About
As a child, Michael Benkusky was so obsessed with golf course design that he would doodle golf holes in his school notebooks, prompting teachers to note in his yearbook that they had never had a student so fixated on designing golf courses.
Michael Benkusky is a renowned American golf course architect with more than 35 years of experience in the industry. Growing up in Marion, Iowa, he developed a passion for golf early, learning the game as a child and working summers on the historic Donald Ross-designed Cedar Rapids Country Club. Benkusky furthered his devotion to golf architecture at Iowa State University, where he studied Landscape Architecture and played on the varsity golf team, connecting with the designs of Perry Maxwell and others. After a seventeen-year tenure at Lohmann Golf Designs, where he contributed to original courses and major renovations—including projects recognized as top new courses by Golf Digest—he established his own practice, Michael J. Benkusky, Inc., in 2005. His work focuses on creative course redesigns, preservation of classic layouts, and innovative new creations. Benkusky is a long-time member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, serving as its President, and is respected for his hands-on, client-centered approach to design.
