A Dedicated Team of Professionals

Ernie Els is golf’s true international ambassador. He has won 72 professional tournaments around the world, including four major championships (2002 & 2012 Open Championship, 1994 & 1997 US Open), two World Golf Championship events and a record seven World Matchplay titles. And, in his capacity as one of the game’s leading player architects, he has created award winning golf courses all over the world, too. Ernie has probably more experience of the countless different type golf courses found around the world than any other contemporary top player in the game. This worldly experience gives Ernie a broad vision of the various elements of golf course design and how they are best brought together to produce a golf course which is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also challenging and enjoyable for golfers of all standards. Ernie Els Design formulates unique relationships with the world’s finest developers in the creation of new golf courses and the renovation and modernisation of existing classics. These courses will be as much Ernie’s legacy as the numerous tournament wins in the record books. “The golf courses that we create will be here long after I’ve gone,” says Ernie. “That means something and it makes me feel very proud.”

Greg Letsche has been a professional golf course architect for more than 20 years. He joined Ernie Els Design full-time as its Senior Design Associate on December 1, 2005. Greg spent the previous 15 years in the same capacity with Jack Nicklaus and began his career with the legendary Pete Dye. Greg has been instrumental in the design of numerous courses worldwide, including more than 22 courses open for play. Greg received his Bachelor of Science in Agronomy from The Ohio State University in 1980. He is an active member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, the Golf Course Superintendent Association of America and has lectured at numerous PGA education seminars. He has also had the privilege of playing 75 of the world’s top 100 golf courses.

Thad Bell has been part of the design team at Ernie Els Design since May 2006, when he directed the implementation of the stunning and award winning Anahita Four Seasons golf course on the island of Mauritius. Prior to that, Thad worked with Nicklaus Design and Nugent Golf Associates and has worked on courses in the United States, South Africa, Middle East and China. Thad graduated from the University of Georgia with a Bachelor in Landscape Architecture and has over 17 years of experience in the golf course design industry. Thad is leading the company’s expansion into Asian golf as the Regional Director of Ernie Els Design’s Asia-Pacific office