Profile: Doug Carrick, B.L.A., O.A.L.A., A.S.G.C.A.     

Since establishing his Toronto firm, Carrick Design, in 1985, Doug’s creations have won awards from top golf media, hosted some of Canada ’s top professional tournaments and caught the imagination of the public.

Though Doug once considered a playing career, going as far as to enroll in the University of Georgia in an attempt to crack their golf team, he found his true calling in the landscape architecture program at the University of Toronto .

At the time, the notion of a career in golf architecture seemed far-fetched to Doug’s classmates.

“They all thought I was nuts,” he says. “There wasn’t a lot of demand and there weren’t a lot of people in the business in Canada .”

Despite the pessimism, Doug found a career in golf and a mentor in Robbie Robinson, a protégé of legendary golf designer Stanley Thompson.

His breakthrough in the business came in 1995 when his work at Angus Glen in Markham, Ont. was awarded the prestigious Best New Course in Canada accolade by Golf Digest. He’s won the Golf Digest prize twice since then, with Bigwin Island Golf Club picking the award up in 2002.

“The instant Angus Glen was finished, I think everyone knew Doug had just designed the best new course in Canada ,” says Kevin Thistle, general manager at Angus Glen. “And after that, I’d have guys who were looking to build courses call and ask if they could play [Angus] when they were deciding whether to hire Doug. After they played it, their decisions were usually easier.”

But Golf Digest awards aren’t the only measure of Doug’s success; currently six of his courses rank in Score Magazine’s Top 100 in Canada , while Angus Glen and Greywolf were recognized as two of the best courses in the world by Planet Golf, a recent Golf Digest survey.

On top of the accolades, Angus Glen’s South Course, located in Markham, Ont., hosted the 2002 Bell Canadian Open and the 2001 BMO Financial Groups Canadian Women’s Open. With professional tournaments flocking to courses he was either created or remodeled, Carrick is quickly developing a reputation as Canada ’s “Open doctor.” He made changes to Vancouver ’s Shaughnessy Golf and Country Club in preparation for the 2005 Canadian Open and designed, alongside noted U.S. architect Jay Morrish, Angus Glen North, the course scheduled to host the 2007 event.

A member of the prestigious American Society of Golf Course Architects, Doug never builds two similar courses. From his early work in the traditional Scottish links style at Osprey Valley Heathlands through to the grandeur of Magna Golf Club and the classic look of Bigwin Island , Doug is consistently considering new ways of making the game of golf challenging for players of all abilities. His latest work includes Eagles Nest Golf Club in Vaughn, Ont. which opened to raves in 2004 and a new course in Scotland , scheduled to open in 2006, as well as clubs in Gravenhurst and Owen Sound . Projects for Ireland and Nevis are also on the drawing board.

Despite all the accolades, Doug won’t appraise his own work, which now includes 24 completed courses, with many more on the way.

“I can’t be the judge,” he says. “In the end, it’ll be golfers who are the real judges.”

Education
Bachelor of Landscape Architecture, University of Toronto, 1981
Turfgrass Management Short Course, University of Guelph, 1985

Professional Memberships
American Society of Golf Course Architects
Canadian Society of Landscape Architects
Ontario Association of Landscape Architects

Board & Committee Appointments
Board of Governors, American Society of Golf Course Architects 1993-1996
Environmental Committee, American Society of Golf Course Architects
Equipment Committee, American Society of Golf Course Architects
Long Range Planning Committee, Guelph Turfgrass Institute
President, Summit Golf & Country Club, 1993
Green's Chairman, Summit Golf & Country Club, 1991-92

Professional Presentations:
Ontario Superintendents Association Symposium, Guelph, Ontario, 1991
Golf Course Superintendents Association of America Conference, Anaheim, Calif., 1993
Golf Course Design Seminar, Canadian Embassy, Tokyo, Japan, 1993
Western Turfgrass Association Conference, Victoria, B.C. 1994
Canadian Golf Course Superintendents Association, Conference, Calgary, Alberta, 1994
Western New York Superintendents Conference, Buffalo, New York, 1994
Crittenden Golf Expo, St. Louis 1997, "Working with Difficult Terrain"
Seneca College Seminar Series, 1998

Published Articles:
Golf and the Environment, Are They Compatible? Greensmaster June 1990
Case Study - Protection of Wildlife Habitat, Twin Rivers Golf Course, A.S.G.C.A. Environmental Publication Oct. 1992
Golf Course Design in the Next Century, Greens Beautiful, OGCSA Publication Fall 1993