APRIL 1990 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. ingfifth i n 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 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 ownfirm, 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 . 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 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 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 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. Gambling, drinking, great food, ing his courses, according to his abit of ariftbetween George and Jim. Beach, Fla. in 1973. struction boom. New courses women and being just 22. Now that nephew. Jim had to leave the business to "I felt like kind of a fake pro," nationally were being built at a was a lot," he remembered. IfhehadafaulUtmighthavebeen join the Naval Reserves in 1964. He confessed Jim. "I had a hard pace oflOO to 200 annually in Tom sees severalkey courses that thathe dreamed too much, saidTom. met his wife, Amy, and they were time breaking 80." the 1960s. Those numbers kept the Fazio ship pointed in the Some players at Jupiter Hills, where married shortly after his discharge a Tom bought out George, who rose to the 200 to 350 range in rightdirection. Moselem Springs CC George lived the last 15 years of his year later. then retired to Jupiter Hills, in the early 1970s, similar to the in Fleetwood, Pa., helped launch the life, felt he was changing the course When raising his three children the mid-1970s. The brothers course-a-day goal architects company in 1964. Jupiter Hill gave it too much. Butmany PinehurstNo. 2 cut into Jim's ability to work seven returned to their former ar- are setting for the 1990s. momentum heading into the 1970s. players said the same about Donald days a week, 24 hours a day, George rangement, Tom designing and Jim building. The relationship came full circle when Jim started his own company in 1984with George as his partner. Among the courses built un- der the Jim and George Fazio names were The Reserve Golf & Country Club in Ft Pierce, Fla.; Mower Ever Designed LaQuerce Golf Course in Rome; St Lucie West Country Club in St. Lucie, Fla.; Hawk's Nest Country Club in Vero Beach, Fla.; and the Woodlands Country Of Its Environment. Club in Falmouth, Maine. "I kept the George and Jim Fazio names on those courses, even though George never got to see them finished," explained Jim, whose uncle died in 1986. Jim renamed his company Jim Fazio Golf Design and re- cently appended that to & Sons, with Jim Jr., 23, and Tom, 22, now actively involved in the business. Young Jim is currently working on a pair of courses in Japan and his brother a 36-hole project for fashion designer Laura Biagiotti in Rome. Now that Jim's kids are grown, he's the one jetting around the The design of the Reelmaster 223-D has produced a world putting in the long days. new standard that other lightweight mowers are sure Tom, whose six children range to follow. It's built cleanly and efficiently for smooth from 4 to 13, confines most of operation and easy servicing. All controls are con- his work to the Eastern United veniently arranged in one easy-to-reach location. States, within a two-hour pri- Maneuverability is unsurpassed due to a short vate jet ride of his North Caro- wheelbase and precise, full-power quad- i lina home. link steering. A taller tire design gives "George's philosophy was you greater traction with less compaction great if that (working 24 hours a day) is what you wanted to do. and faster turning without scuffing. But he didn't change my way of Golfers expect a well-groomed playing thinking, or Tom's either," said surface. And their standards are rising.Onl y the Jim. Reelmaster 223-D can handle the job. From bent grass to And how about the easy part Bermuda, hills to contours, no other lightweight fairway of working for George? The nice mower gives you this kind of productivity, quality of cut part, and it far outweighed any or superior turf. Call your local Toro distributor for a negatives Tom and Jim agreed, demonstration. Or contact Toro at the address below. was George's willingness to give his then wet-behind-the-ears nephews immense responsibil- ity and provide almost anything needed to get the job done right The biggest design difference between George and contempo- rary architects is more the result of changes in environmental laws than a difference in philosophy, saidTom. Hole placements around natural ar- eas,protectivebufferzonesanddrain- ageconsiderationsincontouringfair- TheRpofessionals ways weren't things architects had That KeepY)u Gutting. to worry about 15 to 20 years ago. "I canlookat acourse and tell what decade it was built in by how it takes "Reelmaster" and "Toro" are registered trademarks of The Toro Company. © 1989 The Toro Company. into effect environmmental consid- The Toro Company, Commercial Marketing Services, 8111 Lyndale Avenue South, Minneapolis, MN 55420 Continued on page 35 Bengeyfield Rossi Continued from page 34 Northeastregion director to national Continued from page 8 When the aluminum shaft market being." Despite