Who Is Donald Ross? The Legendary Golf Course Designer Behind PGA Championship Venue Aronimink
Donald Ross is a legendary name in golf course design, but who was he and which courses was he responsible for?
The 2027 PGA Championship comes from Aronimink Golf Club in Pennsylvania for just the second time in the tournament's history.
The layout, which was the scene of Gary Player's maiden PGA Championship title in 1962, may not have been in the men's Major spotlight for some time, but it is revered.
Ross was a Scottish-born professional golfer who achieved a T5 at the US Open and a T8 at The Open, but it was as a designer that he really made his name.
He had an apprenticeship at Royal Dornoch, before heading to America, initially taking a role at Oakley Country Club in Massachusetts. He then became the golf professional at Pinehurst in 1900.
That was the place where he found his true calling. And what a legacy he left there, with Pinehurst No.2 regarded by many as his masterpiece.
Accentuating that, a bronze statue of Ross (alongside one of Richard S. Tufts, who wrote the Creed of the Amateur in 1968 to define the spirit of amateur golf), stands near the 18th green of Pinehurst No.2.
A statue of Donald Ross stands at Pinehurst No.2
The notion that Pinehurst No.2 is Ross' masterpiece is one USGA's John Bodenhamer subscribes to, who said before the 2024 US Open, which was held there: "This was his masterpiece. He refined it. He took it from sand greens to turf grass and kept improving it over and over again."
While that may be the consensus, Ross - at least at the end of his life - wasn't so sure, with Aronimink holding a particularly special place in his heart.
He completed the work in 1928, but it wasn't until two decades later that he fully appreciated what he had created.
In 1948, the year of his death, Ross said: “I intended to make this course my masterpiece, but not until today did I realize I built better than I knew.”
In 1996, a plaque was unveiled behind the 1st tee that bears the quote.
The PGA Championship comes from Aronimink for the second time in 2026
In the decades that followed the opening of Aronimink, alterations were made by Dick Wilson, George Fazio and Robert Trent Jones, but nowadays, the course is not dissimilar to Ross' vision.
That's thanks to the work undertaken by Gil Hanse, who used aerial photographs to bring the course closer to its original design.
Some trees were removed, while the number of bunkers was doubled, including breaking up some of the larger greenside bunkers into smaller clusters. Fairways were also widened and greens were expanded.
Hanse discussed the work with PGA.com, saying: “The restoration of that bunker style and those configurations is definitely the most dramatic part of what we did.
"It’s the visual, the character of these clusters and how they sit in the landscape, that stands out. Plus, you have a wonderful set of Ross greens.”
The layout has many of the hallmarks that Ross became famous for. For example, it includes the same kind of turtleback greens that are so well-known at Pinehurst No.2.
Other elements typical of Ross include complex bunkering and an adherence to the use of the natural terrain.
Ross may be best known for his work at Pinehurst No.2 and considered Aronimink one of his best, but they were far from the only courses that he designed.
In fact, he was responsible for the design of over 400 courses in his career, although surprisingly, not in Scotland.
Instead, the bulk of his work came in North America, while he has inspired the designs of countless other architects.
His courses have hosted countless Majors and big events across both the men’s and women’s games.
He is responsible for Oak Hill Country Club and Oakland Hills, which, between them, have held 16 Majors. Four US Opens and two PGA Championships have been played over Ross' Inverness Club, while Pinehurst No. 2 has hosted the US Open four times.
Ross also designed the highly acclaimed Seminole and East Lake, home of the FedEx Cup finale each year.
What Famous Courses Did Donald Ross Design?
- Aronimink Golf Club (1962, 2026 PGA Championship)
- Brae Burn (1919 US Open)
- Charlotte Country Club
- East Lake Golf Club
- Englewood Country Club (1909 US Open)
- Essex County Club
- Inverness Club (1920, 1931, 1957, 1979 US Open; 1986, 1993 PGA Championship)
- Interlachen Country Club (1930 US Open; 2008 US Women's Open)
- Oak Hill (1956, 1968, 1989, US Open; 1980, 2003, 2013, 2023 PGA Championship)
- Oakland Hills (1924, 1937, 1951, 1961, 1985, 1996 US Open; 1972, 1979, 2008 PGA Championship)
- Pinehurst No. 2 (1936 PGA Championship; 1999, 2005, 2014, 2024 US Open; 2014 US Women's Open)
- Plainfield Country Club
- Scioto Country Club (1926 US Open; 1950 PGA Championship)
- Seminole
- The Minikahda Club (1916 US Open)
- Wannamoisett Country Club
- Worcester Country Club (1925 US Open; 1960 US Women's Open)
