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1978
Bradford Benz becomes
100th ASGCA member
1980
ASGCA Annual Meeting held in
Scotland (First Meeting/visit to Europe)
There was a sense of optimism,
both among the general population,
and these golf course designers.
People had more time and money for
recreation, and golf was a fashionable
sport, growing in popularity and well
positioned to take advantage of the
economic upturn.
Among the group was Donald
Ross, a native of Dornoch,
Scotland, who had served his
apprenticeship with Old Tom
Morris at St Andrews before setting
sail for the United States just before
the turn of the century.
In those first four decades of
the twentieth century Ross had
effectively laid the foundations for
golf in the United States, having
designed more than 400 golf
courses—at that time a significant
proportion of the overall total.
Ross has become a figurehead
for the Golden Age of golf course
architecture, using natural features
of the land to create his golf course
designs, in contrast to the geometric
shapes imposed on the landscape by
other early designers.
Because of his standing, the group
implored Ross to become their first
president. But by that time Ross was
well into his 70s, and declined the
invitation due to the feared strain it
might put on his declining health. He
was made Honorary President instead,
and Robert Bruce Harris assumed the
role of first acting president.
First Annual Meeting
It was at Pinehurst in North
Carolina—where Ross lived and the
home to one of his most revered
creations, the No. 2 course—that the
new group gathered for the second
time, and its first annual meeting.
Harris, from Chicago, was well
suited to the role of president, the
efficient and practical nature of his
golf designs a reflection of his own
personality. A former landscape
architect, his background with the
American Society of Landscape
Architects helped him form a model
for the new group. Alongside Jones
and William Langford, Harris
prepared a constitution, by-laws and
code of ethics. After much debate, all
ASGCA 70TH ANNIVERSARY
12
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By Design
Foster the game of golf
, its growth and advancement
Foster professionalism
of ASGCA members through education, promotion
and fellowship of the world’s leading golf course architects.
Support design excellence
by creating golf courses that are technically,
strategically and aesthetically excellent while meeting the economic,
environmental and other needs of course owners, developers and communities.
Expand the opportunities
of ASGCA members to better serve their clients
and the game of golf.
ASGCA Missions
Photo: Greg Martin
1976
First Donald Ross Award presented
to Robert Trent Jones, ASGCA