About
Boulder Creek Golf Club, Salemi’s first-ever design and build project, became the highest-ranked course designed and built by an amateur when it debuted eighth on Golf Digest’s top new courses list in 2003.
Joe Salemi is a golf course architect and real estate developer recognized for designing and building Boulder Creek Golf Club in Streetsboro, Ohio. Originally from the Cleveland area, Salemi grew up working in his family's excavating business, providing him with practical, hands-on experience crucial for course construction. He did not take up golf until after graduating from The Ohio State University in 1977, but he quickly developed a critical eye for golf course design and resolved to create his own course.
Guided by an intensive study of the work of legendary architects such as Alister MacKenzie, A.W. Tillinghast, Donald Ross, and Pete Dye, Salemi utilized both classic and modern principles in his design philosophy. With minimal prior experience, he oversaw every step of Boulder Creek’s development, from land acquisition to construction, often using local resources and relying on his small, dedicated crew. Opened in 2002, Boulder Creek was ranked eighth by Golf Digest as one of America’s best new courses, a remarkable achievement for a first-time, self-taught designer.
