Some Clans in Design

APRIL 1990 Golf Course News 25 some clans in design In the early days the Fazios dealt in turnkey operations, designing and Fazio brothers building a course that was turned over to the owners ready for play. Courses continue were built for about $10,000 a hole, a tradition far cry from the millions spent on George Fazio's missed putt on the final today's links. regulation hole of the 1950 U.S. Open may "Of course those weren't the same courses have been the biggest break of his nephew we have today. We didn't build cart paths. Tom's life. We didn't install irrigation systems. We didn't "If he'd made that putt it wouldn't have use sod. We didn't have USGA spec greens. gone to a playoff and (Ben) Hogan wouldn't We did not move the same amount of have beaten him," remembered Tom. 'Win- earth. ning that tournament might have changed "We did like they did around the his career. He might not have gotten into turn of the century: look for a good golf course architecture which meant I At left, George Fazio piece of land to put a golf course on. probably wouldn't have either. Having him makes a design point to Today you can put a course just about miss that shot might have been the best |young nephew Tom. Above anywhere, it's just a question of dol- thing that ever happened to me." is Jim Fazio today. lars. You can create something from George, who died in 1986, might dis- nothing," said Tom, referring to agree. But he'd still get a chuckle out of his Shadow Creek, a Fazio-designed nephew's assessment. course recently forged out of the Despite his overtime 1950 loss to Hogan, Nevada desert near Las Vegas. George had a successful playing career, George's firm in 1961. The pair did on board a year later at age 17. Money is the biggest change in the game winning the 1946 Canadian Open and finish- the bulk of their early work in the "Golf was always a part of the family. I over the past 30 years, agreed Jim. ing fifth in the 1952 and fourth in the 1953 Philadelphia area. never thought about doing anything else, 'There's too much of it, today," he said. U.S. Opens. He was a resident pro at several Tom, who weeded greens summers never considered doing anything else, never "Something like 47 of the top 100 courses in courses, including Pine Valley, before turn- and washed dishes in the clubhouse did anything else and never intend to do the country were built before 1940, ing to architecture in 1959. winters while growing up and working anything else," said Tom, whose father was and I'll bet none of them cost over Tom's older brother, Jim, joined at George's Pennsylvania club, came a pro at a Pennsylvania club.. $100,000. "Today it costs six, eight, 10, 20 Dyes million dollars. It's a crime. But each developer wants his course to be bet- Continued from page 24 ter than the last one. Anything beyond railroad tie bulkheads and deep native the rough line is just an added expense roughs — into their own style. Many of to the golfer. All the rest is just those characteristics can be seen on Pete's eyewash." better-known courses, including Casa de The Fazios' early-1960s construc- Campo in the Dominican Republic, The Golf tion costs often exceeded, sometimes Club in Columbus, Ohio, Harbour Town by hundreds of thousands of dollars, Golf links on Hilton Head Island and the the $180,000 they charged buyers. original Tournament Players Club at Ponte But George was willing to absorb the Vedra, Fla. financial setbacks in order to learn Roy Dye, Pete's younger brother and a the business. Fortunately he had off- chemical engineer by trade, left that field setting income from several other and joined Pete's design practice in 1969. courses he owned and an automobile Roy worked with Pete on several projects business he operated, said Tom. before opening his own business, which is Jimmy Demaret, a former pro golfer located in Carefree, Ariz. and good friend of George's, got the Sons Perry, 37, and P.B. (Paul Fazios involved in their first out-of- Burke), 34, became involved with the Continued on page 31 game and architecture at an early age. A younger Alice "I had a golf club in my hand for the Dye with one of her first time when I was 4 and was on a many golfing tractor at 7. \trophies. "I've been on a golf course every day I Pete Dye years ago with sons Perry, left, and P.B. wasn't in school since," remembered P.B., who now runs his own firm, P.B. Dye Inc., in Golf Digest's best new private course of see the Pete Dye name next to his sons' West Palm Beach, Fla. 1984. before providing financing. 