hisretirement, Bengeyfield director. Mike Kenna, who joined you." collapsed, the NGF lost most of its The "sentimental Italian," Don plans on staying active rather than the USGAfrom Oklahoma State Uni- Rickey saidthatafterjoiningNGF, funding and "Don had to go in and called himself. viewing the game from the gallery. versity in mid-January, will be direc- Don soon proved "a master" at work- fire all these people we had justhired Rossi is credited with fashioning He is already involved in consult- tor of research, taking over many of ing with diverse people with varied and trained, which is the toughest theAlliedAssociationsofGolflargely ing projects in Spain and Japan and the duties Bengeyfield had as chair- attitudes, and bringing those people management assignment there is. by his own enthusiasm and his genu- figures to do more overseas and man ofth e USGA/GCSAATurfgrass together. Don had to cut the budget 50 per- ine love for other people. domestic work in the future. Research Committee. Don forever spoke highly of oth- cent He not only managed that but Near the end he took that enthu- He and wife Betty will spend May "It's reached the point where one ers in the industry. Asked his opin- built a very strong organization and sism abroad for the golf industry. through October running Frankfort man can't do it all," said Bengeyfield. ion of the NGF's move into the serv- handed over a strong organization As Fullmer said, "He brought the (Mich.) Golf Course, a nine-hole 'There are 13 agronomists on the ice field, he refused to pass judg- on his retirement," Rickey said. "But Rossi radiance to the entire world." "Mom and Pop" affair the couple staff now. We had 600 subscribers in ment "I think leadership atthe NGF what always remained with me and If something was good for golf, he purchased about 10 years ago. 1981 and now if s up to 1,700. is extraordinary," he replied. showed me the character of the man supported it. Winters willfind the m holed up in "The research committee invested Rickey told the story of the near- was the way he took care of the From the very beginning, he en- their Caldwell, Idaho, home. $3 million this year. Next year we'll collapse of the NGF shortly after people we had to let go. The way he couraged Golf Course News and me, Bengeyfield also expects to occa- invest even more with all the envi- Don took over its reins. At that time treated them and worked with them not because of me or the newspaper sionally be in touch with his replace- ronmental concerns. Both jobs are most of the funding for the founda- to place them in equal or even better especially, but because he knew that ment, or replacements actually. on the incline and I'm on the de- tion came from testing aluminim jobs was masterful. He had so much by its very existence, the paperwould Jim Snow is being promoted from cline." shafts. compassion and was afine huma n help the game. And though he wisely tempered optimism with realism, you couldn't dampen his outlook for the golf in- TOTHOSE dustry. In our last conversation of length, I asked him: 'What if the STILL stock market goes boom?" His reply: "During the Depres- QUESTIONING sion there was more golf played than immediately before or after the De- THE BENEFIT pression because people had more time on their hands and golf was a OF PACE great outlet" FUNGICIDE, Calling him a driving force in the industry might actually be under- WE'D LIKE TO doing it Don Rossi was an accelerat- ing force. CLEAR Hewillbe missed dearly. Butthose of us who will be spending time with THE AIR. him in the future can look forward to that time with anticipation. We'd also like to help Fazios clearupthat nasty container Continued from page 31 erations," said Tom. An emphasis on quality was the disposal problem of yours. most important thing Tom and Jim adopted from George. Not to mention improv- "His favorite saying was 'I never want to hear you say ing your Pythium control a that's good enough.' Every time I hear that expression it rings a healthy notch or two. bell about George," said Tom. Added Jim: "He wanted to do All of which is possible a good job, no matter what the cost He told us money was just thanks to Pace"and its dust- a by-product of what you did in life. If you are good at what you free, water-soluble package. do, the money will come. And if it doesn't, don't worry. The pride in knowingyou do quality workis more It's simply the most effec- important" As for the future, would Tom tive Pythium control you can want his children to follow in his family's footsteps? use. And the most responsi- "I look at Jim and his kids. I look at the Joneses. And I look at ble way you can use it. Pete Dye with his two kids. I guess it's a natural instinct. But I certainly wouldn't force it on them. I've seen enough to know it's not an easy business," he said.

American Golf buys Riverside American Golf Corp. has bought Riverside Golf Club outside Dallas Texas. The par 72,18-hole course, de- signed by Roger B. Packard, will be open to the public. Its facilities include a clubhouse, golf shop, food and beverage facili- ties and driving range.