Lehman Design Group

The Prairie Club - Dunes Course, Valentine, NE

“When I contemplate my work with Lehman Design Group, three words come to mind: imagination, commitment, and follow-through.  Tom and Chris walked the land many, many times and their ability to imagine great golf holes and great routing of them was beyond what I thought possible.

They were committed to finding the very best the land had to offer and they stuck with it until they got it right. They came up with amazing early ideas but kept pushing to find the very best.  And they followed through on every promise they made, including the one to stay involved post-construction and continue the process of ongoing refinement of the gem they helped create.

If I had the chance to go back to the beginning and re-think my architect choice, I’d choose them again.”

Paul Schock - Owner, Founder

Edina Country Club, Edina, MN

In the fall of 2009 Edina Country Club made some decisions that will forever shape the future of our club. We selected Tom Lehman and Chris Brands from Lehman Design Group to create the new vision for our golf course. LDG was accessible, flexible, and able to accommodate the complete needs of this project.

We picked an architect that understood our mission, accepted the timeline, and mobilized the necessary resources to finish the job. They became our trusted advisor and worked closely with the staff at ECC as the project unfolded.

We are extremely pleased with the results and can’t thank them enough for all of their efforts on our behalf! ECC is honored to have worked now and into the future with LDG!

Jeffrey Bohlig, Chair, Restoration Task Force 2010/2011, Past President 2008/2009

Encanterra, A Trilogy Country Club, Queen Creek, AZ

“As a builder and developer, I have worked with several golf course architects. Lehman Design Group is without question one of the best. While it is difficult to justify the cost of big name talent, Tom Lehman made certain it was a smart investment.

I first met Tom at the ballpark. We connected instantly. Not from a designer/owner stand point but instead two dads at little league practice. When Shea sat down with Tom, the relationship quickly solidified. He is refreshingly sincere, genuine and trustworthy and has design philosophies very synergistic with what Shea was looking to accomplish at Encanterra. In fact, despite his celebrity, Tom is a regular guy. Moreover, he has the honesty and integrity, respect for the individual, teamwork and competitive spirit we value internally as well as in all of our trade partners and design consultants.

While Chris Brands (lead Project Designer) did a lot of outstanding hands-on design work, Tom was always available-sometimes more than me-for consultation, planning and acceptance walks. His personal involvement and time spent on site far exceeded our expectations.  Throughout the process, it was clear that Lehman Design Group was perfectly alignedwith Shea’s needs. I was a fan of Tom’s when Shea hired him. I am an even bigger fan today - for different reasons.”

Jeff Hinkle, Vice President, Community Development, Shea Homes - Trilogy

North Oaks Golf Club, North Oaks, MN

“We challenged Tom and Chris to update our 50 year old Stanley Thompson golf course.  They came back with a super set of options to restore our course to its original design concepts. This included completely renovating existing bunkers and creating new ones that test modern club technology.

With a limited playing (and growing) season working against us, we started the renovation project in August with high expectations for great results and a timely completion before the snow flew. Tom and Chris were on site weekly, guiding our contractor through every detail. In fact, Tom personally marked every bunker, and he and Chris applied their expertise to reshape every fairway and restore every green.

Our project was completed before winter and the result has exceeded our expectations! The entire membership feels rejuvenated and excited.

We recently hosted the Minnesota Golf Association staff who told us that we now have the best bunkers in the state. Additionally, they promptly awarded us the honor to host several future MGA championships.”

Brad Schraut, President, North Oaks Golf Club

North Oaks Golf Club, North Oaks, MN

“In renovating the course at North Oaks Golf Club, our goal was to maintain the integrity of the course and ensure a good challenge for today’s modern players. Tom and Chris assured us that the course would look, feel and play the way its original architect, Stanley Thompson, intended. We had phenomenal greens; we simply needed to enhance their natural qualities and refine the aesthetics. Tom explained, “When someone plays this golf course 10 years from now, I want them to experience the Stanley Thompson legacy.”

From start to finish, Tom and Chris were a joy to work with because they are talented architects, but more importantly, they are great communicators. They kept us informed throughout the process. Furthermore, the project was on time and on budget. What more can I say.”

Dick Haugen, General Manager, North Oaks Golf Club

The Raven at Lora Bay, Ontario, Canada

“Tom Lehman and Chris Brands did an amazing job.  One of their great strengths is to be able to view things from an owner’s perspective.  It has to work well for everyone and we all have to be on the same page.  They were able to do that extremely well, keep within the budget we had prescribed and were terrific about being able to come up with carefully thought-out solutions to the challenges of creating a magical golf course on this beautiful, special site. 

It was a real pleasure to work with them and we are ecstatic about how Lora Bay turned out.  The wonderful response from golfers who have had the experience of playing here has been overwhelming.”

Tyler Swedberg, Intrawest Golf

Omni Tucson National - Sonoran, Tucson, AZ

“It was a very challenging project with the parameters we had given Tom and Chris.  We had an old, original nine holes which had to be delicately redesigned and some desert land which was wide open with several crisscrossing washes.  It needed a touch of creative genius to bring out its true potential. They worked extremely hard, and spent the time necessary to do an outstanding job. 

With the many complexities involved in blending an existing nine holes with a new nine holes, they exceeded all of our expectations and the end product was exactly what we were looking for.   Our members and guests are thrilled and they all tell us how much fun the Sonoran Course is to play.”

Mike Petty - Omni Director of Agronomy

The Raven at Verrado, Buckeye, AZ

“Verrado is fantastic. It has become an Arizona favorite surprising our guests at its playability and is very dramatic in the desert mountain setting.  The most revered hole is number 13, a reachable par four into the White Tank Mountains. Its precariously-shelved green constantly tests your nerves but provides spectacular views of the Phoenix valley.  We are very pleased with how things turned out.”

Ron Woods, General Manager

Rio Verde Country Club -  Rio Verde, AZ

“When we set out on this journey, it was vital that our club find a golf course designer whose character, integrity and values closely mirrored our own, as well as those of our community. After meeting Tom and his staff, it was readily apparent that there was a great fit.

Since day one, working with Lehman Design Group has been an absolute pleasure. First and foremost, Tom and his team are astute listeners. It was important to them to get to know our club and its membership. They took the time to gain a thorough understanding of our community’s unique needs, and to understand and assimilate our vision for Rio Verde Country Club.

I am happy to report that everyone involved is extremely pleased with the results we have achieved to date. In fact, we fully intend to build on our success and make this a lasting relationship with Lehman Design Group.”

Jay Critcher, P.G.A.,  General Manager