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By the mid-1960s Jones was the
best known and most influential golf
architect in the world. Working with
his sons Bobby and Rees, and with
Roger Rulewich, all three of whom
went on to serve as ASGCA President,
he designed more than 400 courses
in 43 states and 23 countries, and
remodeled many others.
The idea of preparing a purpose-
built golf course for championships
can also be largely attributed to Jones,
beginning with his work at Oakland
Hills in advance of the 1951 U.S. Open.
He narrowed the fairways, added
bunkers to squeeze landing zones and
entrances to greens, and various other
changes that ramped up the difficulty
of the course. “He put championship
golf on the map,” says Rees. “It made
people aware of golf course architecture
because the pros were so unhappy!”
But Jones’ work was vindicated
when Ben Hogan won, with what he
described as the greatest round of his
career on the hardest course he had
ever played, saying: “I’m glad I brought
this course—this monster—to its
knees.” Jones went on to renovate
multiple U.S. Open venues—including
Baltusrol, Olympic, Oak Hill, Southern
Hills and Winged Foot—becoming
known as the ‘Open Doctor’.
But which golf courses represented
the pinnacle of Jones’ achievements? In
addition to his work at Oakland Hills,
Rees Jones highlights the course at
Peachtree Golf Club in Atlanta, which
measured in excess of 7,200 yards
when it opened in 1947. “Peachtree has
stood the test of time,” says Rees. “Very
few changes have been made to Dad’s
original golf course.”
Rees also considers “the eleventh
and sixteenth hole and all the things
he did at Augusta” as examples of
Jones’ finest work, noting his close
friendship with celebrated amateur
golfer Bobby Jones, a co-founder
of Augusta National, who also
collaborated with Jones at Peachtree.
Hazeltine National, which will
host the 2016 Ryder Cup, was one
of Jones’ original designs. It opened
in 1962 and has to date hosted nine
major tournaments—including
men’s, women’s, senior and amateur
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Hazeltine National in Chaska, Minnesota, host course for the 2016 Ryder Cup
He designed more than
400 courses
in 43 states and
23 countries,
and
remodeled many others
Photo: Gary Kellner/PGA of America