News:

Welcome to the Golf Club Atlas Discussion Group!

Each user is approved by the Golf Club Atlas editorial staff. For any new inquiries, please contact us.


Ran Morrissett

  • Karma: +0/-0
Tom MacWood has passed away
« on: August 13, 2012, 09:23:51 PM »
I am devastated beyond words to report that Tom MacWood passed away yesterday.

He had a heart attack while cutting the grass.

He was 54 years old (I think).

He is survived by his wife Pam and daughter Audrey and son Ian.

I will post more information as it becomes available.

Personally, I have never met anyone with whom I enjoyed conversations more on golf course architecture. One of the great minds is no longer with us and we all reach out to his family with our thoughts and prayers.

Tom_Doak

  • Karma: +2/-1
Re: Tom MacWood has passed away
« Reply #1 on: August 13, 2012, 09:29:54 PM »
Oh, my.  I am very sorry to hear that.  Tom was sometimes pretty insistent about some of our renovation work, but I always valued his opinion even if we didn't always agree.  I hadn't seen him in person for a few years but never expected that I wouldn't.

My condolences to his family.

Bart Bradley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Tom MacWood has passed away
« Reply #2 on: August 13, 2012, 09:32:17 PM »
RIP, prayers to his family

Mark Bourgeois

Re: Tom MacWood has passed away
« Reply #3 on: August 13, 2012, 09:36:17 PM »
This is very upsetting and a shock. Ran, please do post details as you get them.

Knowing him only through his posts, the word I always associated with him was "serious." He made our little corner of the world feel like it mattered, and that was no mean feat.

PCCraig

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Tom MacWood has passed away
« Reply #4 on: August 13, 2012, 09:40:02 PM »
I'm very sorry to hear about Tom. My condolences to his family, may he rest in peace.
H.P.S.

Evan Fleisher

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Tom MacWood has passed away
« Reply #5 on: August 13, 2012, 09:41:03 PM »
Wow is all I can say.

Prayer and thoughts go out to the MacWood family.
Born Rochester, MN. Grew up Miami, FL. Live Cleveland, OH. Handicap 13.2. Have 26 & 23 year old girls and wife of 29 years. I'm a Senior Supply Chain Business Analyst for Vitamix. Diehard walker, but tolerate cart riders! Love to travel, always have my sticks with me. Mollydooker for life!

Ken Fry

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Tom MacWood has passed away
« Reply #6 on: August 13, 2012, 09:44:17 PM »
Terrible news.  My thoughts and prayers go out to all.

Ken

Mike_Young

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Tom MacWood has passed away
« Reply #7 on: August 13, 2012, 09:55:50 PM »
Condolences to the MacWood family.  Whether I agreed or not I always read what he had to say.
"just standing on a corner in Winslow Arizona"

Josh Smith

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Tom MacWood has passed away
« Reply #8 on: August 13, 2012, 09:58:04 PM »
Very sad to know of this.  Prayers are with his family and friends and may everyone find peace.

Joe Bausch

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Tom MacWood has passed away
« Reply #9 on: August 13, 2012, 10:00:57 PM »
This is a very sad day indeed.
@jwbausch (for new photo albums)
The site for the Cobb's Creek project:  https://cobbscreek.org/
Nearly all Delaware Valley golf courses in photo albums: Bausch Collection

PThomas

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Tom MacWood has passed away
« Reply #10 on: August 13, 2012, 10:09:07 PM »
RIP, and my condolences to his family
199 played, only Augusta National left to play!

Joe Andriole

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Tom MacWood has passed away
« Reply #11 on: August 13, 2012, 10:11:08 PM »
After more than a dozen years of spending time on this website I have learned that not all posts and posters are equal. However I never failed to read one of Tom's posts because it was likely that It would make me think or better that I would learn something. I met him briefly quite by accident at Michael Hurdzan's office in Columbus several years ago.  He was doing research in Mr Hurdzan's substantial library .As is often the case, the person didn't seem to match the impression but he was gracious and friendly. I think that his lengthy opinion piece on the Arts and Crafts movement is superb and one of the cornerstone literary works on this site. His post were scholarly,inquisitive, original and often polemic - all good things for a discussion to my way of thinking. I shall miss him, his posts and his passion. My condolences to his family.

Chris Buie

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Tom MacWood has passed away
« Reply #12 on: August 13, 2012, 10:13:12 PM »
Truly shocking.
As you can see just from the In My Opinion section he wrote a lot of very high caliber material - certainly far superior to what you will find in most golf books. It would be nice to see his work put together in a book.
It would be a great and distinctive book.
Sincere condolences to Pam, Audrey and Ian.

Jeff_Brauer

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Tom MacWood has passed away
« Reply #13 on: August 13, 2012, 10:15:57 PM »
Very sad, and somewhat shocking.  Had lunch with him, along with Ron Whitten about 8 years ago.  Usually enjoyed his posts, and feel we were all a little better off because someone like him used his hobby hours to uncover the history of gca more than most ever would.
Jeff Brauer, ASGCA Director of Outreach

Craig Van Egmond

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Tom MacWood has passed away
« Reply #14 on: August 13, 2012, 10:16:44 PM »
That is horrible news. I am very sorry to hear this, Tom will be missed.  My thoughts and prayers are with the family.

