Team

David McLay Kidd

Principal

Handicap: 8

Born and raised in the Scottish lowlands, David learned the trade at the side of his father, Jimmy Kidd. David’s formal education came at Writtle College, the largest Land Sciences college in the UK. He completed an internship with Southern Golf, a leading golf construction company, then joined a small architectural firm called Swan Golf Designs as a designer/project manager. In 1991, at the age of 24, David returned home to work as Director of Design for Gleneagles Golf Developments (GGD), a post he would hold until 1999.

David’s belief that his working methods need be flexible and site-specific became ingrained while working as the principal architect for GGD, for whom he designed and completed a number of courses across three continents under a variety of circumstances and challenges, notably Gokarna Park Golf Resort, Kathmandu, Nepal; Golf De Andratx, Majorca, Spain; and Bandon Dunes, Oregon, USA. In 1998, upon completion of Bandon Dunes, David struck out on his own and established DMK Golf Design.

David splits his time between Essex, England, Virgin Atlantic Airlines, and Bend, Oregon.

Jimmy Kidd

Director

Handicap: 11

At the age of 15, having never picked up a golf club, Jimmy took a job as an apprentice greenkeeper at Ranfurly Castle Golf Club in his home village of Bridge of Weir, Scotland. Within six short years he worked his way up to head greenkeeper of the Killermont course at Glasgow Golf Club, one of the oldest golf clubs in the world, and in time he would be recognized as one of the world’s foremost golf turf managers.

In 1982, Jimmy was offered the most prestigious post in Scotland, at the Gleneagles Resort. During a quarter century there as Estates and Golf Courses Director Jimmy prepared Gleneagles’ courses for numerous professional championships and played an integral role in the successful bid to bring the 2014 Ryder Cup to Scotland.

Following two years as Director of Golf Operations at the exquisite Sandy Lane resort on Barbados, Jimmy signed on with DMK as Director. He is also the company’s chief agronomist and fine wine aficionado.

Paul Kimber

Director

Handicap: 3

He toyed with the idea of designing cars but could not sketch on paper what he saw in his head. He considered a career as an engineer but found the schooling too regimented. A whiz with computers, Paul’s true calling was unlocked with the advent of Computer Aided Design.

Paul earned his Masters in landscape architecture in 1998 at the Edinburgh College of Art then went to work as a self-described “CAD monkey” for a landscape firm, where he found himself teaching his bosses more than they were teaching him. Paul formed his own company, Digital Images Servers Consultancy, and landed clients including European Golf Design, a division of IMG (International Management Group).

In 2000, Paul accepted a position as employee No. 2 with DMK Golf Design. Following assignments at Queenwood, Powerscourt, Nanea, and Fancourt, Paul moved to St. Andrews, where he oversaw the day-to-day design and construction of Course No. 7.

In recognition of his exceptional work in the home of golf, his tremendous talent, and his value to the company, Paul ascended to Director in 2006. The promotion bodes well for his career, if not for his quest to achieve the lowest handicap in the company.

Niall Glen

Senior Associate

Handicap: 2

Raised in Renfrewshire, Scotland, in the same small village as David Kidd, Niall joined DMK in early 2006 after three years based in Dubai with Harradine Golf. During his time in the Middle East, Niall was predominately involved with projects in the United Arab Emirates, although he also worked in a variety of other locations including other projects in the Middle East, Asia and Europe.

Prior to his time in the Middle East, Niall earned his Masters in Golf Course Architecture at Scotland’s Heriot Watt University. He has competed extensively on the Scottish and U.A.E. amateur circuits, and his two handicap makes Niall, at present, the best golfer in the office.

Nick Schaan

Senior Associate

Handicap: 4

The Washington State University graduate (Bachelors degree in Landscape Architecture) came to DMK from the Robert Trent Jones II-designed Chambers Bay GC in Washington state, where Nick was Assistant Superintendent of Construction. At the same time Schaan pulled double duty, serving since 2002 as an Associate Designer and working on more than two-dozen projects in the firm of John Harbottle III.

Now based in Bend, Oregon, Nick is overseeing DMK’s Huntsman Springs project. He anxiously awaits his opportunity to compete against Paul and Niall for the title of best golfer in the company, though a proper match has yet to be arranged.

