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B
ob Cupp was a renaissance
man,” says ASGCA President
Greg Martin. “He was a poet
and author, golf course architect and
musician, he loved to tell tales and
offer opinions. Bob was a famed golf
course architect, mentor to many
and friend to all. As a member and as
ASGCA President, he provided lyrical
perspective during some deeply
challenging years.”
A published author, Cupp wrote
The Edict: A Novel from the Beginnings
of Golf
, for Random House. He also
co-authored
Golf’s Grand Design
,
a conversation on the history and
evolution of golf course architecture
and companion book to the PBS
television show of the same name,
with
Golf Digest
Architecture Senior
Editor Ron Whitten.
An artist (Cupp illustrated baseball
Hall of Famer Ted Williams’
instructional book,
The Science of
Hitting
), blacksmith, writer and
musician, Cupp himself wrote that
in recent years he continued “to
draw and paint, play golf, build
furniture, sing, play the guitar and
torture a cello.”
It was after a brief career as a
professional golfer that Cupp began
designing golf courses. He worked
with Jack Nicklaus, ASGCA Fellow,
as a senior designer for more than
15 years before forming his own
firm. Nicklaus says: “Bob was terrific
at what he did and added so much
pleasure to the game not only
through his designs, but also with his
fun-loving personality and charm. We
hope that Bob will be remembered
for all the great things he did, and
how he lived his life, which in my
opinion was very special.”
Cupp’s courses have hosted more
than 50 national and international
championships and in 1992
Golf
World
recognized Cupp as its first-
ever Golf Architect of the Year. His
work over the years included joint
projects with his son, Bobby, a golf
course architect and builder.
Cupp’s legacy includes a fine
portfolio of golf course designs,
“incredible ones,” says Whitten,
“including Crosswater and Pumpkin
Ridge in Oregon, Old Waverly in
Mississippi, Liberty National in
New Jersey, Indianwood New in
Michigan, Beacon Hall and Mad
River in Canada, and Marietta,
A renaissance man
REMEMBRANCE
10
|
By Design
By Design
reflects on the life of Bob Cupp, a Past President
and Fellow of ASGCA, who died Aug. 19, 2016
“
Bob was terrific at what he did and
added so much
pleasure to the game
not only through his designs, but also with his
fun-loving
personality and charm