Golf Course & Architect
French Creek Golf Club is a masterfully designed course by renowned architect Gil Hanse, skillfully blending natural beauty with strategic variety to offer a rich golfing experience for players of all skill levels. The course meanders through rolling hills, wooded areas, and wetlands, providing stunning vistas and a deep connection to the surrounding landscape. Each hole is thoughtfully crafted to present unique challenges, emphasizing precision and strategic thinking over sheer power and crafted with an eye toward minimizing land disturbance.
Hanse's design infuses the course with distinctive quirks and a timeless charm reminiscent of classic golf courses. Featuring a balanced mix of par 3s, 4s, and 5s, the layout incorporates natural elements like creeks, wetlands, and dramatic elevation changes. Elevated tees and greens enhance the visual appeal while demanding accurate club selection and shot execution. Natural amphitheaters and plateau greens add both charm and challenge, complemented by deep bunkers and strategically placed hazards that test a golfer's skill and nerve.
A standout example of Hanse's distinctive design is the eleventh hole, where a stonewall bisects the approach to the green. This feature, combined with the challenging carry over wetlands and the gently sloping fairway, adds a touch of rustic elegance and historical significance, enhancing both the strategic complexity and aesthetic appeal.
Golfers will appreciate the variety of hole lengths and options, from short, risk-reward par 4s to long, demanding par 5s. The course design emphasizes thoughtful play while leveraging the natural terrain. Rolling fairways, cross-bunkers, and natural slopes add layers of complexity, making each round both challenging and rewarding.
The overall atmosphere of French Creek Golf Club exudes big rustic elegance, seamlessly integrating into the landscape. Hanse's design not only tests a golfer's physical abilities but also engages their strategic mind, promising a memorable round that is both exhilarating and contemplative. Whether you're a seasoned golfer or a newcomer, French Creek offers an exceptional golfing experience that highlights the beauty and challenge of the sport.
Our Architect - Gil Hanse
Since 1993, Hanse Golf Course Design President Gil Hanse and his team have been creating a small number of world-class golf courses like French Creek Golf Club that exude attention to detail and the right blend of nature, natural and complex design elements for golf at the highest level of play. His unwavering personal attention to new designs as well as restorations and renovations have resulted in a design approach that has been sought out by the world's most notable clubs and golf courses.
Before beginning Hanse Golf Course Design, Gil Hanse developed his skills and impeccable design perspectives as an Associate with the Traverse City, Michigan-based Renaissance Golf Design before taking on the role as one of the firm's leading design partners. His studies at Cornell were punctuated by receiving the prestigious William Frederick Dreer Award, which allowed him to spend a year in Great Britain studying the earliest examples of golf course architecture.
His time in Britain furthered his emerging impeccable design perspectives via an internship with the firm of Hawtree and Son, the oldest continuously practicing golf course architectural firm in the world. It was here that Gil Hanse was infused with the strength of traditional practices and historical perspectives of golf course design that would form the bedrock of his emerging talent.