Kosie Mentz

Senior Associate

Handicap: 10

The well-traveled South African studied Agricultural & Turfgrass Management at the University of Stellenbosch in his home country and at the University of Massachusetts. In 1993 Kosie joined Gary Player’s design company and worked as a Design-Coordinator on a smorgasbord of projects across Asia, the Middle East, and South Africa.

After spending six years as the Resort Superintended at South Africa’s exquisite Fancourt Hotel and Country Club Estate, where he oversaw course conditions for the 2003 President’s Cup and the 2005 Woman's Word Cup, Kosie packed up and shipped out to the South Pacific, joining DMK in 2006 to act as the on-site manager for DMK’s design of a course on a private island in Fiji.

Casey Krahenbuhl

Design Associate

Handicap: 18

Casey’s father and his grandfather were contractors in the Great West of the U.S., so it was inevitable that the son would follow suit. But Casey also knew that fun was part of life too. And where except golf do the two idea of work and play mix so vividly? He attended Northern Arizona University where he began his golf course career in construction. After finishing his degree studying in Mexico, he returned to the states and resumed the eternal quest to perfect the craft. Twenty courses, six states, three countries and a beautiful wife later, he found himself in Bend, Oregon. He is currently finishing the Tetherow project and looking forward to building great courses around the world.

Daniel Makepeace

Design Associate

Handicap: 18

Daniel joined DMK in the fall of 2007 after having worked with Tom Doak on the Rock Creek Cattle Company project in Western Montana. A self-professed purist and perpetual student of the game and the grounds it's played on, Daniel has had the good fortune to experience firsthand many of golf's greatest courses, including Cypress Point, Sand Hills, Augusta National, Shinnecock Hills, National Golf Links of America, Pebble Beach, Oakmont, San Francisco, and Seminole among others.

Born and raised in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Daniel attended the University of Minnesota where he earned a Bachelors degree in Environmental Design, as well as a Masters of Landscape Architecture. He is currently working on DMK's project in Fernie, British Columbia, Canada.

Conor Walsh

Lead Shaper

Handicap: 6

Conor was brought into the DMK fold as a shaper on the Castle Course. Prior to that the young man from Monifieth (across the Firth from St. Andrews) studied golf course management at Elmwood College in Cupar, Scotland, spent a summer toiling at Greywood Plantation in Louisiana, then returned home to work on the two courses at the St. Andrews Bay resort. David Kidd lobbied hard for Conor to join the effort at Course No. 7, but Conor’s wanderlust took him on an extended holiday Down Under. When he’d had enough of working on the docks in Sydney, Conor finally—and enthusiastically—accepted David Kidd’s offer of employment.

A fine amateur golfer as a lad, Conor was recently forced to take a leave of the game after tweaking his back while removing his clubs from the boot of his car.

Graham Foster

Shaper

Handicap: 24

A heavy equipment Superman able to operate just about any piece of machinery that burns diesel, Graham had 20 years in the trade building pipelines, motorways, river diversions, and various other projects before his first golf gig: a pitch-and-putt near his home in North Yorkshire, England.

Graham came aboard during the St. Andrews project, then when the earthworks were finished he chased the sun to work on the private course in Fiji.

Elaine Alabaster

UK Office Manager

Handicap: 36

Employee No. 3 at DMK Golf Design, Elaine is the glue that holds everything together. She is the bright smile and friendly voice that visitors see and callers hear, and while her contributions do not entail getting her boots stuck in the muck she is indisputably indispensable and largely responsible for the seamless operations of DMK Golf Design.

Jan L. Cunningham

CFO, U.S. Office

Handicap: 36

Jan was born in Sun Valley Idaho, is a graduate of the University of Washington in Business Finance. She was Accounting Manager for Mt. Bachelor Ski Resort in Bend Oregon and CFO for a Resort in Kihei Maui Hawaii. Upon returning to Bend from Maui she became the Controller for Heritage Creations Procraft, who designs, manufactures and installs Golf Shops and locker rooms in the world. She was hired in January of 2007 to run our US division. She loves to ski and is going to learn to play golf.