Tommy Fazio

The lineage of the Fazio family of golf course architects can be confusing. It starts with George Fazio, who designed several dozen courses through the middle decades of the 20th century. George's sons, Tom and Jim, both got into the business. Tom is the one with the large portfolio, studded with "Top-100" rated courses across the United states.

Tom Fazio II, also known as Tommy, is not Tom's son. He is Jim's son, and therefore Tom's nephew. Okay, now that that's cleared up...

Over the better part of three decades, Tommy Fazio has built a steady portfolio of new courses concentrated mostly in Florida, where he lives. He has also been commissioned on several redesigns and renovations, including of such classic courses as Riomar Country Club in Vero Beach, whose oceanside front nine dates to 1919.

Perhaps Fazio's most acclaimed original design is also located in Vero Beach: the upscale private Quail Valley Golf Club, which opened in 2000. Whereas many recent golf courses ahdere to a minimalist philosophy, Quail Valley is an example of expressive maximalism, as the course required the movement of more than two million cubic yards of dirt in order to shape it. This included the excavation of an 80-acre lake that dominates the interior of the routing and a 30-foot high, man-made hill from which the clubhouse looks out over the course, a modern nod to Shinnecock Hills.

On his design philosophy relative to that of his uncle, Fazio has said, “We are similar in the ways we sculpt the land to look very natural,” he says of his legendary uncle. “However, I’m not as nice as him because I tend to design a little tougher course. I like smaller greens, deeper green side bunkers and a bit more of a premium on the shot.”

In 2020, Mike Davis, then CEO of the United States Golf Association, announced his intention to leave the organization sometime in 2021 in order "to pursue a life-long passion for golf course design and construction." This initiated a partnership with Fazio and the formation of Fazio & Davis Golf Course Design.