detail and his expectations of nothing less than perfection from everyone.

To be able to discuss design and golf strategy with a player of his skill and experience level is something that is always educational and an invaluable tool.

Without as doubt the biggest influence Tommy had on me was the way he handled himself and how he dealt with any person he came in contact with. I would just shut up and watch and hoped some of it would soak in.

Here’s a guy who worked hard to get where he’s at and with all the success he’s had, he is still a humble person. He’s the real deal; what you see is what you get. Tom is going to be the same person in from of a multi-millionaire owner as he is in front of the common laborer, laying sod on this guy’s course. I wish more 'big name' people were like that. I just hope after all of those years of observation, a little bit rubbed off.

Architecturally, I’m sure there are a lot of things that I do that make Tommy cringe. I’m also sure he is not losing any sleep over it and understands that’s just the way I am; that we are different in that respect, and it leads to a bigger variety of courses for the golfer to play … everybody wins.

Let’s set the record straight here too. Without revealing figures, which I won’t do, the annual maintenance budgets at Caledonia and Tobacco Road are virtually identical. As a matter of fact, with landscape costs factored in, Caledonia’s budget is higher. Tot Hill Farm’s budget will be less that either of these and the last time I checked the courses in Virginia, they each had five people on the maintenance crews, hardly an excessive number. True Blue probably tops the list due to the fact that labor costs increase dramatically trying to keep bentgrass alive through the South Carolina summer while still pushing 48,000+ rounds over top of them per year (that’s another story!).

not much to maintain from the tee to the start of the fairway
on the 18th hole at Tobacco Road

a). Fishers Island, NY


Fishers Island is always a treat

b). Westward Ho! (Royal North Devon)


less has changed at Westward Ho! than any other
course in the past 80 years

c). St. Georges Hill

d). Rye

e). Crystal Downs

16. Which five holes (from different courses) do you wish you could claim as your own?

a). #11 Ballybunion

b). #10 Pine Valley

c). #9 Royal County Down


inspiring golf at its finest - the 9th at County Down

d). #14 Shinnecock Hills

e). #8 - #17 at Cypress Point (Sorry, I couldn’t pick just one.)

I hope that they stand the test of time, that people keep coming back to play them because they are challenging and offer the possibility of continual discovery – discovery of all of the subtle nuances and options contained within each golf hole and the continual re-discovery of the 'spirit of adventure' that resides in each of us.

trying to get the tee shot 'just right' on the downhill 14th is but
one reason why Tobacco Road is always fun to play

18. You are a very good golfer. From the middle tees, which of your courses do you score the best on? The worst on?

I score fairly consistently on all of the courses that I’ve done. I can play just as good or just as bad on any of them. Just because I designed them, that doesn’t make me immune to the fickle nature of the game of golf. There are going to be some days, even on my own courses, when things just are not going to go worth a damn. Every year I find that easier to accept so I’m enjoying my time on the golf course more and I am discovering a much deeper appreciation for the game of golf than just 'What did you shoot?'

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