John Harbottle

[Steve_Lovett]

I just read on a twitter link to Geoff Shackleford's website that John Harbottle passed away. No details, but he's credited with work at Gold Mountain, Palouse Ridge, and renovation work at Tacoma Golf & Country Club.  Just 53 years old. 

[Jeff Fortson]

http://www.geoffshackelford.com/homepage/2012/5/25/rip-john-harbottle-iii.html

[Ross Harmon]

Sad news.... I just saw this on the ASGCA's website too.

http://asgca.org/news/610-john-harbottle-iii-asgca-dies-at-53

[Forrest Richardson]

The current news is that John died yesterday at a California airport, apparently of a heart attack. There are many of us who knew John well, each sharing shock and grief for Teresa, his wife, and the family.

John was 53, which is an age I know very well. In fact, we had just shared a few complaints about being 53...although I have to say that John looked more 45. He was, to all who saw him, a happy, fit and energetic guy. For the past hour I have been recalling our many golf rounds, including Metropolitan where we had a great time together seeing Australian courses. John, just a few weeks ago, was lugging his carry bag across courses in Tennessee at the ASGCA Annual Meeting.

He leaves a legacy of work throughout the West. Just recently we co-presented a Remodeling University (with Vicki Martz, too) and spent time together before, during and after the class. We compared our current assignments, discussed the next few years of the design world, and spoke of our kids — his family was so very important to him. I am very saddened and can not imagine the feelings the Harbottle Family is experiencing.

[Kalen Braley]

Forrest,

Well said, thanks for adding that.

I was truly bummed to hear of his passing.  I've played a few of his courses and liked every one of them.

Best Wishes to his family in this tough time.

[Richard Choi]

That is a terrible, terrible news. Much of my rounds in PNW are on his courses, and I am a big fan.

He will be greatly missed...

[Joe Stansell]

That is a terrible, terrible news. Much of my rounds in PNW are on his courses, and I am a big fan.

He will be greatly missed...

+1

I am a fan of what he produced here in the PNW, and I was very much looking forward to more of his work.

[Rob Rigg]

Harbottle's work at Juniper GC in Bend, OR is excellent. A really fun track to play and super affordable.

So sad to hear about John's passing today at such a young age - like Rich said - he produced a lot of really solid work in the PNW and seemed to "get it" when it came to creating enjoyable designs that GCA nerds can appreciate.

[William_G]

BUMMER 

from our superintendent via e-mail...our “Architect of Record”, passed away yesterday suddenly at the age of 53.  John was very passionate about his profession and did a great job for us the last dozen years.  He didn’t try to put his own stamp on our course but rather always kept in mind what Robert Trent Jones Sr. would have designed. John leaves behind his wife Teresa and high school/college age kids Johnny and Chelsea.  His mom won the 1955 US Women’s Amateur and his dad was the US Senior Am finalist in 1986 and US Senior Open low amateur in 1982.  He was from a very classy golfing family.  He was a consummate gentleman. He was on a layover flight at LAX, complained about neck and shoulder pain, went over to get a massage and died shortly after sitting down in the chair.  He was a very health conscious person which makes it even more shocking.

[PThomas]

this is awful

my condolences and prayers go out to his family and friends

[Forrest Richardson]

Memories are being passed around from all over. Russell Talley from Hawtree related that he laid out Red Mountain CC here in the Phoenix area with John (a Dye project) and the two had great laughs even despite jumping cactus wounds. I think all who met John would comment that he was always smiling and seemed always to have a good word to say. Upbeat pretty much sums his persona.

[Brad Isaacs]

I met John up in Tahoe at a course there suffering the effects of economy. Incredibly positive experience. I played his redesign of Canterwood and thought he improved that course. Sad day for his family, sad for golf.

[Tom_Doak]

Whoa.  This is shocking to me.  I've been thinking hard lately about what I want to do with the rest of my days; and here's a reminder that you never know how many there will be.

John was my roommate for a year when I worked for Perry Dye, first in Denver at Riverdale Dunes, and then down in Phoenix when Perry set up an office operation down there to get started on Red Mountain Ranch and another project.  We were quite the study in contrasts, but we always got along great, and I was very happy to get to show him and his son around Bandon a few years ago.

John's mom, Pat (Lesser) Harbottle, was a great player [former U.S. Amateur champion and Curtis Cup player], so she knew Mrs. Dye from her playing days and that was how John got his contact with Perry.  I remember Perry teasing me when John was coming to town that he had finally found someone younger than me to work for him ... and then Rod Whitman and I took John out to dinner and we discovered John was actually a couple of years older than me!  We spent most of our time together when we were 23 and 25 years old, so it's hard to conceive of him being gone.

[Forrest Richardson]

Tom, perhaps you can explain the Red Mountain green (par-5 I believe) that had a severe pointed front and two deep bunkers on either side at the very opening. I once played there with a couple from the midwest, with the cup in the far front, and one of them hit back and forth for what seemed 5 minutes! It was painful, but also entertaining. Please tell me that was Perry and not John or you!

[Tom_Doak]

Forrest:

I never played Red Mountain Ranch, only got a tour of it from John once, after I'd quit working for the Dyes.  John drew the plans, but I don't know to what extent he was allowed to play with the design, or how much input Perry had.  One of Pete's old construction guys, John Gray, was in charge of shaping and construction, so the green you reference might have been John Gray's.  [Russell Talley learned under John Gray when John was at Oak Tree for several years.]

[Matthew Rose]

I don't know the man, and I'm not particularly familiar with his work. But I'm shaken. I actually didn't sleep very well last night. The thought of a 53 year-old man happy, healthy, in his prime and suddenly something just switches off.... like that. It's not fair.

I can't help but think about his kids.

[Doug_Nickels]

Stunned and shocked.  I think everyone that knew John was rocked by this news.
I had the pleasure of working with John in the early 90's at the northern California office of Desmond Muirhead right before he started his own firm with the Genoa Lakes project.  He was the definition of a dedicated professional with a lifelong passion for golf.  When our paths would cross over the years we would always focus on our families. 

[Garland Bayley]

John gave us great courses that the average guy (don't think average golfer here) could play and love. Tom Doak could stand to take a chapter out of his book. Looking for more common ground from Tom.

[Rich Goodale]

Death and sadness are always joined at the hip.

In my most recent times living in the USA (2000-2002), John's Cinnabar Hills was my very infrequent "local" course, but what a course and what joys I had there!  And at Stevenson Ranch.  And at other of his works in the Bay Area.  I never met John, but I miss him, and i know he has left a lot of joy and love in his wake.

Rich

[Tony Ristola]

Simply sad, very sad. Condolences to his family.

I'd never met or spoken with him, but my first recollection of his name and work was from Stevenson Ranch, and being a west coaster, was always interesting to see what he was up to next.

[Ron Farris]

John was part of the nucleus of the Dye Designs design team that included Neil Iverson, Jeff Potts, Tim Furness, Tom Doak, just to name a few. 

I remember the day we played golf at Kawana in Japan and the caddie suggested to John he use an iron on the second shot of a par 5.  John insisted on using a wood in an attempt to reach the green in two.  The two, speaking in two different languages, bantered back and forth on the club selection.  John won the battle, missed the green left and I saw the caddie put his wood back in the bag with a smirk on her face.  John made par - smiles all around.

[Brad Klein]

I don't know what it is about Harbottle's death that really has me rattled more than with someone else's untimely death. I was shocked to hear of it last week during a rater outing in Wisconsin and was really unsettled all weekend. Still am.

Obviously because he was young, had a family he's now left behind, his parents are still alive, and because he so loved what he was doing and died in the middle of traveling for his work. This is one of those deaths that make me feel more vulnerable. Among the things I really respected about Harbottle was his commitment to his craft, his ability to talk about it without being egotistical or self-promotional, and his sense that he simply wanted more people to see what he was doing and to talk with him about it and let them know what they thought.

[Josh Smith]

Very Sad.  I was very pleased to meet him for the only time at a prebid meeting at Redmond, OR.  Ironically my memories of him were time spent at the airport, I felt really lucky to be on the same small flight out with him and remember badgering him with questions while waiting for the plane.  I remember him calling home to see how his young daughters softball game had gone.  It was clear he lamented those nights away.  God Bless him and his family.

Josh

[Forrest Richardson]

The memorial service for John has been set for this Saturday at 11:00am. Here is the obituary from the local newspaper in Tacoma:

JOHN HARBOTTLE III

 John F. Harbottle III Renowned golf course architect John F. Harbottle III went to be with our Lord on May 24, 2012. He died suddenly while on a business trip in the Los Angeles area. He was 53. John was born on August 14, 1958 in Seattle, WA. Raised in Lakewood, John graduated from Bellarmine Preparatory School before attending Seattle University, where he played on the golf team. After two years he transferred to the University of Washington, graduating in 1984 with a Bachelor of Landscape Architecture. It was at UW that John met the love of his life, Teresa Martin. They were married in 1988. John worked under legendary architect Pete Dye and with Desmond Muirhead throughout Asia, Brazil and the USA before starting his own firm, John Harbottle Design, in 1991. John's early travels in Scotland heavily influenced his award-winning design philosophy, which featured unique links style courses with a minimalist approach to earth moving. He went on to design almost 20 new courses and renovate over 50 courses in the USA, Canada and Japan. His work received accolades for environmental sensitivity and design excellence by the Audubon Society and Golf Digest, making him one of the top rated golf course architects in the country, as well as a member and past director on the board of the American Society of Golf Course Architects. His service on the boards of the Tacoma Country and Golf Club and The First Tee of South Puget Sound reflected his lifelong passion for the game of golf. In addition to his professional accomplishments, John was well respected as a gentleman of integrity, fairness and kindness. His heart of gold and unfailing positive outlook were hallmarks of his charming personality. He was a devoted husband and father who showered his family with love and unsolicited favors. Extremely proud of his children and all their achievements, he supported them in every possible way. His natural playfulness and love of sports made him a favorite coach and beloved uncle to many nieces and nephews. He will be deeply missed by those who were fortunate to be counted among his friends and relatives. He is survived by his wife Teresa and children Johnny and Chelsea; his parents Pat and Dr. John Harbottle of Lakewood, WA; sisters Mary (Ben) Blankenship of McCleary, WA and Sue (George) Barrington of Pullman, WA; brothers Jerry (Victoria) of Sammamish, WA and Robert (Karianne) of Gardnerville, NV, five nephews and six nieces. Visitation will be 5-8pm Friday, June 1, 2012 at Mountain View Funeral Home. Mass of Christian Burial will be at 11am Saturday, June 2, 2012 at St. Charles Borromeo with a reception following at Tacoma Country and Golf Club. Remembrances may be made to The First Tee of South Puget Sound, or the Johnny and Chelsea Harbottle Scholarship Fund at Harborstone Credit Union.