By David Droschak It’s fitting golf course architect Dan Maples spent some quality time with his legendary father Ellis Maples during the designing of Apple Valley at Rumbling Bald Resort, considering generations of families have for decades enjoyed special moments at the mountain retreat along with its splendid scenery and countless recreational offerings. The elder…
By Brad King In the world of golf course architecture, Ellis Maples may not be as prolific or renowned as fellow North Carolinians Donald Ross or Tom Fazio. But Maples is unquestionably the centerpiece of North Carolina’s first family of golf course design, construction and maintenance. Maples was born in Pinehurst in 1909. His father,…
By STUART HALL In Steve Johnson’s 30-plus years of working in the golf industry, only once in his travels has he found a place as unique a golf destination as Pinehurst. “The first time I went to St. Andrews I was struck by how alike the two places are,” said Johnson, regional general manager for…
By David Droschak Golf course architects are handed varying degrees of landscapes in which to build and design layouts – some good, some challenging and then some that are quite simply spectacular settings. The Sound at Albemarle Plantation in Hertford would fall under the latter category with its panoramic views of the expansive water,…
By David Droschak There’s something special about a son following in his father’s footsteps, or in the case of the Maples family its love affair with a special Virginia mountain retreat that now runs three generations deep. Dan Maples remembers vividly his first job after graduating from the University of Georgia in landscape architecture,…