Les's golf course construction career began when he started working for John Dellis, Inc. in 1966. In 1969, he began working for Robert Trent Jones as a construction supervisor. He worked for Robert Trent Jones until 1980 when he started GDS Golf Design Services, Ltd., based in Canmore, Alberta, Canada, where he serves as president and designer. GDS features a varied international portfolio, including, in 1991, the first modern–day course in the Czech Republic (Karlstejn Golf Resort), the first 18–hole course in Cuba (Varadero Golf Club), and courses in the United States, Switzerland, and Germany. Les believes that a golf course design must always be balanced in regards to playability versus challenge; playable but not penal, challenging but not intimidating. The GDS design approach is innovative, visionary, and with today's ever–changing ecological regulations, in tune environmentally.