Seth Raynor

CB Macdonald first met Seth Raynor while beginning the process of creating National Golf Links of America. Raynor had a background in engineering and had studied at Princeton. He lived in South Hampton and did civil engineering prior to being hired to do a survey of the land used for NGLA. Macdonald and Raynor formed a friendship that would lead Seth into the world of golf. Although he was never an avid player, his imprint on the game is still felt over one hundred years later.

He used template greens similar to the idea of Macdonald. CB Macdonald had modeled his course design and hole layout after those he saw in the British Isles and across parts of Europe. The Biarritz from France, or the Alps from Prestwick. The Eden template was modeled after the par three eleventh at St Andrews and the Road template modeled after the seventeenth at the same course. All of these templates are used throughout Raynor’s designs. While all of the holes are not identical, the basic layout and key characteristics are very common. Green angles, slopes, bunkers, and contours are elements that can be found in similar styles at different venues.

Raynor ended up designing over eighty courses. Many have been altered or modified over the years by greens committees who have wanted to change the design with the times, however some have remained largely untouched. The work of Seth Raynor can still be seen on the PGA Tour during the annual stop in Hawaii at Wailae Country Club. Until recently, The Old White Course at The Greenbrier Resort was another Raynor design seen on a yearly basis.