Patrick_Mucci

Re: Tom MacWood has passed away
« Reply #15 on: August 13, 2012, 10:22:08 PM »
Ran,

That's really terrible news, especially for such a young man.

Please get us the correspondence address so that we can send condolences and write personal notes to his family.

I'm really shocked and sorry to hear this.

Tom was a valueable contributor, a serious historian, critic and afficianado of GCA.

Ian Andrew

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Tom MacWood has passed away
« Reply #16 on: August 13, 2012, 10:22:41 PM »
I'm profoundly saddened by this news. I have corresponded with Tom on a regular basis for about ten years. He has helped me with my research on some US courses and we've regularly shared new information on different architects and courses.

My thoughts to his family.
With every golf development bubble, the end was unexpected and brutal....

RJ_Daley

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Tom MacWood has passed away
« Reply #17 on: August 13, 2012, 10:25:54 PM »
Please, if someone knows of a link to an obituary in coming days, we all would appreciate it.  I ran a google search and so far, no obit came up.  

As all communities of a population the size of GCA.com with a varied age of members who participate, now online for some dozen or more years, it is inevitable that some of us are going to be passing on.  I for one will remember that Tom was a tenacious debater and had very informed views due to his extensive work to research matters about the subject of golf architecture, its history, and the finer points of what may be behind the general historical information and beyond the superficial popularly accepted legend and lore.  Maybe his views and interpretations were as bias as others he debated, but he hung in there to defend his beliefs.  

I am going to assume Tom had an extensive library and collection of writings, and reference material in addition to his own essays and other notations and written material.  I hope that if so, someone that has the type of passion Tom did for the subject will carry it on and preserve what must be there.  That would be a nice way for someone close to Tom, family or associate or colleague to honor his years of work and labors of love.
No actual golf rounds were ruined or delayed, nor golf rules broken, in the taking of any photographs that may be displayed by the above forum user.

Terry Lavin

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Tom MacWood has passed away
« Reply #18 on: August 13, 2012, 10:34:57 PM »
Never met the man, but recognized the passion, the hunger and the drive to be better informed so as to properly defend his firmly held beliefs. But he was only 54?  Am I the only one who thought of him as an older man?  Whatever. It's sad, just sad.
Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American people.  H.L. Mencken

Neil_Crafter

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Tom MacWood has passed away
« Reply #19 on: August 13, 2012, 10:35:16 PM »
I'm really shocked by this news. While I have never met Tom in person, I have been in fairly regular contact with Tom since I first asked him some 8 or so years ago to write an article for our 'Golf Architecture' magazine here in Australia. And he wrote some beauties for us.
He will be sadly missed, and I too hope that his extensive archives will go to a good home. Rest in Peace Tom. My condolences to his family.
Neil

Mike Nuzzo

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Tom MacWood has passed away
« Reply #20 on: August 13, 2012, 10:36:30 PM »
Dear Tom
You will be missed by many
You have been an inspiration
Thank you
Peace & love to you and your family
Mike
Thinking of Bob, Rihc, Bill, George, Neil, Dr. Childs, & Tiger.

Dan King

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Tom MacWood has passed away
« Reply #21 on: August 13, 2012, 10:59:26 PM »
I'll do the only thing I can think to do in his honor: get my heart checked.

Quote
About three days before Jones' death, when he knew he was dying, he said to the members of his family, `If this is all there is to it, it sure is peaceful.' That is good to know. We were lucky we had Jones so long, for he had a rare gift for passing ideas and ideals on to other people. I think he probably enriched more lives than anyone else I have known. He enriched mine beyond measure.
  --Herbert Warren Wind

Condolences,
Dan King
Quote
When the Haig died in 1969, Junior called me from Detroit to tell me there would be no funeral. Instead, a bunch of his cronies were going to throw a party at the Detroit Athletic Club. They thought The Haig would prefer that.
I didn't go. Like Hamlet, golf's sweet prince, I thought, deserved a grander exit than that. He was splendid. They should have carried him out on a shield.
  --Charles Price

Jeff Goldman

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Tom MacWood has passed away
« Reply #22 on: August 13, 2012, 11:01:41 PM »
Jeez that's just awful. Tom taught more on this website than almost anyone else. Heck, remember his bunker quiz from 7 or 8 years ago?  He will be missed. Condolences to his family and loved ones.
That was one hellacious beaver.

Kirk Gill

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Tom MacWood has passed away
« Reply #23 on: August 13, 2012, 11:19:04 PM »
My condolences to Tom Macwood's family. I only knew him through this forum, but through his writing I feel like I knew his mind. I read his essays, and many of his posts. He taught me, he made me question my beliefs, and on occasion he hacked me off. What more could you ask for from a fellow participant in a discussion group? It's a sad day. He left the world at far too young an age.
"After all, we're not communists."
                             -Don Barzini

Ed Oden

  • Karma: +0/-0
Re: Tom MacWood has passed away
« Reply #24 on: August 13, 2012, 11:19:51 PM »
What tragic news.  Tom's passing is a true loss to this website and historical research generally.  Even his strongest critics can't argue that he will be deeply missed.  Our loss, however, is nothing compared to a family that has lost a husband and father.  My thoughts and prayers go out to Tom's wife and children in such a trying time.

Tags:
Tags:

An Error Has Occurred!

Call to undefined function theme_linktree()
Back