[Anthony Gholz]

My homage to Mr Dye is to tout his Radrick Farms course at the U of Michigan.  It's an early pre-Scotland design.  However, it is a wonderful mix of holes on a big scale undulating site.  Mr Dye had the talent before he added Scotland to the mix.  I spent two summers playing it once a week.  Will never forget it.  Anthony

[Mike_DeVries]

I only met Pete and Alice once but feel like I knew them due to all the stories and design theory that Tom Doak passed on to me and Gil in the early days.  Thanks for sharing that with me, Tom.


A great designer, constructor, and human being, Pete will live on in his many great courses and influence on other designers - probably as significant as Old Tom Morris, just in another era.

[Jeff_Brauer]

Not lucky enough to have worked with Pete, but got to know him and played several rounds of golf with him via ASGCA.  Certainly, one of the highlights of any meeting was when I saw an open chair next to him and took it.  Never failed to learn something. 


When I became Prez of ASGCA he (Alice really) called and asked us to dinner to celebrate.  That even topped getting the call from RTJ for breakfast a few years earlier. 

Not surprisingly, I have a bigger share of good Pete stories than I should have, proportionally tot he actual time spent with him.  I'm sure I am well back in the pack of those who have stories to share.  But, can't resist a few of the best:

I told him was getting criticism for the excessive contours on my first design.  He asked where it was, and I said, Georgia.  He thought a minute and gave some advice.  First, "Never apologize for nothin'.  It was just the way you wanted it."  Then, "Say you wanted the best greens in the state, and in Georgia, that means Augusta National."  There had been some soft openings and I stammered through the questions about the greens.  I used his lines the next time and the same people just nodded in agreement......


Best description of my golf game came from Pete - "I looked like I'm shooting 90, but I shot 70.  You looked like you were shooting 70, but shot 90."


Finished playing Muirfield after a lousy putting round (well, pretty standard for me) and hit the restroom.  Urinal next to mine was open, but he declined to use it, saying, "You'll probably miss left again."


Everyone will miss him.  And his work.

[Jason Topp]

My perception:


Pete Dye broke the mold that had constrained the design of golf courses since World War II.  His designs challenged the golfer in new, interesting and entertaining ways.  His approach of both designing and building created a new business model.  His approach to mentoring spawned a generation of wonderful architects.

[James Brown]

Not lucky enough to have worked with Pete, but got to know him and played several rounds of golf with him via ASGCA.  Certainly, one of the highlights of any meeting was when I saw an open chair next to him and took it.  Never failed to learn something. 


When I became Prez of ASGCA he (Alice really) called and asked us to dinner to celebrate.  That even topped getting the call from RTJ for breakfast a few years earlier. 

Not surprisingly, I have a bigger share of good Pete stories than I should have, proportionally tot he actual time spent with him.  I'm sure I am well back in the pack of those who have stories to share.  But, can't resist a few of the best:

I told him was getting criticism for the excessive contours on my first design.  He asked where it was, and I said, Georgia.  He thought a minute and gave some advice.  First, "Never apologize for nothin'.  It was just the way you wanted it."  Then, "Say you wanted the best greens in the state, and in Georgia, that means Augusta National."  There had been some soft openings and I stammered through the questions about the greens.  I used his lines the next time and the same people just nodded in agreement......


Best description of my golf game came from Pete - "I looked like I'm shooting 90, but I shot 70.  You looked like you were shooting 70, but shot 90."


Finished playing Muirfield after a lousy putting round (well, pretty standard for me) and hit the restroom.  Urinal next to mine was open, but he declined to use it, saying, "You'll probably miss left again."


Everyone will miss him.  And his work.

Great stories.  Damn.


For my part, the only way I knew Pete Dye was through his legacy in the dirt, which may well last 1000 years.  Who knows.   


If you’ve ever stood on the 17th tees at the Ocean Course or at TPC.  If you’ve ever bounced a ball off a railroad tie.  If you’ve ever thought:   I might drive the green!  I feel like you have known a little something about a course architect you have probably never met, but can feel like you know. 


I will never feel like I knew Ross or MacKenzie or Macdonald.  I feel like I knew Pete Dye. 


RIP

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