Staff Profiles

Arnold Palmer, ASGCA Fellow

President

Arnold Palmer was the first in the modern era to be a both tournament player and golf course architect.  He has received the Donald Ross Award from the American Society of Golf Course Architects for significant contributions to the game.

Mr. Palmer is a spiritual descendent of the Scots of 150 and 200 years ago, those who determined that golf courses would have 18 holes.  He started work in the dirt, he learned in the dirt, and what he does, he basically has been doing all his life.

The year Arnold turned six years old, his family moved into a small frame house adjacent to the old sixth hole at Latrobe Country Club, in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, where Mr. Palmer’s father, Milfred, known as Deke, held the dual jobs of greenskeeper and golf professional. 

Among the physical characteristics Arnold shared with his father were his large, strong hands, blacksmith’s hands, some said.  These were hands Deke used to help shape the first nine-hole course at Latrobe in the early 1920s, and hands his son would use for pushing heavy greens mowers, steering tractors and performing other tasks while growing up there, and then eventually helping his father to build the second nine.

“Designing golf courses has been part of my game plan as far back as I can remember,” Mr. Palmer says. 

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Erik Larsen, ASGCA, ASLA, ULI

Executive Vice President,  Senior Golf Course Architect

Mr. Larsen received his degree in Landscape Architecture/Horticulture from North Carolina State University.  He is a member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects and serves on the Executive Board.  Erik is also a member of the American Society of Landscape Architects, Urban Land Institute, and is a CLARB certified Landscape Architect.

Since joining APDC in 1983, Erik has been involved in the design of more than 100 completed golf courses worldwide.

As Executive Vice President, Erik manages the company for Mr. Palmer.  As Senior Golf Course Architect, he is completely involved with our clients in all aspects of a project from contract negotiation to construction completion.  Erik has been instrumental in the development of the Palmer Premier program, the company’s new golf and luxury lifestyle model.

Victoria Martz, ASGCA

Vice President, Senior Golf Course Architect

Mrs. Martz began working with APDC in 1985, was elected to the American Society of Golf Course Architects in 2000, and was named to the Board of Governors in 2006.

Vicki’s responsibilities as Vice President and Senior Golf Course Architect involve her in all aspects of project design.  As Director of Environmental Design, she coordinates and assists the course owner’s consultants in preparing a comprehensive environmental site assessment.  She has been involved in the design of more than 40 completed golf courses throughout the United States and Europe.

Mrs. Martz majored in Landscape Architecture at the University of Kentucky.  In addition to the ASGCA, she is an active member of the American Society of Landscape Architects, Urban Land Institute, Environmental Institute for Golf, and Women in the Golf Industry.  She is a respected speaker and advocate for proactive design, as well as a representative for women in golf.

John J. Hamilton, ASLA

Vice President

Mr. Hamilton received his bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture / Environmental Studies from the University of Florida in 1977.  John has been actively engaged in landscape architecture and land planning for 30 years and golf course design for 21 years.  For the last sixteen years he has specialized in golf course design and development in the Asia / Pacific region.

He is a regular member of the American Society of Landscape Architects, and a registered Landscape Architect.

Since joining Palmer Course Design Company in 1998 as the Regional Vice President for the Asia/Pacific region John has been involved in all aspects of project development, coordination and implementation. He also contributes regularly to golf course publications and coordinates all marketing efforts for the Asia/Pacific region.

Eric Wiltse

Golf Course Architect

Mr. Wiltse joined Palmer Course Design Company in 1989 as an assistant to the design staff, leading to his current position.

As a Golf Course Architect, Eric is included in all aspects of each project from contract negotiation to completion of construction.  Eric has been involved with the design and construction of over 50 golf courses throughout the world.  Some of the more notable courses he has worked on include TPC of Boston at Great Woods (site of the DeutschBank Classic) in Boston, MA; Running Y Ranch in Klamath Falls OR; The Refuge, Lake Havasu, AZ; Muju Resort, Guam; and The Newport, Port Aransas, TX.

As Director of Information Technologies, Eric is responsible for all aspects of the office computer system.  He also assists with the generation of plans and construction documents utilizing the CAD (computer aided design) system.

Thad Layton, ASLA

Golf Course Architect

Mr. Layton joined Arnold Palmer Design Company in 2000 upon earning his bachelor's degree in Landscape Architecture, Magna Cum Laude, from Mississippi State University. While in school, Thad spent over three years working in the golf course construction business, gaining valuable experience in construction techniques and management practices.

