Mike Strantz | GolfCrusade

Mike Strantz, monterey peninsula country club

Mike Strantz designed only seven original courses and remodeled two others in his fifty short years on this Earth. This 'club' was born to highlight the work of our favorite golf course architect of all-time and to aid in the promotion (and hopefully the preservation) of his work for generations to come.

Arguably the most polarizing course designer that ever lived, chances are good that if you've found your way to this page, you more than likely agree that his courses contain some of the most interesting - and challenging - golf holes ever created.

Whether you're trying to figure out which one of his courses you should play first or you've played them all, we invite you to 'Join The Club' on Instagram by following @StrantzFantzClub or join us for a day at our next 'IRON MAVERICK' outing - you won't regret either, we promise!

Click on the courses below for some fun, quick-hitting facts and a link to each course's site:

Maverick Golf Design

CALEDONIA

THE GOLF & FISH CLUB Year Opened: 1994 Notables: #1 Public Course on Grand Strand (SC Golf Panel), Every Top 100 You Can Play list

STONEHOUSE

Year Opened: 1996 Reopened: 2019 Notables: Best New Upscale Public '96 (Golf Digest), Reopened late 2019, not yet played by us

ROYAL NEW KENT

Year Opened: 1997 Reopened: 2019 Notables: Best New Upscale Public '97 (Golf Digest), 16th Hardest Course in America ('07 Golf Digest), Hosted 2019 Iron Maverick

TRUE BLUE

Year Opened: 1998 Notables: Nearly Every Top 100 You Can Play List, across the street (litterally) from Caledonia.

TOBACCO ROAD

Year Opened: 1999 Notables: Best New Upscale '99 (Golf Digest), 10th Hardest Course in America ('07 Golf Digest), Top 50 in World (Golf Course Architecture)

TOT HILL FARM

Year Opened: 2000 Restored: 2023 Notables: 7th Hardest Course in America (Golf Digest '07)

BULLS BAY

Year Opened: 2001 Notables: Host of 'The Hootie' - a top collegiate tournament annually, Strantz's only private course of original 7

SILVER CREEK VALLEY

Year Opened: 1992 Strantz Remodel: 2002 Notables: Have not played...yet

MONTEREY PENINSULA

THE SHORE COURSE Year Opened: 1960 Strantz Remodel: 2004 Notables: Top 100 US (all of them), Co-host to AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am, Have not played... yet!

Strantz Cirriculum Vitae

For years, we have been compiling a full roster of every course at which Mike Strantz ever worked. We have received significant assistance from Fazio Golf Design, from which the courses listed for that period come directly from FGD records. Others have been compiled from numerous articles and conversations with direct sources that worked with Mike. We have also included significant projects the members of Maverick Golf Design worked on after his death.

While this is meant to be a complete list, if anyone has any documentation that can support further additions, please let us know and we'll run it down.

TIMELINE NAVIGATION (NON-PHONE BROWSER):
Hover mouse over < arrows > on either side or hover mouse on timeline and scroll your mouse wheel to slide forward/backward in time. Click on each entry to view full image.

The Iron Maverick Series

In early 2019, two years after their closures, Richmond/Williamsburg area Strantz designs Royal New Kent & Stonehouse Golf Clubs, each under new and separate ownership, were scheduled to reopen. We immediately started planning a trip to play them, but paused for a moment and thought maybe there is something bigger at play here.

We thought, "What if we invited folks to come play with us and do something as crazy as some of Mike's most thrilling designs?"

Fast forward to September 2019 - THE IRON MAVERICK makes its debut with nearly 50 players gathered - with a 50 year age difference that hailed from nine states - for a blend of Strantz tribute & Golf Iron Man, played on a course as tough as iron itself built by the Maverick himself. Records were broken, adrenaline was pumped and good times, no... GREAT TIMES were had by all

THE IRON MAVERICK II, held at the trio of South Carolina Strantz courses in September 2021, sold out in only 45 seconds and had a 200+ person waitlist within an hour.

IRON MAVERICK III brought us to the (at the time) freshly restored Tot Hill Farm that was so popular we added a second day! Each sold out instantly and also saw the debut of the Iron Maverick Course - a 21-hole reverse routing that we discovered after more than 2000 trees were removed from the site, opening up corridors to highlight Mike's genius more than ever!

IF & WHEN WE DO ANOTHER ONE, WE WON'T KEEP IT A SECRET...
WE HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE!