Golf World's Underrated Architects of the 20th Century

[Matt_Ward]

Had the opportunity to see a previous Golf World that highlighted the top 10 underrated architects of the 20th century. It seems little doubt to me that Ron Whitten has a major hand on the listing.

The listing is from 1999 and clearly does not include a few recent names from designers of courses that opened after that time frame.

Makes for an interesting listing -- I'll be sure to note correct answers when they come in. The top choice is indeed a surprising one for me.

As an FYI -- only two of the top ten are still living.

[Brad Tufts]

Joe Lee?
Dick Wilson?
Desmond Muirhead?
Herbert Strong?

[Matt_Ward]

Brad:

Good try -- only one makes the listing ...

Herb Strong -- finished at #3

"Most inventive. His island green in Ponte Vedra, FL gained nationa publicity 50 years before Pete Dye. Also invented the pull cart."

[Mark Bourgeois]

Fowler?

[Mike_Cirba]

Devereux Emmett should probably head that list.

[Brad Tufts]

Maybe I'm shooting too obscure...

Macdonald
Raynor

Surely MacKenzie and Ross can't be on the list...nor can RTJ.

Geoffrey Cornish?

Travis?

[BCrosby]

Among US architects:

Langford
Leeds
Dick Wilson

[Craig Van Egmond]

Walter Travis.   

[Matt_Ward]

Craig:

Good mention of Travis = gets the #2 position.

"Australian-born, took up golf at age 36 and won three U.S. Amateurs. No designer created more ferocious bunkers. See Garden City (NY) and Hollywood (NJ)."

BCrosby:

Good mention of Langford= gets the #6 position.

"Langford's 12-foot-deep bunkers with flat bottoms at Culver Academy and Harrison Hills in Indiana so impressed Pete Dye that he adopted that style."

Gents:

All the others named thus far are not on the listing ...

[Greg Krueger]

How about Willie Park.

[Craig Van Egmond]

Looks like Brad beat me to Travis actually...

Is Pete Dye one of the living?   

[Mark Bourgeois]

Braid?
Simpson?

[Mike Hendren]

Hurdzan?

[Ally Mcintosh]

perry maxwell?

[BCrosby]

If Whitten did the list, then I change my votes to:

Joe Burbeck
Billy Payne
Hootie Johnson
Tim Finchem
Whoever it was who designed ANGC.

Bob

[Steve Hyden]

Stiles and maybe Van Kleek

[Billsteele]

Just because much of his work was in Canada, I'll throw out Stanley Thompson  as a possibility.

[Mark Bourgeois]

Ted Robinson?

[Garland Bayley]

Bill Diddel?

[Andrew Summerell]

I'm assuming no other Pre-WWII Australian architects like Alex Russell or Eric Apperly made the list.

[Phil McDade]

Willie Watson

Herbert Tweedie

Charles Alison

[David Sneddon]

Bill Diddel?

That's the name I would have thrown into the hat.

Playing his Kenwood GC in Cincinatti in July, in the Sr Am Qualifier.

David

[SPDB]

I would also guess that Hugh Alison is going to be on that list, as will Perry Maxwell, likewise Wayne Stiles. If we're going obscure, I'll guess that Vernon Macan gets a nod.

For my money, its definitely Tom Simpson.

But underrated is a relative term, and given his audience, I would not be surprised to see William Flynn in there or Harry Colt. Colt, Braid and OTM are the most underappreciated architects of all time, relative to the contribution of each to the development of the aesthetic. 

[John Burzynski]

Bill Diddel?

I third that suggestion...I have sought to play many of Diddel's courses, most of which are in the Midwest (Indiana my home state has quite a few), and my home course is a Diddel course.  The courses of his that I have played all seem to have challenging greens, and many are accessible muni's or public - privte owned courses.

[BCrosby]

Matt -

It occurred to me that if the list was done in 1999, then a number of people now well known weren't then. Thus I would add to the guesses above:

Doak
C&C