'They were running the equipment as Now on his own, P.B. is concentrating on "Designing a golf course is like painting. soon as they were old enough to reach the developing affordable, public courses. You don't want someone else adding brush pedals," said Alice. Perry, on the other hand, employs about strokes. We might discuss ideas. But each 'That experience helped them. It's so im- 120 at Denver-based Dye Designs Inc. of us does our own thing," said Alice. PLANTSTAR, INC portant in this business to know what equip- A graduate of the University of Denver's Alice sees similar architectural styles be- ment can do." real estate marketing program, he has de- tween parents and sons, and is especially P.B., like his parents, runs a relatively signed and built courses throughout the pleased with her offsprings' placement of * Manufacture of High Grade small-scale operation that has concentrated world. forward tees, an aspect of course design she Liquid Fertilizer its work in the United States. Perry and his father co-designed the TPC has long championed. "We basically work out of a suitcase," said of Plum Creek near Castle Rock, Colo. But there are differences. For instance, * Customized Fertigation Alice, who, with Pete, generally has no more Perry is one of the better-known develop- the sons may design an 8-foot bunker that is Systems than one or two projects going at a time. ers in Japan,where his work has received difficult enough to climb out of, let alone hit * Bulk Transfer And Handling Pete estimates he has designed 70 courses substantial publicity and current president out of, said Alice. Systems in 20 years. of the Golf Course Builders of America. "Their work is much more severe. Pete P.B., who shares an office with a contrac- 'We're just two different people," said may suggest they downplay it a little. But 1-800-277-STAR tor, said he prefers to have no more than 10 P.B. "Perry's an excellent promoter and they don't listen. Kids are kids," chuckled 404-769-TURF fires in the iron at once and is most comfort- helps keep a lot of people working. I like to Alice. PLANTSTAR, INC able with about six. keep things smaller and get more involved Growing up with Pete and Alice, Perry PO BOX 304 P.B.'s first collaboration with his father with the building myself. and P.B. developed a taste for the Watkinsville Georgia was Long Cove Club on Hilton Head, voted "I told him I'll take everything east of the classic designs of the old Scottish 30677 among America's top 100 courses by Golf Mississippi River and he can have every- courses that first attracted their Digest magazine just two years after it thing to the west, including the rest of the parents. opened. world." "If anything, they have a harder The Honors Course near Chattanooga, The Dyes rarely collaborate on course time letting go of the past than me," Tenn., another joint venture with Pete, was designs now that banks no longer need to said Pete. Fazios Continued from page 25 Designing and building courses WildDunesGolfLinks in South Caro- Ross, who liked to toy with the course handed Jim's spot on the company state job at the Champions GC was pretty heady stuff for 22-year-old lina put wind in the sails heading into he designed and lived on the final ladder to Tom. in Houston in 1964. Nevada's Tom, who found himself directing the 1980s. Wade Hampton GC in years of his life. Jim continued to work for Tom Edgewood Tahoe CC in 1967 constructionattheEdgewoodTahoe North Carolina and Shadow Creek Georgewas both difficult and easy and George for several years. Tom was their second out-of-Phila- course. will open the waters to the 1990s. to work for, remembered Tom. andGeorgedesignedHiddenSprings delphia-area effort. Jupiter Hills "Here you had one of the greatest But it all comes back to George, He was difficult in that he was a CC in Horsham, Pa. and Jim built it opened the Florida market in sites in America, right on the lake one of the first professional golfers taskmaster who rarely took a day off Jim stayed as head pro of the 36-hole 1970. withgiantPonderosapinesallaround. to get into architecture. He was an and expected the same of others. course for five years, before rejoin- Jupiter Hills helped launch an I had a penthouse suite at the Sahara artist, a dreamer, who enjoyed sculpt- That work-a-holic tendency created ing the firm and moving to Palm era similar to today's con- Hotel.

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