“A Beautiful Mind” – Beau Welling (Avid Golfer Magazine)
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Beau Welling could easily be described as the most interesting man in golf course design. His love for golf began as a child and developed as he made his way through Brown University as a member of its golf team. After a brief stint in the financial world, his longtime dream of golf course design began to take shape under the tutelage of the great Tom Fazio, and eventually led to Beau Welling Design, which has propelled this renaissance man into one of the busiest architects in the business.
Welling is probably best known to Texans for his collaboration with Tiger Woods on Bluejack National near Houston and his work on the Fields Ranch West Course (ranked No. 1 public course by AVIDGOLFER in 2024) at the PGA Frisco development. But, to those who follow course architecture, Welling has become one of the most intriguing designers of the last decade, with his hands on numerous other projects nationwide as well as here in the Lone Star State. Under Fazio, Welling had his fingerprints on courses like Dallas National, Vaquero and Escondido, and now as the lead architect of his own firm, is working on new Texas projects like Freestone Club, Travis Club, and a new putting course at Cowboys Golf Club, which is expected in the coming months.
This South Carolina resident admits he has a bit of a “Forrest Gump” type story that includes course design, land planning and, yes, curling. AVIDGOLFER spoke to Welling about his projects in Texas, his relationship with Tiger and his obsession with a sport that most people only see every four years.
(Read the Q&A online at Avid Golfer Magazine)