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*Jay Blasi was on the Robert Trent Jones II, RTJII design team at Chambers Bay Golf Course.
During this episode, Jay Blasi shares his experience working on the design team at Chambers Bay Golf Course, the home of the 2015 U.S. Open. One piece of advice Jay shares about golf course design is to break the rules if there is a compelling reason to do so.
Jay Blasi
Jay Blasi spent his initial years at RTJ II assisting the design team on dozens of projects around the world. His first opportunity to serve as one of the lead architects on a project team came at Chambers Bay, a true links layout on the shores of Puget Sound, in University Place, Washington. Blasi fell in love with the property on his first site visit, and spent the majority of his time on the project from 2004 to 2007.
Chamber’s Bay
Following its debut in June of 2007, Chambers Bay was named by GOLF Magazine, Golfweek, Travel + Leisure Golf, and Golf Inc. as the number one golf course to open that year. In February of 2008, the USGA awarded Chambers Bay the 2010 U.S. Amateur Championship and the 2015 U.S Open Championship, making it the first course built since the 1960s to receive the latter honor. The announcement also made the RTJ II team the only living architects to have designed a U.S. Open course.
Jay says he deals with others in a variety of different ways, he draws plans, communicates and works with others on developing a game plan to create a golf course.
Success Quotes:
- “The number 1 rule is break the rules if there’s a compelling reason.”
- “As golf architects we’re artists tasked to create this landscape painting.”
- “Two people can look at the same thing and see something different.”
- “Know your audience.”
- “If the golfer uses every club in their bag, that’s a success.”
- “Ask the golfer to think, rather than just execute.”
Jay Blasi
