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Gary Panks

 

Grayhawk Golf Club – Talon Course

Gary Panks is an American golf course architect acclaimed for his work in the U.S. Southwest and for designs that are challenging yet enjoyable for all golfers . Born in Michigan in 1940, Panks was a talented golfer from early on – he captained the Michigan State University golf team and graduated in landscape architecture in 1964 . After college, he moved to Arizona and worked in urban planning and landscape design throughout the 1970s . In 1978, Panks devoted himself exclusively to golf course design, founding his own firm in Phoenix . His dual expertise as both a player and a landscape architect shaped his design philosophy: he believed a course should “fit the land” and also fit the golfer’s eye, presenting a fair test where strategy and shot-making trump sheer power .

From 1988 to 1997, Gary Panks partnered with two-time major champion David Graham in a venture called Graham & Panks International . Together, they produced ten well-regarded courses, many in Arizona’s boom of that era. A prime example is Grayhawk Golf Club’s Talon Course (Scottsdale, 1994), co-designed by Graham and Panks, which has been lauded as one of Arizona’s most exciting layouts . Talon showcases Panks’s style: it flows through rugged desert terrain with bold bunkering, carries over arroyos, and greens tucked near rock outcrops – yet it provides ample landing areas and options to keep it playable for members . Panks also co-designed the Raven Golf Club at South Mountain (1995) with Graham, a unique course in Phoenix featuring hundreds of pine trees and lush landscaping amidst the desert, demonstrating Panks’s versatility in crafting atmosphere . After the partnership, Panks continued solo and added to his portfolio courses like The Golf Club at Chaparral Pines (Payson, AZ, 1997) – a mountain course winding through Ponderosa pines – and Whirlwind Golf Club (Chandler, AZ, 2000s) on Native American land, which he designed to honor the Gila River community’s heritage .

Gary Panks’s designs are noted for strategic variety and strong routing . As an excellent player himself (he carried as low as a 2 handicap), he understood how better golfers think their way around a course, but he also empatheized with casual players. Consequently, many of his courses feature alternate routes or shorter carries for those who need them, without diminishing the thrill for those who take on the bigger challenge. He often used the natural topography as a framework – whether it’s integrating desert washes, as at Twin Warriors Golf Club in New Mexico, or preserving mature trees on parkland sites. Panks’s influence in the Southwest is significant: during the late 20th-century golf boom, he was among the go-to architects who ensured that new developments resulted in quality golf. He also mentored younger architects and contributed to the professional community (he’s a long-time member of the ASGCA). In summary, Gary Panks built a legacy of courses that blend solid strategy with regional character , and remain player-friendly while still posing a test – a balance that has earned him and his courses a loyal following .