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Golf Course Architect · United States
Eric Bergstol is an American golf course developer and architect known for conceiving, designing, and building several notable East Coast courses, particularly those developed under his company, Empire Golf Management. He entered the golf industry in 1989 by developing Minisceongo Golf Club in New York, initially collaborating with architect Roy Case, and later moving into designing his own projects with a hands‑on, construction‑driven approach.
Over his career, he has been directly involved in the design and development of at least six courses, with broader oversight over nine clubs managed by his firm. Among his standout works is Trump National Golf Club Hudson Valley (originally Branton Woods), designed and opened in 2002, as well as Bayonne Golf Club—a remarkable landfill‑to‑links conversion in New Jersey—and Pine Barrens Golf Club.
Bergstol’s design style is characterized by bold engineering and imaginative routing, often turning technically challenging or unconventional sites into celebrated golf experiences. His work on Bayonne, for instance, involved orchestrating more than seven million cubic yards of dredged material to sculpt a dramatic landscape with rolling contours and a links‑style aesthetic.
His dual role as developer and designer gives him a deeply practical and visionary edge in creating courses.
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