Richard Mandell is one of those fortunate few who have had the chance to follow their dreams. He set that dream in motion as a high schooler and has followed the path ever since as a golf course architect. In 1992, after apprenticing under two former ASGCA Presidents, Richard started a golf architecture partnership with three civil engineers. In 1999, that company emerged as Richard Mandell Golf Architecture, which does business out of Pinehurst, North Carolina. Since then, Richard has worked on more than sixty golf course projects as large as a new 27-hole facility to a complete renovation of a 54-hole facility. His work can be found in thirteen states and China and has won awards spanning three different decades. In 2011, Richard was named one of the Fifteen Most Influential Golf Architects by Golf Inc. magazine. In the fall of 2014, his Keller Golf Course outside St. Paul, Minnesota won Golf Magazine's Municipal Renovation of the Year. In early 2015, two of his South Carolina projects took two of the four Most Improved Golf Course (of the past ten years) honors from the South Carolina Golf Course Raters Panel, with Orangeburg Country Club leading all contenders with most votes overall in the state. Richard's philosophy is based on the cornerstones of simplicity in design and inspiration of the land. Richard accomplishes this when designing by paying close attention to detail, balancing inspiration with practicality, and executing proper evaluation of the site and the client's needs. His four tenets of tradition, enjoyment, character, and passion are weaved throughout each of his projects.