Gary Panks is a landscape architect with a passion for golf, and over the years has combined his design skill with his love of golf to produce some of the nation’s finest courses. His success started in the classroom at Michigan State University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Landscape Architecture. The former golf captain at M.S.U. also excelled in amateur competition with 18 titles to his credit. He entered private practice as a landscape architect in 1971, and in 1978, began designing golf courses exclusively as Gary Panks Associates.
Several of his designs have been nationally acclaimed: Silver Creek Golf Club in White Mountain Lakes, AZ, selected by Golf Digest as Arizona’s “Best New Public Course” for 1986, and Sedona Golf Resort in Sedona, AZ, selected by Golf Digest as one of the “Three Best Resort Courses” in the nation for 1989. In addition, Panks has been honored by the American Society of Landscape Architects for his unique putting course at Desert Highlands Golf Club in Scottsdale, AZ, inspired by the Himalayas putting course at St. Andrews, Scotland.
From 1988 through 1997, Gary and PGA Tour player, David Graham, combined their talents to produce 10 outstanding courses under the Graham & Panks International name. Many of these courses received very high marks, including Grayhawk, Scottsdale, AZ, The Raven at South Mountain, Phoenix, AZ, and Turtle Point Golf Course at Laguna Quays Resort, Queensland, Australia. Recently, Chaparral Pines, located in the high country of Payson, AZ, was voted “Best New Private Club” in Arizona. Gary Panks is affiliated with several professional golf organizations, including the American Society of Golf Course Architects, the National Golf Foundation, The U.S. Golf Association, the Golf Course Superintendents Association, and the Arizona Golf Association, where he serves on the Board of Governors. He lives in Paradise Valley, Arizona with his wife Judy. They have two sons, Brian and Paul.