Jim Urbina
Jim Urbina
Tom's longest-tenured associate, Jim Urbina has been with RGD since shaping Charlotte Golf Links for Tom in 1992. Jim met Tom when they both worked for Perry Dye at Riverdale Dunes in Denver, CO where they tried to emulate great overseas holes from photos Tom had taken. At the end of that summer, Jim needed to leave the project early, so he taught Tom how to run a bulldozer well enough to get the project finished. Always willing to try a new technique to achieve a unique result, Jim has put a personal stamp on every project with which he has been involved.
What is your favorite part of the job?
"I have always liked working with local contractors and teaching kids how to build golf holes, instead of the multi-million dollar golf course construction firms who already have their own way of doing things. We can be more flexible with our projects when we control both the golf course budget and construction timelines. Pacific Dunes and Sebonack are great examples of what we can do with local help."
What has been your biggest learning experience in golf?
"By far visiting famous courses over the years and seeing how different they are from the way good players describe them. My first trip to Scotland was in the early 1980’s, and it gave me a different perspective on what makes a golf course fun to play. Older courses are full of weird little features that impact on play, and I’ve tried to incorporate the same kinds of things into the courses I’ve built with Tom."
