Q&A with Rees Jones

Rees Jones continues to make his imprint on the golf design business through several current projects including the scheduled opening of a new casino resort course in Iowa this summer. Having worked on over 170 courses - either original projects or renovations - the 72-year old Jones has a background few others in his profession have. He is one of only six people (Byron Nelson, Michael Hurdzan, father Robert Trent Jones, Jack Nicklaus, and Arnold Palmer are the others) to have been awarded the Donald Ross Award (2013), the Old Tom Morris Award (2004) and the Don A. Rossi Award (2014) for work in his field. Read below Jones' thoughts on the golf course design business and Pinehurst hosting two U.S. Opens this summer among other topics. The following are selected comments from a February 2014 interview.

How do you see the state of golf course design now and where do you see it in say 10, 20 years?
"Well, I think we're really looking at courses that people will have the shot options. We're looking at courses that are a little over 7,000 yards long. I don't think we want to stretch them - unless they're going to have a championship - much over 7,200 yards. So, we're looking at finesse golf courses, shot-option golf courses rather than courses that require a lot of power. I think golf is healthier than people realize but I think the resort and public golf courses are getting about 80% of the play. So, I think these courses are going to continue to be popular."

What are your thoughts on the Pinehurst No. 2 renovation and if it can hold up through consecutive U.S. Opens (men's and women's) this summer?
"I think it's going to be fine. I re-did Pinehurst prior to the 1999 U.S. Open and the 2005 U.S. Open, lengthened it and re-did the greens, and re-did the mowing patterns and then (Bill) Coore and (Ben) Crenshaw have revived the whole frame which really gives it more definition. I think the golfers are going to find it dramatic and they're going to enjoy the championship. And then the back-to-back, the women are going to be very pleased to be able to have their championship on such a quality golf course. So, I think it's going to work out very well."

Since you had worked on Pinehurst before, did you collaborate at all with Coore and Crenshaw when they did their work there?
"They were brought in after me. I had a long-term contract with Pinehurst for several years. I had an annual deal and then that expired."

What are your thoughts on the future of the golf course design business? Obviously, there are not a lot of new courses being built in the United States. But is restoration of courses the direction we're going in?
"Some restoring but we're building another (new) one south of Sioux Falls, South Dakota in Iowa called Grand Falls (in Larchwood, Iowa). It's worth your seeing next year... it's the ground game and the aerial game. A lot of open entrances. Chipping areas. It's really the golf course of the future to attract every caliber of player."

How did that project come about for you?
"Well, it's a casino project. We did another casino project down state from the same company so it's a client we worked with before."

Any other projects right now?
"We're working on a couple in China... We're building one in Loreto, Mexico. We're about to start one in Puerto Rico. We're also doing one in the Bahamas, this Grand Falls project and we just finished one in Winter Haven, Florida. So, things are better than people think."

So how often are you on the road to work on some of these projects?
"I just got back from New Zealand last week. I went and looked at a re-do of a course there. But I think the game around the world is expanding. It's a wonderful pastime for one's life from childhood to old age. It is nice to converse and to be able to hang around with your buddies rather than just text and talk to them on cell phones."

For more of this interview with Rees Jones, check out Midwest Golfing Magazine this summer for a feature story on one of his great Midwest courses, Dacotah Ridge in Morton, Minnesota.