Pete Dye | |
|---|---|
| Born | Paul Dye Jr. (1925-12-29)December 29, 1925 Urbana, Ohio, U.S. |
| Died | January 9, 2020(2020-01-09) (aged 94) |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | Rollins College |
| Occupation | Golf course designer |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | Elizabeth and Paul "Pink" Dye |
| Awards | World Golf Hall of Fame PGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award Old Tom Morris Award Doctor of Landscape Architecture ASGCADonald Ross Award |
Pete Dye | |
|---|---|
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service |  U.S. Army |
| Years of service | 1942–1944 |
| Unit | Fort Bragg |
Paul Dye Jr. (December 29, 1925 – January 9, 2020), commonly referred to asPete Dye, was an Americangolf course designer and a member of a family of course designers.[1] He was married to fellow designer and amateur championAlice Dye.
Dye was born on December 29, 1925, inUrbana, Ohio. He was the son of Paul F. "Pink" and Elizabeth Dye. A few years before Dye's birth, his father became involved with golf and built a nine-hole course on family land inChampaign County called the "Urbana Country Club."[2] As a youngster, he worked and played that course. While attendingUrbana High School, he won the Ohio state high school golf championship, and medaled in the state amateur golf championship, all before entering theU.S. Army at age 18 in 1944 duringWorld War II.[3] Dye first moved toDelray Beach, Florida, with his parents in 1933 and eventually established his own winter residence there. With his brother Andy, he had attended theAsheville School, a boarding school inNorth Carolina atAsheville.[4] Dye entered theAirborne School atFort Benning inGeorgia to be aparatrooper in the82nd Airborne Division, but the war ended while he was in training. He was stationed atFort Bragg in North Carolina where he served the rest of his hitch asgreenskeeper on the base golf course. Dye explained,
"I played the golf course atPinehurst No. 2 for six solid months, and I got to know Mr.Donald Ross...(who) had built the Fort Bragg golf course. He would come over and watch us play golf, and most of the time the captain and colonel hauled me over there. They didn't know who Mr. Ross was, but the other fellow walking with him wasJC Penney, and they all knew him."[1]
After Dye's discharge, he relocated toFlorida and enrolled atRollins College inWinter Park, northeast ofOrlando, where he met his wife, Alice Holliday O'Neal. They were married in early 1950, and had two sons, Perry and P.B. (Paul Burke). They moved toIndiana to her hometown ofIndianapolis, and Dye soldinsurance.[1] Within a few years, he distinguished himself as a million dollar salesman, and was also successful in amateur golf. Dye won the Indiana amateur championship in 1958, following runner-up finishes in 1954 and 1955. At age 31, he qualified for theU.S. Open in1957 atInverness Club inToledo, Ohio, but shot 152 (+12) to miss the cut by two strokes, as didArnold Palmer;[5] seventeen-year-old amateurJack Nicklaus was eight strokes behind them at 160.[3][5]
Dye made the decision to become a golf course designer in his mid-30s. Alice supported his career change and became partner in the new venture. In 1961, the couple visited and talked to noted golf architectBill Diddle, who lived nearby. He warned them about the economic uncertainty of the profession, but they persisted.[3] The first design from Dye and his wife was the nine-holeEl Dorado course south of Indianapolis, which crossed a creek thirteen times. Those nine holes are now incorporated into the Royal Oak course atDye's Walk Country Club.[6][7] Their first 18-hole course was created during 1962 in Indianapolis and named Heather Hills, now known as Maple Creek Golf & Country Club.
Dye designed theRadrick Farms Golf Course for theUniversity of Michigan in 1962, but the course did not open until 1965.[8] At the time, he was using the design style ofTrent Jones, but after seeing the work ofAlister MacKenzie, who designed the 1931 Michigan course, Dye decided to incorporate features from two greens into his next project.[1] Dye visitedScotland in 1963 and made a thorough study of its classic courses. The Scottish use of pot bunkers, bulkheads constructed of wood, and diminutive greens influenced his subsequent designs.[3]
Dye's first well-known course wasCrooked Stick Golf Club inCarmel, Indiana, north of Indianapolis, begun in 1964. It hosted thePGA Championship in1991, won by ninth alternateJohn Daly. In 1967, he designed The Golf Club nearColumbus, Ohio, where he solicited input from 27-year-oldJack Nicklaus, an area local who won his seventhmajor (of 18) that year. The two worked together to design the acclaimedHarbour Town Golf Links inSouth Carolina, opened in 1969, the site ofan annual PGA Tour event ever since.[9] Nicklaus credits Dye with significant influence on his own approach to golf course design.[10] Also in 1969, Dye designed his first course in Florida called Delray Dunes. In 1970, he designed Martingham Golf Course inSt. Michaels, Maryland, now known as Harbourtowne Resort. The owners of the project went bankrupt and Dye went unpaid; the course was eventually finished, however, and had many of Dye's signature course characteristics such as deep bunkers, small greens, short challenging par fours, andrailroad ties. In 2015, the property was purchased by Richard D. Cohen[11] who has entered into an agreement with Dye to update and redesign the course. The new owner agreed to pay the funds that were not paid during the original design.[citation needed]
In 1986, Dye also designed a course in theItalianprovince ofBrescia, nearLake Iseo, theFranciacorta Golf Club, recognized today as a wine golf course. Dye is considered to be one of the most influential course architects in the world. His designs are known for distinctive features, including small greens and the use ofrailroad ties to hold bunkers. His design for the Brickyard Crossing golf course at theIndianapolis Motor Speedway utilized the dismantled outer retaining wall from the race track. He is known for designing the "world's most terrifying tee shot," the par-3 17th hole of the Stadium Course atTPC at Sawgrass inPonte Vedra Beach, Florida. Known as the "Island Green," it gained wide notice 43 years ago in1982, during the firstPlayers Championship at the new course.[12][13][14][15] Dye's designs have been credited with returning short & medium length par fours to golf. Many of the best young golf architects have "pushed dirt" for Pete, including Bill Coore,Tom Doak, John Harbottle, Butch Laporte, Tim Liddy, Scott Poole, David Postlewaite,Lee Schmidt, Keith Sparkman, Jim Urbina,Bobby Weed, Rod Whitman, and Abe Wilson.[1][16]
Dye received theOld Tom Morris Award in 2003 from theGolf Course Superintendents Association of America, their highest honor. In 2004, he was the recipient of the PGA Distinguished Service Award, the highest annual honor of the PGA of America, which recognizes individuals who display leadership and humanitarian qualities, including integrity, sportsmanship and enthusiasm for the game of golf. In 2005, Dye became the sixth recipient of thePGA Tour Lifetime Achievement Award. He was inducted into theWorld Golf Hall of Fame in November 2008 in theLifetime Achievement category.[17][18] TheAmerican Society of Golf Course Architects bestowed theDonald Ross Award on Dye in 1995.[19] Dye was namedArchitect of the Year byGolf World magazine, awarded aDoctor of Landscape Architecture degree fromPurdue University, received Indiana'sSagamore of the Wabash award and was honored asFamily of the Year by theNational Golf Foundation.[1]
In the last years of his life, Dye suffered from Alzheimer's disease.[20] Dye died on January 9, 2020.[21][22][23]
Dye is credited with designing more than 200 courses internationally during his lifetime.[24]
| International | |
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| National | |
