About

When people ask, “How did you get into golf course architecture?” my standard answer is, “Hard work, and a lot of luck.” It is the truth, just simplified. A burning passion for golf course architecture has taken me around the world. I managed to get my foot in the door working with two of the best architects in the business during the recently slow period for golf, worked hard and took advantage of the incredible opportunity. Now I incorporate the lessons I have learned working under them into my own work.

After graduating from Hobart College in 2009, most architects I would write to beg for a job had just let go of employees and had all of their work put on hold. My first internship with Tom Doak never happened either because of the downturn in the economy. That’s when I started to teach myself Chinese, and learned how to operate a bulldozer. Soon enough everything changed. Through talent and persistence I have managed to keep myself pretty busy since then building golf courses for some of the best architects in the business when so many said it was virtually impossible.

My interest in golf courses is an unusual one growing up in the heart of New York City. Having to travel to the suburbs to play golf at different public courses got me analyzing courses, but my first big “ah ha” moment came from a chance encounter with the debacle of Shinnecock Hills’ 7th green during the 2004 US Open. My unlikely path quickly took me from the driving range, to a high-school honors project where I designed a golf course on the schools’ campus, and then writing a thesis on A.W. Tillinghast’s design theory in college. Now I go back to Hobart College as a guest speaker for a seminar on golf course architecture and am the consulting architect at Clifton Springs CC where the school teams play.

At 25 years old opportunity knocked, and I went to work for Tom Doak. It took two years of working for a golf course contractor and studying Mandarin at night, but Tom could not say no after years of my begging for a job, so he hired me for his upcoming project in China. Before shipping off to China, I found my way onto his team for the Rio 2016 Olympic proposal, and learned minimalism first hand working on the crew of Dismal River in the Sandhills of Nebraska.

Proper Golf was founded in 2014 upon my returned from China, as I quickly had the opportunity to take on my own project for the first time. While working with The Village Club of Sands Point over the last few years, I have spent most of that time restoring some of the games more revered courses, and creating exciting new ones with Gil Hanse. I am really lucky to have two of the games best architects as mentors. I try to take the best qualities from each and combine them with a bit of my own ideas; an ideal scenario to learn the craft. My time with Gil and his partner Jim Wagner has really allowed me to grow as an architect and shaper. Seeing their dedication to the craft, and professionalism they bring to all their projects both in the planning and in the field is something to model myself after. The last few years working for them has allowed me to take my passion for golf course architecture to a whole new level. It is blessing to have their encouragement to slowly build my own portfolio.

If nothing else, I have worked tirelessly in building my career in architecture the old fashioned way, working in the field, shaping for the best architects, and studying hundreds of golf courses around the world. I am eager to bring my take on fun and thought provoking golf courses to projects around the world. As a culmination of my relentless pursuit and passion for golf architecture, I hope Proper Golf can bring the thoughtful, fun, and artistic golf I love so much to your project.

Jaeger Kovich

Proper Golf