🍁 Christine Fraser — Designing Golf for Everyone

Architect | Storyteller | Advocate for Inclusive Design

🖋️ Introduction

Canadian golf-course architect Christine Fraser is part of a powerful new movement reshaping what golf looks and feels like in the 21st century.
A graduate of the University of Guelph and a former player, she combines a deep understanding of the game with a belief that architecture should welcome, not exclude.

After more than a decade working with Hawtree Ltd in the UK — one of the world’s oldest design practices — Fraser returned to Canada to establish Christine Fraser Design, a studio dedicated to accessibility, sustainability, and design equity.

“Golf should be built for everyone — regardless of gender, age, or ability.”
— Christine Fraser

👩‍💼 Biography

Fraser grew up surrounded by golf. Her father, a superintendent, introduced her to the game’s landscapes early; its patterns of land, light, and movement became her creative language.

Her academic background in landscape architecture provided the technical foundation, but her artistry was refined during five years in Europe with master architect Martin Hawtree. There she contributed to projects across the UK and Ireland — blending classic design principles with contemporary environmental thinking.

Returning home, she launched her own practice in Ontario, bringing European precision and Canadian sensibility together.

Her consultancy now works with private and public clubs to re-imagine existing courses through a lens of playability, ecology, and inclusion.

🌿 Design Philosophy

Christine Fraser’s design philosophy rests on three simple truths:

1. Equity – Every golfer deserves an engaging, playable experience. Fraser’s routing and tee strategies ensure fair shot values for all abilities.

2. Environment – Courses must protect and celebrate the ecosystems they inhabit. Her designs favour native species, reduced turf, and low-impact maintenance.

3. Experience – A great course should feel good to walk. Flow, proportion, and emotional rhythm matter as much as par and yardage.

“The landscape teaches us how to design if we slow down enough to listen.”
— Christine Fraser

🏗️ Selected Projects & Collaborations

Her studio also partners with environmental scientists, accessibility advocates, and governing bodies to explore how land use, aesthetics, and community values intersect within golf.

🌍 Impact & Influence

• Representation – One of very few practising female golf-course architects in North America.

• Visibility – Featured by Golf Digest, Golf Canada, and Golf Architecture Magazine as a voice for modern inclusivity.

• Advocacy – Speaker for the Women in Golf Charter and mentor to young designers.

• Cultural Shift – Her philosophy reframes architecture from “course building” to “experience design.”

“Christine Fraser is part of a generation proving that inclusion is a design principle, not a marketing trend.”
— Women’s Golf History Project

🪶 Legacy in Progress

Christine Fraser’s work marks the transition from history to horizon.
Where Ida Dixon claimed authorship, Molly Gourlay refined artistry, and Alice Dye championed equity, Fraser is shaping a future where those ideals coexist — sustainability, strategy, and belonging woven seamlessly together.

She is not only building courses; she is building access, empathy, and community into golf’s next chapter.

“When design reflects who plays, golf becomes what it was always meant to be — a shared landscape.”
— Christine Fraser

Christine Fraser, Canadian golf-course architect — designing golf’s next chapter of inclusion and beauty.