What Courses Has Robert Trent Jones Designed?

One of the most well known golf course designers in the world, Robert Trent Jones Sr has an illustrious resume.

What Courses Has Robert Trent Jones Designed?

Robert Trent Jones was born in 1906 and moved to the United States at a young age where he quickly got involved in the game of golf.

It has been said that he caddied at the Country Club of Rochester whilst Walter Hagen was a member and after studying at Cornell University, Jones got involved in golf design.

He has worked on a long and illustrious list of golf courses and here we have taken a look at some of the best.

Baltusrol (Lower)

Louis Keller and A.W. Tillinghast both had their hands on Baltusrol before Jones was brought in in 1952 to toughen the setup before Major Championships.

Bellerive

The course originally started out as a nine-hole in 1897 in north St Louis before moving to the west 13 years later. Eventually, Jones was commissioned to create a new 18-hole layout which opened for play in 1960. It has hosted some huge tournaments, the most recent of which came at the 2018 PGA Championship where Brooks Koepka held off a charging Tiger Woods.

Firestone (North & South)

The South course is the original layout at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio and it was put together by Bert Way before Jones made alterations to the design in the 1960s. It had been a regular WGC host course for years and Tiger Woods won regularly there. Eventually Jones also made changes to the North course.

Hazeltine National

Hazeltine Golf Club was founded in the 1960's and Jones was commissioned to create a high-quality course all with the objective of hosting a national Open. It clearly worked because after opening in 1962 the Mid-West design hosted its first Major Championship only 8 years later at the 1970 US Open.

Oakland Hills (South)

Donald Ross created the South course at Oakland Hills before Jones toughened it up before the 1951 US Open. He created such a tough course that after victory Ben Hogan said; “I’m glad I was finally able to bring this course, this monster, to its knees.” The winning score was seven-over.

Real Valderrama

One of the most prestigious and finest courses in continental Europe, Valderrama was laid out by Jones in 1975. Golf Monthly's Fergus Bisset played the course recently and said; 'Valderrama is more undulating and rugged and undoubtedly tougher for the average player.

'The beautiful old cork trees that line the fairways and surround the greens demand the player to be extremely precise. I don’t feel it’s an exaggeration to say that it’s impossible for an amateur golfer to make it round the 18 holes of Valderrama without being impeded by a tree in some way at some point. The greens are fairly small and well protected, they are also fast, firm and undulating: Only accurate shots will be rewarded.'

Spyglass Hill

Widely regarded as one of the best and toughest courses to never host a Major Championship, Spyglass Hill is one of several incredible courses on the Monterey Peninsula. Cypress Point, Pebble Beach and Monterey Peninsula Country Club are nearby and yet it holds its own in every way. Some of you may even remember playing it on the old Tiger Woods PGA Tour golf games.

Troia

This superb course is laid out over a slender, sandy peninsula and is one of the jewels in the Lisbon’s Golf Coast crown. Pines, bunkers and sandy waste areas abound on a course with a Pinehurst No.2 kind of feel to it.

Other notable mentions: Adare Manor, Aronimink, Atlanta Athletic Club, Ballyliffin (Cashen), Bondues (Trent Jones), Brasilia, Broadmoor (East and West), Capitol Hill (Judge), Castelconturbia (Blue & Yellow), Castlegandolfo, Celtic Manor (Roman Road), Chamonix, Congressional (Blue), Gavea, Geneva, Golf du Palais Royal d'Agadir, Grand National (Lake), Grand National (Links), Half Moon, Highland Oaks (Highlands & Magnolia), Joyenval (Marly), Martinique, Moliets (Foret & Ocean), Oxmoor Valley (Ridge), Peachtree, Pevero, Prince de Provence (Vidauban), Quinta de Marinha, Royal Park I Roveri, Real Las Brisas, Real Sotogrande, Royal Dar Es Salam, Sperone, The Legends (RTJ), The Shoals (Fighting Joe), TPC Dorado Beach, Turtle Point, Vilamoura (Pinhal)

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