Tom Simpson

Tom Simpson (1877–1964) was a Cambridge-educated lawyer who became one of the greatest golf course architects of the early 20th century. He stated: "The vital thing about a hole is that it should either be more difficult than it looks or look more difficult than it is." Simpson argued that "the obvious thing is almost invariably the wrong thing" and recommended including "one thoroughly amusing but bad hole for the sake of variety." His greens often appeared nearly undefended from the fairway yet masked true difficulty. He prioritised everyday pleasure for club golfers while offering strategic deception. Simpson designed across Europe, notably in Belgium, France, and Spain.