Thad began his design career at Arnold Palmer Design Company in 2000 after graduating Magna Cum Laude from Mississippi State University with a degree in Landscape Architecture. He has gained a wealth of design experience from his direct involvement in over 65 projects domestically and abroad. Layton is a student of golf course architecture and placed first in the annual Mackenzie Lido Prize for Golf Course Architecture. Thad's overriding goal is to create fun and interesting golf courses that blend seamlessly into the native landscape. He believes the best courses are a result of time spent in the field and believes great golf courses can elevate the mind and spirit of the golfer, and it is courses such as these that he sets out to create. Layton is a Registered Landscape Architect (CLARB/ASLA), and has served on the Urban Land Institute's (ULI) Recreation Development Council and is a member of the ASGCA's Educational Committee.