Award-Winning Designs

The 19 years of excellence under his own name have garnered honor upon honor for the courses Mr. Bates has created. From 1991 to date, 15 Bates-designed courses have received national “best of” rankings by Golf Digest and GOLF Magazine. And in 2006, Circling Raven Golf Club was given the distinction of ranking No. 25 among the best designed courses since 2000.

From private clubs, resorts, casinos, and master-planned golf communities to upscale daily-fee and municipal layouts, Mr. Bates and his team have an abundance of experience catering to various budget levels and creating breathtaking layouts on every imaginable terrain located in all corners of the world. Whether it’s on the sun-baked shores of Florida, in the pristine wilderness of Idaho or under the four-season challenge of Ohio, Mr. Bates has overcome any and all obstacles while creating lasting and memorable designs. His art-and-science design expertise has not been confined to the United States either, as Mr. Bates has made his mark on courses in Egypt, the Philippines and South Africa.

Mr. Bates’ designs have received a multitude of praise from both national and regional media sources, including USA Today, Sports Illustrated, Conde Nast Traveler, all major national golf magazines, The Golf Channel, all major TV networks, and the Top 50 daily newspapers in America. The Champions, Nationwide and LPGA Developmental Tours have hosted events on Bates-designed golf courses. The PGA Tour will join that list in February 2007 when the Alliance Championship is played on The Old Course at Broken Sound.