Coore and Crenshaw Courses and Standout Design Elements

Since 1985, Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore have teamed up to design some of the most admired golf courses in the U.S., Australia and Canada. The Coore and Crenshaw style is to pay homage to the golden era of golf course design, but do so with a modern twist that all players can appreciate.

Ben Crenshaw had a decorated career on the PGA Tour that included 19 victories and two Masters wins. Bill Coore played his best golf at the collegiate level, but has deeper experience in course design, which began in 1972. Together, the duo creates world-class golf courses for golfers everywhere.

Between new construction and renovations, Coore and Crenshaw have their fingerprints on nearly 50 courses, a number that will continue to grow, with eight more courses expected to be completed by 2024.

About Ben Crenshaw

Ben Crenshaw is one of the most accomplished American golfers of the past 50 years. His playing career spanned three decades and included 19 PGA Tour wins and two green jackets, as he won the Masters in 1984 and 1995.

Crenshaw lives in Ryder Cup lore as the captain of the 1999 team that trailed Europe 10-6 when the final day began. He famously said in his press conference on Saturday evening: "I'm a big believer in fate, I have a good feeling about tomorrow. That's all I'm going to say.” The U.S. squad went on to win 14.5 to 13.5 at The Country Club at Brookline.

Crenshaw credits his love of course design to his childhood. When he was 16 years old, he first saw, coincidentally, The Country Club at Brookline. Considered a bit of a golf historian, Crenshaw has a classic style that goes back to before he joined Coore and consulted on the construction of the TPC Course at Las Colinas.

RELATED: The Most Famous Golf Course Designers

About Bill Coore

In many ways, Bill Coore is the perfect “yin” to Ben Crenshaw’s “yang.” He played collegiate golf at Wake Forest University until he graduated in 1968. That’s when his playing career ended and his golf architecture career began, despite holding a degree in Classic Greek.

Coore's most predominant influences came from the courses where he played his high school and collegiate golf, Pinehurst (Donald Ross) and Old Town Club (Perry Maxwell). Much of his classic design style can be credited to those two courses and designers.

Coore really cut his teeth in golf architecture beginning in 1972, when he worked under the famous Pete Dye at his design firm. He worked under Dye until 1982, when he branched off to his own firm and shortly thereafter joined forces with Crenshaw.

Coore and Crenshaw Signature Traits

When you talk about individual golf architects, it’s easy to see their design traits in their work. You might think those traits would be harder to recognize on courses with two minds behind the design, but Ben Crenshaw and Bill Coore have great synergy.

They are both widely known for their love of classic golf design but can incorporate modern traits and routing. Coore and Crenshaw Courses like the Plantation Course at Kapalua and Sand Valley defy traditional golf course design in many ways. Some common traits of a Coore and Crenshaw design include:

• Strategic bunkering near ideal landing zones that challenges players
• Courses that look like they were discovered rather than built
• Course that seamlessly blend into their topography
• Courses that often follow animal paths and require as little movement of dirt as possible
• Courses designed to offer the best experience to golfers who walk

Coore and Crenshaw Course List

Here are co-designed courses from Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. These encompass both new construction and renovations that the pair have done together.