Rick Robbins

Robbins is known for designing environmentally friendly golf courses

Based out of North Carolina, Rick Robbins has a lifetime of experience in golf course architecture, something he inherited from his childhood. As a boy, he would travel with his parents who were in the resort development business in the mountains of North Carolina. His father even managed one of the top golf courses in the world in The Tarheel State, Pine Needle during the 1960s, which is where Robbins learned about golf course design from none other than Donald Ross, one of the giants of golf course architecture.

After graduating from college, Robbins continued to learn about golf course design and after 13 years with Bruce Devlin and Robert Von Hagge, he signed on to work for the Jack Nicklaus Group, eventually getting the title of Senior Designer for Hong Kong and the Far East. There, he designed golf courses in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan and Sri Lanka. Eventually in 1991 he founded Robbins and Associates International to design golf courses in the United States. These golf courses have found their fair share of praise from players and golf course critics alike. Environmentalists are also a fan of Rick Robbins due to his choice to be as environmentally friendly as possible with his golf courses, and making the golf courses he designs one with the local eco-system, and not a big footprint over it.

Rick Robbins has even designed a course in Myrtle Beach, one he designed to have an identity all of its own. The course, called Crow Creek Golf Club, is built on 500 acres of an old homestead that has the front line moving gently through the southern countryside. The back nine then role through traditional Carolina woodlands. With Tifsport fairways and Bentgrass greens, this golf course has been a delight to play for several years now and is one of many wonderful Myrtle Beach golf courses.

Robbins is a golf designer for the 21st century. One who appreciates the old golfing methods and design status quo, but is not afraid to give courses a unique identity all their own. He cares for the environment and does not allow his courses to take away from the environment. In the next 50 years, it is quite possible that Rick Robbins will be looked at the same way the legendary Robert Trent Jones was looked at during the 20th century.

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