There's a new scholarship program for those interested in golf-course design and it's being started by one of the best in the game: Tom Doak.
According to a story in golfcoursearchitecture.net, the Doak Award will go out every two years to students who have showcased a commitment to a career in golf-course architecture.
“The purpose of the award is to further the education of promising young architects who have already demonstrated their dedication to a career in golf course design,” Doak the publication. “It is really a write-your-own-award set-up, so that it’s tailored to the gaps in each applicant’s experience, whatever they think they are.”
Doak has modeled this after the Dreer Award which he earned while at Cornell in the early 1980s. That
award paid for him to travel and study golf courses. The Doak Award requires applicants to propose their own program of study and inlcude travel and educational pieces.
“I do expect travel to be an important part of the award, but I am keenly aware that it is much more expensive to see great courses today than when I spent nine months in the UK for about $10,000 in 1982,” says Doak. “To that end, I am enlisting a bunch of my former clients to provide lodging and food in key locations, and asking fellow architects to host a student for a day or two if travelling to their part of the country.”
For those interested, email proposals to Tom Doak at doakgolf@aol.com by Nov. 1 2026 and include 'Doak Award Proposal' in the subject line.
Three finalists will be selected for interview in early 2027 with the winner announced in the fall of 2028.
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Tom Doak launches scholarship for students of golf-course architecture
