Pete Dye Passes Away

[Buckeyebowman]

OK, so I checked the Golf, Tour, and Course pages, and nowhere on any of them can I find a mention of Pete Dye's passing! Seriously? On a golf forum? Maybe you haven't had the perverse "pleasure?" of playing any of his courses, but I have done so twice, both in NE Ohio. Several times at Fowler's Mill near Chesterland, and Avalon Lakes near Warren. Both are devilishly difficult, but in entirely different ways. 

I find it difficult to imagine that one of the pre-eminent  golf course architects of our time passes away, and there is not a single mention here! 

[HJJ003]

Well there is now. 

Love him or hate him he was the most influential architect of his generation. Unfortunately, a lot of his trademarks have been “cheapened” by the countless copies that had half or less of his vision. 

[boogielicious]

Pete Dye will have probably the most diabolically designed cemetery plot ever! It will have bunkers and water hazards. Visitors will have to make risk decisions where to step. The landscaping will have a first cut and really deep rough. 

Pete Dye, ‘Picasso’ of Golf Course Design, Is Dead at 94 - The New York Times

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“His courses built for tournaments are hard,” Tiger Woods once said, “ but there’s a good reason for everything.”

 

[saevel25]

I was never a fan of his courses. I never found them visually appealing or interesting to play. I can't deny he's an icon for golf architecture. 

[David in FL]

I admit, I’m surprised it wasn’t mentioned earlier.

Somewhat amazingly, the only course of his I’ve played is Sawgrass.

RIP Pete...

[nevets88]

I was going to post an article when I saw it in social media feed, but something kept coming up and I figured someone else was going to, never assume.

[gbogey]

I spent a lot of time in Indiana where Pete Dye courses are everywhere and I have played at least 12 courses that I can easily identify, including a few of the stars - Whistling Straits, TPC Sawgrass, Crooked Stick, Pete Dye Course at French Lick.  Most of these I would call lots of fun, maybe in a sadistic way, a few lack the setting to be special but were still worthy challenges.  There's a couple of public courses around Indianapolis that are great muni's and the two courses at Purdue University are loads of fun.  The French Lick course is one of the most heavenly I've played.  

I especially consider him the master of the great mind trick off the tee.  Your eyes guide you to the safe tee shot which is then 50 yards further from the hole than where you have to be.

[iacas]

Off the top of my head:

• Pete Dye at French Lick
• Fowler's Mill
• Kiawah Island (Ocean)
• Avalon Lakes
• La Quinta
• PGA Golf Club (Dye)
• Mystic Rock
• Dye Club at Barefoot Resort
• Delray Dunes G&CC
• Montour Heights CC

I've played more Pete Dye courses than I thought.

[Missouri Swede]

58 minutes ago, gbogey said:

There's a couple of public courses around Indianapolis that are great muni's and the two courses at Purdue University are loads of fun.

I've played the Kampen course he did there.  I haven't been back to play the other course since he re-designed it a couple years ago (used to be Ackerman Hills, now Ackerman-Allen).

[gbogey]

 

1 hour ago, Missouri Swede said:

I've played the Kampen course he did there.  I haven't been back to play the other course since he re-designed it a couple years ago (used to be Ackerman Hills, now Ackerman-Allen).

I visit that area annually and always play a round or two.  Ackerman is my preferred course now - a little more fun and (less over the top challenging) than Kampen.

[DeadMan]

The only Pete Dye course around here that I play a decent amount at is Riverdale Dunes. The first time I played it, I didn't like it all that much. But now that I've played it a couple of times, it's really grown on me. I think that's a common refrain with his courses. They can appear to be tricked up and difficult, but they're not that bad if you can ignore the tricks that he plays on you.

Beyond that, he's probably the most influential architect since the Golden Age. A lot of famous architects started with Dye. Tom Doak and Bill Coore were both shapers for Dye, I believe. Jack worked with Dye a decent amount, too. Plus, he picked up on and advanced visual trickery techniques that Donald Ross and MacKenzie used. 

Really can't overstate his impact on golf.

Edited January 15, 2020 by DeadMan

[GolfLug]

We have Virginia Beach National (formerly TPC VB) and Kingmill (River) in Williamsburg that I play 1-2 times a year each. Both are fun and visually pleasing layouts but certainly doesn't seem to have intimidation factor or any trickery that Dye seems to be known for.  

Hope I get to play a few more. French Lick is in the bucket list.

 

[HJJ003]

1 hour ago, DeadMan said:

The only Pete Dye course around here that I play a decent amount at is Riverdale Dunes. The first time I played it, I didn't like it all that much. But now that I've played it a couple of times, it's really grown on me. I think that's a common refrain with his courses. They can appear to be tricked up and difficult, but they're not that bad if you can ignore the tricks that he plays on you.

Beyond that, he's probably the most influential architect since the Golden Age. A lot of famous architects started with Dye. Tom Doak and Bill Coore were both shapers for Dye, I believe. Jack worked with Dye a decent amount, too. Plus, he picked up on and advanced visual trickery techniques that Donald Ross and MacKenzie used. 

Really can't overstate his impact on golf.

Riverdale was actually the first course that Doak was in charge of green shaping for Dye...or so Doak says. Its on my hit list of courses to play when I visit the Denver area (wife has family on the area). 

yeah his impact on course architecture and architects is monumental. 

[Buckeyebowman]

2 hours ago, GolfLug said:

We have Virginia Beach National (formerly TPC VB) and Kingmill (River) in Williamsburg that I play 1-2 times a year each. Both are fun and visually pleasing layouts but certainly doesn't seem to have intimidation factor or any trickery that Dye seems to be known for.  

Hope I get to play a few more. French Lick is in the bucket list.

 

The original iteration of Avalon Lakes was like that. Very nice, but straightforward. And, it was built on land that was as flat as a table top! Plus, it was owned and run by the city of Warren who didn't seem to have any idea of how to run a golf course and resort. It got into financial trouble, but was eventually bought out by a local billionaire. He brought Dye back in and told him he wanted a real championship layout. 

It now plays 7,500+ from the tips, and can just beat your brains in! At least beat in the brains of a golfer of my caliber! Even playing the proper tees, and without losing any balls in the water. The "Lakes" part of the name if very accurate. Between the two that I've played, I actually prefer Fowler's Mill.