Thad is a full member of the Urban Land Institute and has been named to the Recreational Development Council, he is a regular member of the American Society of Landscape Architects, and a registered landscape architect with CLARB certification.  In 2003 he was awarded the Lido Prize for Golf Course Design in the Alastair MacKenzie Design Competition.

As a Golf Course Architect, Thad has been involved in over 30 courses around the world, including full designs as well as remodels.  He is involved in all facets of a project from contract negotiation through completion of construction.

Brandon A Johnson

Golf Course Architect

Mr. Johnson received his bachelor’s degree in Landscape Architecture with a minor in Music Performance and History from North Carolina State University and received the 1997 ASLA Award.  Brandon also received his Masters in Landscape Architecture from the Harvard Graduate School of Design.

Brandon was the Manager of Design for The First Tee before joining APDC in 2006.  He was responsible for all aspects of design, construction administration, and client interaction that helped The First Tee to reach its 250 facility benchmark for their phase two development goals.

In addition, Brandon has presented talks on golf course design, construction, and Brownfield development at a number of venues, including the Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa, NALGEP Conference, Florida Brownfield Conference and GCSAA Show, as well as The First Tee Annual Meeting.

David Couch 

Design Associate

Mr. Couch began working with Arnold Palmer Design Co. in 1997 and received his Associate of Arts degree from St. John’s River Community College in 2000. David majored in Landscape Architecture at the University of Florida while continuing to work for the company on a part time basis.  He became a full time employee in 2005.

As a design associate, David is involved in all phases of our projects from conception to completion of construction.  He is responsible for the production of all documents, including colored master plans and construction documents, while maintaining a solid working relationship with our clients and contractors. David also takes a large role in construction supervision and monitors on site progress throughout completion.

Over the past 10 years David has been involved in over three dozen projects around the world and is currently working on the development of our Palmer Premier courses in South Carolina and Ireland. Some of the more notable courses he has been involved with include; The King & Bear at the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, FL, Champion’s Retreat in Augusta, GA, and Balsam Mountain Preserve in Sylva, NC.

David is currently working on projects in Costa Rica, Russia, and Ireland. He is also working towards his Landscape Architect’s certification and will soon be a member of ASLA.

Dale Winchester

Irrigation Consultant

Mr. Winchester has been involved in the irrigation industry for nearly 42 years, and has experience working with nearly every aspect of the irrigation industry. He worked as the irrigation manager for the local Toro distributor where he earned the award for Master Salesman. He spent 10 years as the sales manager and vice president of Mid-Continent Engineering/Kessler International, one of the pioneers in the pre-fabricated pump station industry. Dale is considered the premier irrigation consultant in the pumping area. In fact, the leading pump manufacturers are still using many of his ideas and innovations today. 

APDC takes pride in providing irrigation plans and specifications as a part of the design package. Dale’s knowledge of irrigation design, hydraulics, and the dynamic of moving water garnered several requests for his services from distributors, superintendents, architects, and especially Ed Seay and the architects of APDC. Dale has been associated with APDC since 1984.  He founded Dale Winchester and Associates in 1986 as one of the first full service irrigation consulting firms in America.  Since that time, Dale and his staff have designed and consulted on over 300 projects worldwide.

Dale is a member of the American Society of Irrigation Consultants (ASIC), Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA), Intermountain Golf Course Superintendents Association (IGCSA) and a licensed Texas irrigator.

Liz McCarthy

Executive Administrator

Mrs. McCarthy joined APDC in 1994.  Prior to joining the company, she was responsible for fixture, furniture and equipment (FF&E) procurement, safety programs, contract, specifications, and special events for two international construction companies.

Liz is responsible for working with clients on scheduling visits, agenda development, and media relations for all Arnold Palmer visits including staff briefings, and advance visitations for announcement, construction inspection, and grand opening visits as well as other special events for the company. 

Liz’s other duties include liaison with Mr. Palmer’s licensees, clients, and public relations/advertising firms, and negotiation and preparation of contract documents and specifications.

Angela Valley

Administrative Assistant

Ms. Valley as been working with APDC since 2006 and joined the staff permanently in 2007. 

Angela’s previous experience includes stenography, including taking depositions and providing computer aided real-time translation for hearing impaired college students in Texas and Florida.  Angela has also worked in Project Administrator and Executive Assistant roles in the telecommunications and architectural fields.  She has experience in quality control, including internal and external audits as well as contracts and patents. with two major marketing firms.

In her role as Administrative Assistant, Angela is responsible for client communication and liaison, design team assistance with contracts, specifications, and correspondence.  She is also responsible for staff communications, scheduling and special events coordination.