How would you describe your design philosophy, in a nutshell?

Designing a golf course is like writing a song… a golf course should have a theme.  I like to follow that theme throughout the course, but I’ll make subtle changes every 3 holes or so.  I’ll style bunkers and bunker complexes similarly for 3 holes, and then I'll change them.  I’ll build generous fairways for a few holes, and then I’ll tighten them up.  And I like to introduce surprises to keep play interesting.

I also like to let the land help me decide how the new course should look and feel.  My courses are well-planned before we break ground, but a lot of my design work is done from the cab of a bulldozer.  It’s something I always appreciated about Pete Dye’s method.  There’s only so much you can do on paper.  Course design is sculpture on a large scale, and ideally, a course should rest comfortably within its surroundings, whether it’s a lakeshore or a mountaintop.

The greens are where I make more of a signature statement.  My contouring is generally subtle, but I use the green strategically as one of a course’s primary lines of defense.  Bunkering is a key element in the defensive nature of my green complexes, and though there are good, hole-able areas on the greens, getting close with a long iron will be a challenge and will require a good shot with the correct club.

Ultimately, I want a Scott W. Pool course to be beautiful, but not over-designed.  I want a course to be interesting, but not unnatural.  Most of all, I want golfers to walk off the 18th green with a feeling that they’ve just enjoyed a great golf experience.

What is your background, and how did you get into golf course design?

I grew up in West Palm Beach, Florida.  I played high school golf and became interested in golf course design one summer when I worked for course architect Joe Lee.  After high school, I attended the Lake City School of Golf Operations, where I got a degree in Turf Management.  It was during a summer internship, working for Pete Dye, that I began to get a real sense of direction and when I graduated, I went to work full time for Pete.  I worked with him for ten years, eight of which I spent supervising the construction of some of his best-known courses.

How many Pete Dye projects did you supervise?

Ten.  Firethorn Country Club, in Lincoln, Nebraska was my first.  And I’m particularly pleased with The Honors Course in Ooltewah, Tennessee, Blackwolf Run in Kohler, Wisconsin (36 holes), and The Ocean Course on Kiawah Island in South Carolina.

When did you build his first course?

My first Scott Pool-designed course was Legend Oaks Golf Club, in Summerville, South Carolina.  It was completed in 1994.

Do you do renovations, in addition to new course designs?

Sure I do.  In fact, Kingwood Resort, in Clayton, Georgia was a redesign.  The redesign was so extensive, though, that it’s generally considered to be my design.  I’d be happy to do more renovations in the future.