BanBury announced as host of 2027 PNGA Men’s Amateur

by Tom Cade, Editor

BanBury Golf Course in Eagle, Idaho, has agreed to host the 125th PNGA Men’s Amateur Championship, which will be held on July 19-24, 2027. First held in 1899, the prestigious event is one of the oldest amateur championships in North America, and includes past champions such as Tiger Woods, Jeff Quinney, Ben Crane, Jeff Coston, Jim McLean and Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Famers Chandler Egan, Harry Givan, Jack Westland, Bud Ward and George Holland, among many others.

BanBury has hosted this championship previously, in 2008, and has also hosted several other of the association’s championships, including the 2007 PNGA Men’s and Women’s Amateur Public Links, and the 2015 PNGA Women’s Amateur and Mid-Amateur.

Opened in 1999, the public course located just outside of Boise was designed by Northwest architect John Harbottle III, known for other high-profile regional layouts such as Palouse Ridge (Pullman, Wash.), the Olympic course at Gold Mountain (Bremerton, Wash.), and Juniper Golf Course (Redmond, Ore.), among many others.

With the 2026 PNGA Men’s Amateur being held at Palouse Ridge, the 2027 championship will be the second in a row held on a Harbottle-designed layout.

By fortunate coincidence, the PGA director of golf at BanBury is Rob Harbottle, the youngest brother of the course’s architect.

The two men are the sons of PNGA Hall of Famers Pat and John Harbottle, and as such grew up with a strong sense of connection to the region’s golf community. The older son, John III, passed away suddenly in 2012 at age 53, which cut short his career as an architect; while Rob’s mother Pat passed away this past July, at the age of 91.

Rob first got into the PGA program in 2012. He came to BanBury four years ago. The timing, and the attitude, was perfect.

“BanBury has such a great history of supporting the game, and for hosting amateur events on the local, regional, and national scale,” Harbottle says. “It really spoke to my own upbringing around the game. I absolutely wanted to be part of the course’s history, and to build on it.”

When Harbottle arrived at BanBury, the course had been going through a period of neglect. “It just wasn’t getting the attention it deserved,” Harbottle says. But shortly after he started his role as director of golf, the course’s developer and longtime co-owner, Dick Phillips, bought out the course’s other owner.

“Dick loves golf,” Harbottle said. “When he became the sole owner, he felt he could finally do what he wanted with the golf course, without having to negotiate with the other owner.”

Improvements began immediately. Phillips dedicated funds to the upkeep of the golf course, which meant new equipment, more staff, and big plans. Three years ago, Harbottle proposed building a performance center at the course, and Phillips said simply, “Let’s do it.” The gleaming new facility opened this past August, and features lesson bays, interactive video, and club-fitting capabilities.

Next on the list will be a new chipping and putting area, to be located next to the course’s first tee. Consulting on this project is Nick Schaan, who apprenticed under John Harbottle III, and who now is a design associate for the acclaimed course architect David McLay Kidd.

“By the time the 2027 PNGA Men’s Amateur comes along, we’ll have added more yardage to the course,” Harbottle says. “We’ll be able to stretch it out to over 7,000 yards, and at a par of 71 that will be a lot of golf course for the big hitters.”

Harbottle is looking forward to continuing the course’s history of being the center of high-profile golf events. BanBury has hosted numerous Idaho State Amateurs (Men and Women), most recently in 2024; the 2021 Girls’ Junior Americas Cup; the 2012 Boys’ Junior Americas Cup; several Idaho State Opens; and the Idaho High School State Championship.

In particular, BanBury has hosted the only USGA national championship held in Idaho, the 2005 U.S. Girls’ Junior, in which In-Kyung Kim defeated Inbee Park in the final match. Both players would go on to successful careers on the LPGA Tour, with Park winning seven major championships, including two U.S. Women’s Opens (2008, 2013), and would be inducted into the LPGA Hall of Fame in 2016.

Harbottle has been in touch with John Bodenhamer, the chief championships officer at the USGA (and former PNGA executive director), about the possibility of bringing another USGA national championship to BanBury, and to Idaho.

“BanBury has had a longstanding relationship with the USGA,” Harbottle said. “We feel that, with the improvements we’ve made to the golf course, we are ready again to host another USGA championship.”

Over the years, BanBury has also hosted numerous qualifiers for USGA championships – for the U.S. Open, the U.S. Amateur, U.S. Junior Amateur, and this past fall hosted the qualifier for the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball.

“We’re ready for them,” Harbottle added, about his interest in the USGA coming back to BanBury. “With our longtime support of amateur golf, and particularly high-level amateur golf events, our philosophy aligns with theirs in growing the game and bringing the best amateur players to the state.”

From the sound of it, BanBury will also be ready for the 2027 PNGA Men’s Amateur.