Doug Smith ’88, American Society of Golf Architects, Golf Design Unlimited
As a freshman at PC I had no idea what I wanted to do. The single major I actually had a love for was History. I knew I wanted to travel the world doing whatever I eventually settled into as a profession, so what better way to prepare for that? As it turned out, my two true passions were golf and architecture. I knew I could play golf, draw well, and was creative enough, so I continued my studies at RISD, earning a BFA (Fine Arts) and a BLA (Bachelors in Landscape Architecture). After four years at PC and three years at RISD I joined a small Golf Course Architecture firm just outside of New York City and quickly became a partner. After 20 years with my business partner (Stephen Kay) I am now on my own and my company is called Golf Design Unlimited. I’m a seasoned member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects and have renovated hundreds of golf courses and designed close to 20 new ones in many states and countries.
I have been so fortunate to design courses in very historical places like The Links of North Dakota, located on the banks of the Missouri River, right smack on the Lewis & Clark trail. I designed a course in India adjacent to the famous Qutab Minar in New Delhi and have taken trips to the Himalayas, swam in the Ganges River, and am probably the only one you will ever know that has been to the Taj Mahal twice. I am in the planning stages for designing the last ever golf course in Hong Kong’s New Territories. My last trip to China my wife and I adopted our fourth child and spent two weeks in Guangzhou (Old Canton). I built a golf course outside of Poughkeepsie, New York for hundreds of Irish born New Yorkers who pooled their money to build their own course called The Links at Union Vale. It is actually the largest Irish born member Club in the world (including Ireland). The relationships I have had with them and the stories of Ireland are priceless.
My best friends to this day are my fellow Providence grads and we all have amazing stories after going on to so many diverse careers. Stick with what you love and it all works out. My career had no better training ground than the History program at PC.
