Ohio Golf Journal February 2020

Tom Fazio’s Black Diamond has a Rugged Look By Dave Daubert B lack Diamond Ranch is a gated enclave in the rolling hills just 15 miles from the Gulf of Mexico and is home to some of the most wonderful golf in the country, not just Florida. Its 45 holes were designed by the imaginative Tom Fazio, one of the true geniuses in golf course architecture. Fazio’s visionary mind creates both flawless and memorable layouts where some might not see what he envisions. At one particular course in Florida, I remember him explaining to me that he worked the course backward. In other words, he picked the location of the greens and then decided how the fairway and other elements of his design would enhance the golf experience and did that on all 18 holes. I had trouble figuring that out, but, the most important thing is he didn’t. His artistry is unmatched. At Black Diamond Ranch there is a land feature the original owner, Stan Olson, wanted to show off to the world, and Fazio made a big canyon-like hole in the ground come to life