Forrest Richardson

Born in California and based in Arizona, Forrest Richardson has carved out a steady, strong career in golf course architecture. With several original designs and renovations to his credit, he has been particularly influential in shaping the modern golf scenes of California, Arizona and Mexico.

Richardson's passion for golf course architecture blossomed when he was studying abroad at the University of Dundee in Scotland. The program enabled Richardson to see several significant links golf courses at St. Andrews and elsewhere in the region of Fife, where the game was born. This experience helped turn an interest into a profession, as Richardson would go on to work for established architect Arthur Jack Snyder for several years before forming his own firm, Forrest Richardson & Associates, in 1988.

In addition to original designs like The Hideout in Utah and the Links at Las Palomas in Puerto Penasco, Mexico, Richardson has shown an eye for sustainability and playability, especially with notable renovation efforts at two municipal courses in California. In 2007, at Olivas Links in Ventura, Richardson turned a poor-draining 27-hole original layout of little merit into an 18-hole routing that receives consistent praise from golfers for both its condition and value (weekend green fees top out at $61). A decade later and a few hours north, Richardson transformed Baylands Golf Links into a course the city of Palo Alto could be proud of, not just for its enjoyability for golfers but for its integration within a larger natural preserve area. The $12 million project also established a short course aimed at youth golfer development.

Richardson sees big potential in small-footprint golf. One of his most successful projects is the golf course at Mountain Shadows, a resort in Phoenix. There, he took an executive course designed in the 1960s by Jack Snyder, his mentor, and reduced it to an 18-hole par-3 course that emphasizes quick play and fun over rigorous challenge. In 2020, he began a year-long term as president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects. In his introductory address, a video called "Ahead of the Game," Richardson further emphasized the importance of golf course architects finding opportunities to present scaled-down versions of golf to existing and new audiences alike.

Richardson has written extensively and is the author of five books on golf course architecture, most recently Of Course.