Erin Hills Honored with 2026 NGCOA Jemsek Public Course of the Year Award
The National Golf Course Owners Association (NGCOA) has honored Erin Hills Golf Course as the 2026 NGCOA Jemsek Public Course of the Year. Erin Hills will receive this award on Monday, January 19, at the NGCOA Golf Business Conference 2026 in Orlando.
The NGCOA Jemsek Public Course of the Year award, named after the late Joe Jemsek (widely regarded as the “Patriarch of Public Golf”), recognizes a privately owned, daily fee golf facility that exemplifies excellence in operations, community impact, and contributions to the game of golf.
Ten golf course designs to look out for in 2026
As the golf calendar turns to 2026, there’s no shortage of projects capturing the imagination. From new layouts built on dramatic landscapes to restorations of historic venues, this year promises to be an interesting year in golf course design.
Fry/Straka landed one of the ten anticipated golf courses with its design for Plover Cove in Hong Kong.
QUICKSHOT: Desert design meets water drama in Abu Dhabi
A floodlit 9-hole course that blends desert landscapes with bold design in Abu Dhabi. Nestled in the Yas Acres community, Yas Acres Golf & Country Club is a bold addition to Abu Dhabi’s golf scene. Designed by the renowned Fry/Straka team, this 9-hole, 3,700-yard floodlit par-36 course spans 130 acres and combines eye-catching scenery with a dynamic layout that includes long holes, rolling contours and a central ridgeline that runs through the course.
From Equestrian Excellence to Championship Golf: A Day at TerraNova
And then we had the privilege of visiting The Miakka Golf Club, directly adjacent to the equestrian center. This is where the story takes another turn, because what they’re building is exceptional. The course is being designed by Fry/Straka Global Golf Design, in partnership with golf champion Paul Azinger — a name synonymous with strategic, championship-level thinking. Even with nine holes complete and the remaining nine underway, the vision is unmistakable: this is going to be a world-class course.
Sawgrass Country Club membership approves $55 million in improvements
Sawgrass Country Club will undergo $55 million in capital improvements under a plan approved by the club’s membership, according to an Oct. 22 news release.
The release said the plan will fund a 7,347-square-foot fitness center expansion, an updated Beach Club Pavilion and dining area, a refreshed Tennis Pavilion, 13 new tennis courts and a 27-hole golf course renovation led by architects Dana Fry and Jason Straka.
Inside Belleair Country Club with Connor T. Lewis
Fry/Straka Global Golf Course Design completed a hybrid renovation and restoration of the West Course at Belleair Country Club. This project has successfully brought the course back to its historic brilliance while thoughtfully integrating modern design features.
Hear more about this transformation from club member and founder of the Society of Golf Historians, Connor T. Lewis. As a well-traveled golfer with an extensive appreciation for the world's finest golf course architecture, Connor discusses everything from the club's rich history, including its Donald Ross designed golf courses, to the specific design elements of the West Course and the overall property.
Fry/Straka Lands Two of the Top 10 Private Short Courses per Golfweek
Welcome to the Golfweek’s Best 2025 ranking of the top par-3, short and non-traditional private golf courses in the United States. To acknowledge a recent and rapid rise in short courses, Golfweek’s Best introduced a ranking of these layouts in 2023. In 2024 we broke the category into two: public-access courses and private layouts.
Basically, they all fit the bill of not being a traditional-length, traditional-par course. And just like the best short courses, we threw out some of the rules used for rating traditional courses and asked our raters to submit one overall score for each course based on how much they enjoyed the design and the environment. Those individual ratings were then combined to form one average rating. Each course had to receive a minimum number of 10 votes.
Plover Cove takes shape in Hong Kong
The development of Plover Cove Golf Club in Hong Kong – which is due to open in 2027 – took a major step forward this month with the completion of a 1.5km retaining wall around the 53-hectare site in Shuen Wan.
The Plover Cove project is being developed in collaboration with Fry/Straka Global Golf Course Design, agronomy and sustainability consultants Turfgrass, and Flagstick Golf Course Construction Management.
The landmark development will transform a restored landfill site into a 6,600-yard, par-71 championship course, complete with luxury clubhouse and other leisure facilities, at a projected cost of $4.5 billion HKD ($600m US).
