Brad Klein wins ASGCA Donald Ross lifetime achievement award

[Tommy Naccarato]

Congratulations to Dr. Bradley S. Klein, who will be honored next March in La Jolla, California when he is presented as the 2015 recipient of the ASGCA's Donald Ross Award!  This award could not go to a better person as Brad has been a great influence to many of us who believed in the Golf Architecture movement which I believe, along with this website, revamped the world of golf design as a whole.

I'm very proud to call Brad a friend, even more, a definitive voice in my own education of golf architecture.

Thank You Brad! This is an award well-deserved!

http://www.geoffshackelford.com/homepage/2014/11/11/dr-klein-named-40th-donald-ross-award-recipient.html

[Eric Smith]

Oh, sure, Tommy - you can call him "Dr. Klein", but I can't? I'm only kidding.

Congratulations, Brad!

[Mark Bourgeois]

Wow!

[Terry Lavin]

Congratulations, Brad, and thanks for giving us another reason to go to LaJolla in March!

[Mike_Young]

Congrats Brad.  I remember when you designed your first bunker

[Steve Lapper]

Congrats to Brad and his tireless efforts to shed light on intelligent golf architecture. Few people still living have contributed as much to promoting focus on architecture and placing a premium back onto smart practices and preservation of original design.

GCA.com wouldn't be a fraction as influential if it weren't for Brad's early writing. We all, and especially those whose followed this site over the past five years, owe him a rather significant debt.

Cheers and a Hearty Congratulations!

[John Kavanaugh]

Brad and Dinah Shore, who'd a thunk it?  Congrats!  http://www.asgca.org/awards/156-donald-ross-award-winners

[Brad Klein]

John, you missed out on Herb Wind if you want to find out what we three have in common.

Brad

[Terry Lavin]

This guy has created enough sawdust to cap off a major municipal landfill. And in the process, he has helped educate golfers and committee members and probably prompted more than me to get "higher" education on this website. Cheers and thanks for everything!

[John Kavanaugh]

John, you missed out on Herb Wind if you want to find out what we three have in common.

Brad

Two of the all time greats, may your legacy live as long as theirs.  I'd like to read your take on why another female celebrity never picked up where Dinah left off.

[PGertner]

Congratulations Brad!!!!

Patrick Gertner
Potowomut Goilf Club
East Greenwich, RI

[Michael Wharton-Palmer]

Congratulations Dr Klein

[Dunlop_White]

In 2001, when BK won the Herbert Warren Wind Award for "Discovering Donald Ross", Brad called with the news and we had lunch at The Masters to celebrate. (and I would imagine a cigar may have been involved) Some 13.5 years later, I'm looking forward to celebrating again for another well-deserved award. In the mid-90's, Ross courses most everywhere were overgrown and over-wrought with vegetation and secondary tree plantings. Discouraged — and desperate to find material on the topic, I first ran across Doak's "The Anatomy of a Golf Course". Then it was Mark Studer's unfolding work at Oakmont. But it was BK's "Rough Meditations" that hit home, and we became co-conspirators in this pursuit ever since. He approached tree removal with common sense arguments and some humor as well. It's been a long, methodical process to change the public's perceptions about trees on golf courses, but Brad has been a key linchpin behind this effort, and most Ross courses (and many, many other classics) today are better off for it. Congratulations and thank you!

[Craig Disher]

A lot of kind comments have been directed my way since the restoration of #2 but none of those aerials would have turned up if it hadn't been for Brad kindling my early interest in Ross, Pinehurst, and gca research.

Congratulations Brad.

[Rich Goodale]

Good for Brad.  He deserves it.

[Terry Lavin]

A lot of kind comments have been directed my way since the restoration of #2 but none of those aerials would have turned up if it hadn't been for Brad kindling my early interest in Ross, Pinehurst, and gca research.

Congratulations Brad.

Craig,

Yours is a very celebrated version of something that Brad has done countless times.  He knows how to light a fire on matters related to golf course architecture and maintenance, that's for sure.

[RJ_Daley]

JK, nothing like letting a little sunshine into some of the dark corners of GCA.  Congrats to BK.

[Mark Steffey]

Congratulations Brad

[Brett Wiesley]

Congrats as well to Brad.  While we've not met, I did as well enjoy "rough meditations", and it is still owe so relevant it could be published as a new book today and the issues at hand would be still ever prevalent.  It certainly takes a special person and personality to help convince old coggers at many clubs that tree removal is a better vision for their club.  Keep up the good work.

Brett Wiesley

[Tim_Cronin]

Congratulations! The previous recipients are in great company!

[Morgan Clawson]

Well deserved!

Discovering Donald Ross and Wide Open Fairways are both great reads. 

[Stan Dodd]

I had the good fortune of playing an early morning round with Brad at Dornoch this past summer.  His knowledge of Ross, and Dornoch was like a master's level course in golf course architecture.  Very enjoyable.  Congratulations Brad.

[ward peyronnin]

Careful Brad

Now that this is out on GCA the tree house will show to drink up the accompanying cash award.

Congratulations

[Peter Pallotta]

My congratulations too, Brad.

It reminds me (and I hope you find the analogy/comparison a compliment): I think of American golf in the 1910s and 20s as being shaped by the "Circle of 100" -- a small group comprised of the leading architects and club members and captains of industry and writers/theorists and  golfers who all in one way or another knew each other, worked with each other, and supported/criticized each other. It worked out pretty well, I'd say - it was the golden age. But who would've expected that 100 years later and with all the social and economic and demographic and technological changes since then, we'd still have a "Circle of 100" shaping the face of golf. You're obviously an important part of that group, and I think you're all doing a fine job.

Best
Peter

PS  Maybe there is room to 'formalize it' -- e.g. have Golfweek sponsor a "Circle of 100". A year's worth of articles by and conferences with members of that small club, for a very public discussion/debate on the state of the game and its future. Fraught with challenges, that idea, but maybe worth it.

[JC Urbina]

Tommy,

A nice shout out to Brad Klein for a well deserved award. Years and years of studying, preaching and writing about the essence of golf  design Is appreciated by all of us.

I really enjoyed the friendship we developed during the creation of Old Mac, his no nonsense approach to design is really his strength. 

Keep spreading the word Brad.