By Design – Issue 53, Summer 2021

16 Club. Even while designing new courses, he would review the routing and say, ‘OK, which hole is the weakest? Let’s get to work on it!’” Building and maintaining relationships was very important to Hills. He developed a long-lasting friendship with Brent Wadsworth of Wadsworth Golf Construction, who built Hills’ first golf course near Toledo. “Brent taught Arthur many important aspects of the construction business and their friendship continued for over 50 years,” says Forrest. Following his parents’ move to Fort Myers Beach and an introduction to Herb Graffis, founder of the National Golf Foundation, Hills began building “an incredible portfolio” of golf courses in southwest Florida. Forrest says: “In the early 1980s, Arthur would come back home from a construction visit at Pelican Bay, for example, and announce, ‘I had dinner with land planner Bill Vines last night. He’s got a 27-hole project for us’. That pattern continued with communities such as Quail Creek, Bonita Bay and several others.” Chris Wilczynski, ASGCA, recalls many fond memories of his 20 years working with Hills. “The thing that struck me the most was his work ethic,” he says. “Arthur was very passionate about what he did and that was evident from the first time I met him. “During construction visits at the height of his celebrity status, there would always be a big group of people and Arthur said his strategy was to walk as fast as he could because eventually, they would fade off. He only wanted to be with the contractor and a couple of others: this focus on servicing the client will stay with me.” “The most important relationships that Arthur fostered were with his clients,” says Forrest. “He always wanted to create value for them. He must have succeeded since US Home and Lennar Corporation had Arthur design 20 residential courses. “However, he wasn’t limited to residential settings. At Bay Harbor Resort in northern Michigan and Half Moon Bay Resort on the Pacific coast, he was able to get the most out of very dramatic sites. While ‘Best New Course’ recognition and Top 100 rankings became part of the story, Arthur’s commitment to the success of the client was always at the forefront. “Continual improvement and life-long relationships. Arthur Hills was a master at both. His remarkable career is certainly evidence of that.” • REMEMBRANCE The seventeenth at Miami Beach GC and the ninth at Naperville CC (top right). Hills took his team of golf course architects on trips to experience different types of design, including to Scotland in 2004 (right) Photos: Hills Forrest Smith