The Golfer’s Journal Episode 190: Paul Azinger: Building Miakka, The State of Golf and Ryder Cup Captaincy
Paul Azinger (co-designer with Fry/Straka) has never been afraid to speak his mind or take a big swing. So when a friend asked him to consult in building a golf course on 1,100 acres of Florida ranchland, Zinger saddled up. The result? Miakka Golf Club: a bold take on the modern game shaped by three million cubic yards of sand and the same bravado that won Azinger a Ryder Cup. In this episode, he joins host Casey Bannon to unpack Miakka’s Australian-style bunkers and why it's using trees as the last line of defense against today’s 340-yard carry. He also opens up about Ryder Cup regrets, the Keegan Bradley captaincy conundrum, the state of the broadcast booth and why we need less coaching in golf. Expect big opinions and unfiltered Zinger charm. Buckle up.
Host of the 2025 U.S. Women’s Open | Erin Hills | The Land as It Lies Ep.7
Erin Hills proves that, with the right piece of land, there is no need to move millions of cubic yards of dirt, sometimes the site is already there. Memories of Brooks Koepka's U.S. Open win, Justin Thomas' 3 wood for a course and U.S. Open scoring record, and Scottie Scheffler's Low Am Performance hang in the air. Now, the stage is set for the 2025 U.S. Women's Open here at Erin Hills. Once again the best players in the world, Nelly Korda, Lydia Ko, Brooke Henderson and more look to pass this test of slopes, bunkers and wind.
9th at Erin Hills is short — and anything but sweet | Live From the U.S. Women's Open | Golf Channel
Keep your eyes on the short yet "diabolical" par-3 9th this weekend in the U.S. Women's Open at Erin Hills. Nelly Korda, Allisen Corpuz and Paige Mackenzie walk through what makes it so challenging.
What to know about Erin Hills, the host golf course of the 2025 U.S. Women's Open
The 80th playing of the United State Women’s Open, the longest running major championship in women’s golf, will be held at Erin Hills in the Town of Erin from May 29-June 1.
It will be the fifth United States Golf Association national championship tournament the course has hosted since its opening in 2006, and Erin Hills is now the 16th golf course to ever host the U.S. Open (2017) and U.S. Women’s Open.
The USGA will bring five more national championships to the 652-acre property through 2039.
Carlisle Country Club Announces Multi-Million Dollar Clubhouse and Golf Course Renovations
Carlisle Country Club, one of central Pennsylvania’s most historic golf clubs, announces a multi-million-dollar renovation project under its new ownership group. This transformation will include comprehensive upgrades to its clubhouse and golf course, enhancing the overall member experience, and positioning the club for the next generation of membership.
Carlisle Country Club has retained Fry Straka Global Golf Course Design to consult on ongoing renovations, which aim to enhance the overall playability and member experience while preserving the club’s legacy.
Tartan Talks No. 107
Being selected to design a new course represents a joyous occasion for a golf course architect. Once the euphoria subsides, an arduous process commences. Jason Straka offers insight into everything involved with designing a new course.
2025 Tour Guide: U.S. Women’s Open at Erin Hills
Beautiful Erin Hills, located 45 minutes northwest of Milwaukee, is a relatively young course, having opened in 2006.
Course superintendent Zach Reineking (pronounced rye-nuh-kin) has been there at the course every step of the way.
Quail Ridge Renovation Receives Recognition from Golf Inc.
The Club at Quail Ridge in Boynton Beach, Florida was recognized for its dramatic renovation by Golf Inc. magazine as it was awarded Second Place for the 2025 Renovation of the Year in the Private category. Below is the text from the May 2025 article.
The U.S. Women's Open returns to Erin Hills
Zach Reineking and his veteran staff can’t wait to show off the updated Erin Hills Golf Course
Erin Hills Set to Join Prestigious Group
Fox 6 News Milwaukee details how Erin Hills, after hosting the U.S. Women’s Open in late May 2025, will become one of only 15 courses to host both the U.S. Open and the U.S. Women’s Open.
Leadership on the Links: Jason Straka on Golf Course Architecture, Sustainability & Industry Trends
On this episode of Leadership on the Links, we sit down with Jason Straka, a seasoned golf course architect with over 30 years of experience designing and renovating courses worldwide. Jason’s background in agronomy, environmental design, and construction gives him a unique perspective on the evolution of golf course architecture.
Hype heightening around Curracloe Links
Curracloe Links, designed by the American architectural team of Dana Fry and Jason Straka (Fry/Straka Global Golf Course Design), will debut with preview play in fall 2026. The layout is expected to fit in quite nicely with the more than 50 links courses scattered across the self-proclaimed “Land of Links.”