A couple of years ago, I had the distinct pleasure of sitting down with golf course architect Dr. Michael Hurdzan for an interview in the offices of Hurdzan/Fry Golf Course Design, in Columbus, Ohio.

After the interview, it was my even greater pleasure to sip an 18-year-old single-malt Scotch with Dr. Hurdzan and his colleagues and tour the extensive collection of golf memorabilia and equipment housed in museum-like fashion in the offices. (Unfortunately, Dr. Hurdzan’s partner in design, Dana Fry was out of town at the time.)

The information and hospitality shared with me at that time reinforced my view of Hurdzan/Fry course designs as simultaneously exacting and accommodating, ideal for serious golfers who demand both strategic and risk-reward features as well as recreational duffers who simply want great scenery and memorable holes.

Their design philosophy of providing playability at affordable prices, which is usually not a combination that course architecture critics favor highly, is paying off handsomely, it seems. 2006 proved to be a great year for Hurdzan/Fry, as their courses chalked up several prestigious awards, adding to an already crowded trophy shelf.

Foremost among the accolades is the naming of Erin Hills Golf Course as Golf Magazine’s “Best New Course of the Year.” Erin Hills is located 35 miles north of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is described by Hurdzan as, “the most minimalist course we have ever done.”

Despite Hurdzan’s philosophy of designing courses to be fun and affordable for non-competitors, Erin Hills has already been chosen by the USGA to host the 2008 U.S. Women’s Public Links Championship. According to a press release by Hurdzan/Fry, it might even “be on the fast track for a U.S. Open Championship, maybe as soon as 2017.”

Mike Davis, senior director of rules and competitions for the USGA says, “[Erin Hills] is such a spectacular piece of property, and I can’t remember when I’ve seen land like this in the Midwest. It just doesn’t exist.”

A second award came in the form of a rare five-star rating by Golf Digest for Hurdzan/Fry-designed Little Mountain Country Club in Concord, Ohio, about 30 miles east of Clevelend.

The course might not qualify as “a mountain,” not even a little one, but the 17th tee is the highest point in the area, with a great view of Lake Erie.

Finally, Golf Digest also named the firm’s The Club at Bond Head in Bond Head, Ontario, as the second-best new Canadian course in 2006.

The only problem with a great year like 2006 is trying to follow it. But if their past record is any indication, Hurdzan/Fry are up to the task.

If you haven’t played a Hurdzan/Fry design, I would highly recommend doing so in the coming year. Make it a New Year’s resolution.

I know that playing Erin Hills will be one of mine.

Erin Hills was named by Golf Magazine as the Best New Course of 2006.

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