About us

About Us

The company we keep

“Golf course architecture is a bit like Renaissance painting, where a team of artists and craftsmen with varying skills might all work together to produce a masterpiece.”

— Robert Trent Jones Jr., Chairman and Master Architect

RTJ Sr. & Jr. circa 1970s

THE LEGACY

The First Last Name in Golf Course Architecture

​Robert Trent Jones Sr. spent the better part of 70 years building or renovating over 500 golf courses around the world and defining golf course architecture for the modern era.

Today, his legacy is alive and vital in the hands of his son, Robert Trent Jones Jr., and the firm, Robert Trent Jones II Golf Course Architects.  Their concern for sustainability, technological innovation, and value for owners and players alike serves as the guiding light for a company that is carrying this legacy into the 21st century and beyond.

 

robert trent jones jr's career
Robert Trent Jones, Jr.

In a career spanning more than four decades, Robert Trent Jones, Jr. (Bob) and his team at RTJ II have designed more than 280 golf courses in over 45 countries on six continents. The Trent Jones name has become a trademark, guaranteeing a well-crafted golf venue set comfortably in its natural environment. 

Talent

Extraordinary talent, creativity and passion for design are the hallmarks of the RTJ II team. Meet our senior team members.

Trent Jones III

Robert ‘Trent’ Jones III

Chief Operations Officer

Born and raised in Northern California, Robert Trent Jones III (Trent) grew up surrounded by the golf business. Trent spent summers working as an assistant in his father’s design firm and digging irrigation ditches on job sites. Today, as the company’s Chief Operating Officer, Trent represents the third generation in the Jones family legacy of golf course architecture.

As COO, Trent oversees the day-to-day financial and business management of large-scale domestic, and international, golf course projects, and directs strategic planning for RTJ II.

Trent received his Bachelors degree from UC Santa Cruz and his Master degree from the  University of Southern California. Before returning to his role in the family golf business, he worked in the film industry and for 15 years enjoyed an active career in film and television.

Bruce Charlton

Bruce Charlton

President, Chief Design Officer

With close to 40 years of design experience worldwide, Bruce Charlton is one of the most highly respected golf architects in the industry.

Since joining the RTJ II team in 1981, Bruce’s body of work is as remarkable as it is global and he has earned countless awards and accolades. His more than 50 designs are in virtually every corner of the globe, including Chambers Bay near Tacoma, Wash., site of the 2015 U.S. Open Championship.

Bruce joined RTJ II after receiving a degree in landscape architecture from the University of Arizona and went on to hone his skills under the tutelage of Robert Trent Jones, Jr.

He is a past president and current member of the prestigious American Society of Golf Course Architects.

mike gorman

Mike Gorman

Senior Project Architect

As a youth growing up in Sacramento, Calif., Mike Gorman found his passion for golf course design early, sketching courses he would play as a junior golfer and visiting courses on family vacations. “I tried to drag my parents to golf courses everywhere, from Pebble Beach to Pinehurst,” Mike recalls.

Mike’s path became clear at Arizona State University where in 1998 he earned a degree in the Landscape Architecture program. After two years with a landscape architecture firm in San Diego, he pursued an opening at RTJ II where that growing portfolio of sketches came in handy.

Today, Mike is responsible for Design Development and Project Management for RTJ II, working worldwide from California to Dubai.
 

Mark Voss

Mark Voss

Senior Project Architect

The unique convergence of artistic expression, the natural landscape and sport guided Mark Voss to golf course design, starting as a design associate with RTJ II in 1997.

Growing up in Texas, Mark spent much of his youth developing his passion for the outdoors, participating in competitive team sports, and pursuing his affinity for art and architecture. It was in his first year of college at Texas A&M when a friend introduced Mark to the game of golf and exposed him to course design. He was immediately hooked.

Soon after graduating from Texas A&M University with a degree in landscape architecture, Mark joined RTJ II and within three years earned a promotion to Senior Project Architect, with lead responsibility for global design projects.

Diane Pensinger

Diane Pensinger

Business Operations and Communications Administrator

Since joining RTJ II in 2001, Diane Pensinger has worn a lot of hats. She has served in numerous capacities and continues to provide essential support in the areas of financial procedures, human resources, branding and marketing, as well as tracking data and finalizing contracts.

Originally, Diane served as assistant to the CEO, helping to coordinate worldwide travel, interact with numerous clients and dignitaries from around the globe, and support all RTJ II corporate operations, business development, and marketing.

A native of Ohio, Diane moved to Northern California in 1976 where she worked as Director of Manufacturing for a circuit board company in Silicon Valley.

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