Biography
The Myrtle Beach area in South Carolina experienced a golf course construction boom in the 1980s and Dan Maples, coming from a lineage of golf experts, was well positioned to favorably engage in the wave. Maples' grandfather, Frank, worked closely with architect Donald Ross, and his father, Ellis, was a prolific architect with over 70 golf courses under his belt, mostly in the Southeast. Having been exposed to golf from a young age, Maples found himself designing his first golf course at just six years old. In college, he studied data processing, accounting, and landscape architecture before finally joining his father's firm.
Working hand in hand with his father, Maples helped create 17 golf courses. Some of their best works include Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina and Ford's Colony and Devil's Knob in Virginia. When Maples started working on his personal projects, his first solo effort was Oyster Bay in Sunset Hills, North Carolina. It received a significant award from Golf Digest in 1983, helping Maples claim his stake in the golfing industry, particularly in the Grand Strand.
Between 1986 and 1989, he opened a slew of highly renowned courses including Sea Trail, Sandpiper Bay, Pearl East, and Pearl West. By 1996, he completed designing three distinctive courses for Mystical Golf — The Witch, The Wizard, and Man O’War. His Grand Strand designs are most known for their strategic routing through wetlands and his large, uniquely shaped greens. Prioritizing accuracy over length and ensuring everything is in plain sight, Maples’ creations cater to players with high precision.
Maples, a player himself with six victories in the American Society of Golf Course Architects tournament, aims to provide clear visibility of the green and the landing area. His vision for the future of his business involves grooming his son, Bradley, to continue his legacy in the field of golf course design.