Richard Mandell (born November 7, 1968) is a noted golf course architect living in Pinehurst northwest of Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Sneaking onto some of the most renowned courses in the United States, Mandell fell in love with the golden age architects and the impressions they left on the land.
Architects including A. W. Tillinghast, Donald Ross, Charles Blair Macdonald, and Seth Raynor inspired him through books, drawings and the courses they designed (which he was fortunate enough to play on occasion).
Winged Foot, Shinnecock Hills, Bethpage Black and many others shaped my early ideals and philosophies about the art of golf course architecture.
We'd start on five tee and, if we were lucky, would get through six, seven, two, three, and four before scurrying back down the hill, happy we made it without getting caught.” Richard graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelors of Landscape Architecture.
His years with Dan Maples Design in Pinehurst and Denis Griffiths & Associates outside Atlanta exposed him to high-end domestic and international work in an apprenticeship with two of the best in the business, both former Presidents of the American Society of Golf Course Architects.
Richard, himself a member of ASGCA, developed a strong knowledge of civil engineering in his first venture as a principal with Whole In One Design Group in the nineties.
From 2008 to 2012, Richard penned a blog for The Washington Times which became a platform for a grass-roots movement to return the game of golf to its origins.
Tom Simpson's approach to architecture speaks to me, especially his shared philosophy of how hazards are to serve the purpose of challenging us to play certain shots to gain an advantage.
I don't believe there have been any better ever drawn for the purpose of advancing the art of golf architecture.” Richard Mandell's versatility is shown in the variety of his project experience.
Working at Bedford Golf & Tennis Club in New York during my college summers, I played a lot of daytime to dusk rounds with no one around.
I was again in a full-circle mindset as I thought of all the details I apply in my own work borne out on the shore of Lake Michigan.” In addition to his many awards, Richard's projects have been recognized in numerous “Best of” lists.
He has contributed chapters to Golf Architecture: A Worldwide Perspective (both volumes 1 and 2) as well as Favourite Holes By Design (where he describes the fourth at Bethpage Black).