Course Architect

Applebrook Golf Club is a Gil Hanse design. Gil is the Founder and President of Hanse Golf Course Design Inc., located in Malvern, PA.

Renowned for his original designs and high-profile restorations, Gil was hired in 1999 to design and build Applebrook Golf Club, long before he became a celebrated name in golf course architecture. When the founders at Applebrook took a chance on a local but not yet established golf course architect, Gil was in the beginnings of what has become an illustrious career. Before receiving his Master's in Landscape Architecture degree from Cornell University, Hanse was the recipient of the William Frederick Dreer Award, which allowed him to spend a year in Great Britain studying the history of golf architecture. Working alongside Tom Doak while his resume was still maturing, his hands-on approach to design and construction was noticed by Applebrook's founders. Gil was selected with having only four previous course designs in his portfolio. Conveniently for Gil, the property that Applebrook Golf Club was to be constructed on was in his proverbial backyard, and he was familiar with the land. As is his hallmark, Gil exp ressed his artistry at Applebrook in the field, primarily from a bulldozer. The Hanse Golf Course Design team for Applebrook included Rodney Hine, Bill Kittleman, and Jim Wagner, who shaped every green and bunker on the golf course. Gil and his team hand-raked and shaped our unique putting surfaces' creating subtle and interesting contours. "Hand-crafted" is typically used to describe fine furniture or cutlery. However, if a golf course could be considered hand-crafted, Applebrook Golf Club would fit that description. In Gil's words, "Applebrook sits softly in the land" and was designed to be a "members course." Gil and his team's artistry are on full display on Applebrook's understated and fun-to-play golf course, with a design tailored to a golf club that encourages taking a caddie and walking.

Gil is a member of Applebrook and considers it his "home" course.

"One of Hanse's greatest strengths is that he's genuinely a nice guy and a golf person through and through ..." - Jerry Tarde from Golf Digest