Whether Robert was a great architect or not is open to interpretation. Having worked for him for over seven years I can tell you that he was certainly a trend setter in the industry, and defined good design by his own set of standards. Several years after he left Dick Wilson, he became one of the first architects to form a partnership with a touring pro (Bruce Devlin), and he was a pioneer in cultivating international commissions in Europe, South America, Central America, Japan, Australia and a couple in Africa.
He had a very flamboyant personality and I think this came across in his design theory. Robert looked at the shaping of a golf course as sculpture, and enjoyed shaping the earth in an effort to capture shadows. His use of the ethereal qualities of light in his designs was truly groundbreaking. His ability as an artist was second to none. He would describe every shot on a golf course with three dimensional sketches that he would create in less than thirty minutes (and they were of a quality that you could frame and hang on a wall).
His appearance was certainly to his benefit. Being 6 foot -6 inches tall and looking like the Marlboro Man does cause people to notice you, and he enhanced this image with his dapper style and grace. His wife Greta (the love of his life for over forty years) was an actress who was in several movies in the late 1960's (as Greta Randall), and was a Gleason Girl on the Jackie Gleason Show. Before Robert was a golf course architect he played a few events on the tour, was one of the original Marlboro Men, and played Joe Poluca on TV. Needless to say, he led a very interesting life.
I happen to think that he was a great designer, but an even better person. As a boss he was generous and caring, and he was willing to let his partners and staff spread their wings as architects and people. Our Christmas parties were legendary and we had a very close knit group. When I was a college kid he wrote four letters for me to try and help me find employment (letters were to Jack Nicklaus, Tom Fazio, Joe Lee and Karl Litten), and I still have them to this day. Three years later he called me and offered me a job.
Perhaps the greatest tribute to the man is the number of architects that are practicing today that passed through his office over the years. GCA's Rick Baril and Kelly Moran, Mike Smelek, Rick Robbins, Karl Litten, and Ron Prichard all worked for Robert over the years. Rick, Mike and Kelly were his partners when I was there, and I still consider them all good friends and colleagues. They can probably give you better insight into the man as they all worked for him longer than I did. Mike and Rick were with Robert for over a quarter of a century.
I certainly enjoyed my association with him, and consider myself lucky to have him as one who helped shape my career (along with Jeff Brauer). It was an honor to know him.