As one of the premier golf course architects in the country, with an impressive list of Top 100 golf courses to his credit, Jay Morrish realizes a challenge when he sees it. Many times Jay has related the story of his first visit to Stone Canyon and upon viewing the site commented that his challenge would not be in creating something special, but rather to not mess up the layout that nature had provided to him. His years of experience led him to say about Stone Canyon, “It’s the most remarkable desert site I’ve ever seen. None of the others are in the same league with Stone Canyon.” When asked which of his courses will stand the test of time, Jay replied, “I think Stone Canyon will hold up over the years. It has everything but an ocean – changes of elevation, beautiful rock formations, desert flora. It’s an awesome piece of land.”
Jay Morrish began his distinguished golf course design career with Robert Trent Jones and subsequently worked with George Fazio. He then joined Jack Nicklaus’ design firm in 1972 and actively participated in the design and construction phases of nearly all Nicklaus’ courses through 1982. As the demand for superbly designed golf courses increased in the early 80′s, Jay decided to pursue his own destiny and formed a partnership with Tom Weiskopf which would see them create over twenty golf courses together. In 1998 Jay received the distinction of being voted Architect of the Year by Golf Magazine. A past president of the American Society of Golf Architects, Jay has firmly established himself s one of the preeminent golf course designers of his time.
At Stone Canyon Jay Morrish was given carte blanche by the developer to design the best set of golf holes possible with the land. This is in stark contrast to many golf communities in which the land is platted for homesites first and a more restrictive area given to an architect to figure out a how to then create a golf course. Even upon completing what he would describe as his finest work, Jay continued to make several trips to Stone Canyon with the developer’s blessing and support, to make minor adjustments to ensure his creation was finely tuned.
Here is a brief list of some of the spectacular courses Jay Morrish has designed across the country and the world.
- Loch Lomond Golf Club – Scotland
- Forest Highlands – Flagstaff, Arizona
- TPC Scottsdale – Scottsdale, Arizona
- Olympic Club – San Francisco, CA
- Las Colinas – Irving, TX
- The Pine Canyon Club – Flagstaff, AZ
- Troon Golf & Country Club – Scottsdale, AZ
- The Boulders – Carefree, AZ
- Grizzly – Cincinnati, OH
- The Rim – Payson, AZ
- Broken Top – Bend, OR
- Waikoloa Golf Course – Waikoloa, HI
- Tehama Ridge – Carmel, CA
- Troon North Golf & Country Club – Scottsdale, AZ
- La Cantera – San Antonio, TX
- The Reserve, Palm Desert, CA
- Toyosato Country Club – Japan
