Gil Hanse is at Work Reinvigorating Maggie Hathaway GC, With a Reputation That Precedes Him

The current number stands at eight. That’s how many golf courses in California that the “It” golf architect of this moment, Gil Hanse, has either originally designed, renovated or restored over the past 20 years.

If they were still alive, William Park Bell and his son, Billy Bell Jr., might chuckle a bit and figure that this whippersnapper must just be getting started. The Bells are easily the First Family of course design in the Golden State, with more than 40 courses, including some of the most beloved and historic, credited between them.

They also worked in a very different time, when handfuls of courses were being fashioned each year and there were more than enough palettes to go around. In this era of exorbitant land and water costs, new courses are being built at the same rate as movie theaters and are vastly outnumbered by various degrees of restorations. Enter Hanse, the 60-year-old New Yorker who has become both an architect of the world — with more than 80 projects under his belt — while managing to seemingly secure almost every important piece of course work, new or otherwise, in California. Teaming up with his partner,

Jim Wagner, of nearly two decades in Hanse Golf Course Design, Hanse has renovated major championship courses (LACC North, Olympic Club Lake Course), the current site of the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Golf Championships (Omni La Costa North) and designed from scratch both the wholly public and popular Rustic Canyon GC and his newest gem, the highly exclusive Ladera GC in the Coachella Valley. Throw in massive facelifts of LACC’s South Course and the everyman’s Soule Park GC in Ojai, and Hanse Design has been impressively open to any type of project that piques its interest.

“I’m hopeful that when people talk about this diverse body of work, they point to the fact that even with all of their differences, the common denominator is attention to detail and quality of design,” Hanse said this past spring in an interview with FORE Magazine.

The golf design bingo card has at least one more square to fill, and Hanse is on the verge of dabbing that one: a storied inner-city par 3.

In the Community Legacy Project conceived by the 2023 U.S. Open committee at LACC, the USGA and the SCGA, Hanse is overseeing the renovation of the Los Angeles County-owned, nine-hole Maggie Hathaway GC at Jesse Owens Park in South Los Angeles.

SWEAT EQUITY

As told by the Executive Director of the SCGA Junior Golf Foundation Kevin Gigax, LACC and USGA folks wanted to provide sizeable dollars from the proceeds of the U.S. Open to a worthy community golf cause. In discussions with Gigax they became sold on the renovation of Maggie Hathaway. Because Hanse performed the renovation of LACC North that ultimately led to landing the 2017 Walker Cup and the 123rd U.S. Open (as well as two future USGA championships), he was a natural to approach for the Maggie work, and Hanse agreed to do the job pro bono.

“The Maggie Hathaway project provides us with a great opportunity to give back to the golf community,” Hanse told FORE. “We have been so fortunate in the golf world, that it’s meaningful to be able to return some of that good fortune in places that might often go overlooked. If we can provide some thoughtful design and agronomic decisions that will make Maggie Hathaway play better, then we are happy to do this.”

With seed money in the millions of dollars from LACC and the USGA, the SCGA set a budget of $15 million for the Maggie project, and Gigax said in the spring that $11.4 million had been raised. Additionally, the SCGA is raising $3 million to support expanded and sustainable junior golf programming throughout the region. As the project’s honorary chair, PGA Tour player and Los Angeles native Collin Morikawa has been invaluable in getting the word out, Gigax said. And one of the more enthusiastic newer supporters is Alexis Ohanian, the American internet entrepreneur who has pledged to give 10 percent of the sponsorship revenue from his Los Angeles Golf Club — one of six teams that will debut in the tech-fused Tiger Woods/Rory McIlroy TGL circuit in January 2025.

“What’s been amazing is the U.S. Open wasn’t the [fundraising] peak,” Gigax said. “We’ve actually gained more momentum since the U.S. Open. A lot of that has been because of the tireless work LACC and their volunteer leadership, the county folks, American Golf — all of the partners. They’ve put sweat equity into it.”

Left to right; Mike Whan, USGA CEO, Gil Hanse, Fred Perpall, USGA President, Glen Porter, and Kevin Hammer after meeting with officials from the SCGA, the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County at the Maggie Hathaway Golf Course in Los Angeles , Calif. on Monday, May 1, 2023. (Copyright USGA/Don Liebig)

ATTENTION TO DETAIL

With the potential groundbreaking at “The Maggie,” as it’s commonly known, still months away, Hanse’s name looms large in every conversation. Because the designer is currently one of the most sought after in the world, Gigax said he can talk to just about any potential donor and get an admiring nod.

“It’s really cool from a golf enthusiast’s perspective,” he said. “Having his name tied to this has opened so many doors so much faster. He’s so busy, and him and his firm taking the time to do this, it’s invaluable to the project.”

Opened in 1962, three miles west of SoFi Stadium, Maggie Hathaway GC was originally named for Jack Thompson. In 1997, the county decided to rename it in honor of Hathaway, an entertainer, writer and Black activist who founded L.A.’s Minority Associated Golfers in 1963.

For more than 60 years, the course welcomed players of all ages and skills, while providing access to many area residents who may not have ever considered playing golf. There are countless people who can track their introduction to the game at Maggie, and the goal of the Community Legacy Project was to create an atmosphere of fun with plenty of learning opportunities. Included in the work will be the fully renovated golf facility, clubhouse and community enrichment center. Of significant importance is to give children an opportunity at a time when golf is as culturally relevant as it’s been in decades.

Everyone is likely to be impressed by the result. Gigax cites the eye for detail that Hanse Design has shown, such as making sure a nearby church steeple is one of the course’s sightlines. From another hole, the hillside Hollywood sign is visible.

The bones at Maggie were strong. They simply needed the muscle to be toned around them.

“We didn’t want to make such drastic changes to the design that it would feel unfamiliar to the people who have loved and supported it over all of these years,” Hanse said. “As a result, the course will hopefully feel improved, yet still very familiar to the locals. I think we would have done them a great disservice to completely change the layout and the vibe.”

To the great comfort of those investing so much time and effort in the project, there is no doubt the man will deliver.