Kari Haug

Kari Haug approaches her work with the female golfer in mind. But her design philosophies also benefit the seniors and high-handicap amateurs, regardless of their gender or age.

An associate member of the European Institute of Golf Course Architects, Haug, who is based in Minneapolis, founded her own firm, Kari Haug Planning and Design, in 2005 with a focus on renovations and master plans.

She strives to create sustainable golf environments that are enjoyable for golfers of all ability levels.

Appearing on the Wonderful Women of Golf podcast with host Rick Woelfel, Haug offered an overview of her approach to course design.

“There’s choice,” she says. “We want to make sure everybody has a choice of what tee they use, a choice of what pathway they play to the green. It’s not only about the aerial game, it’s also about the ground game.”

Haug relied on analytics to help her determine how to design a golf course that would be a good fit for women, a segment of the golf community that has sometimes been overlooked in the past in terms of course design.

“I did a study with Club Champions,” she says. “We found out exactly how far women golfers hit the ball and how high they hit it and what kind of rollout they have. I use that data in my designs. I also put a pretty big emphasis on inclusion.”

Haug’s approach to design also serves to make golf more enticing to new golfers, seniors and those with slow swing speeds who may not be possessed of great athletic skills but would still like to enjoy the game. Haug is a devoted follower of the LPGA and plays the game recreationally.

“I’m very interested in the women’s game,” she says. “But that doesn’t leave out the other groups you’ve mentioned. Slow swing speed comes with age. Senior men have a slower swing speed and, as they age, their games come back to almost equal to some of our longer-hitting female amateurs (to say nothing of senior men who never hit it as far as female amateurs). We want choice on the tees. Not everybody hits the ball the same distance. Not all women hit the ball the same distance, and for so many years we’ve only had one forward tee to play off.

“Along came Alice Dye, recommending two forward tees that rarely got built. My design philosophy is, ‘We really need to give women a choice of tees.’ There’s a broad spectrum of how far women hit the ball. We need a choice on which tee to be able to hit off of.”

Haug points out that setting up a golf course that is playable for all involves more than distance and yardage. Just as significant is the placement of hazards.

“It can be strategic,” Haug says. “It can be an aiming bunker. But if you can’t see it, you can’t aim at it. So, the elevation of the tee, not only where it’s located but the elevation. And then the ground game, all the way from the tee to the green. If we move the tee forward and we get the drive landing in an area that’s ahead of the landing area for the back tees, and the second shot into a green (on a par 4) is more equitable, that landing area has to be able to receive a shot.”

Haug is of the opinion that courses need to be shorter to accommodate shorter hitters, regardless of gender.

“The idea is you should be able to reach a green in regulation on a par 4,” she adds. “On a par 4, it shouldn’t be driver, then 3 wood or the longest fairway club in your bag, and then a chip onto the green. It should be able to be reached in regulation.”