Paul Dye Jr.

1925 - 2020

Paul (Pete) Dye Jr.

Gulfstream, FL - Paul (Pete) Dye Jr. of Gulfstream, FL, known to many as the father of modern golf course architecture, passed away on January 9, 2020. He was born in Urbana, Ohio December 29th, 1925 to Paul Frances Dye and Elizabeth Johnson Dye. Pete's lifelong career in golf began as a youngster, pulling weeds and caddying at Urbana (Ohio) Country Club, a course his father had built in 1923 on the Johnson family farm. Upon graduating high school, Pete enlisted in the U.S. Army during World War II, serving in the 82nd Airborne Parachute Infantry. After his honorable discharge from the Army, he continued his education at Rollins College and Stetson University in Florida.

Pete met Alice Holliday O'Neal, the love of his life, at Rollins College where they were both golf team captains. Pete and Alice married on February 2, 1950.

Settling with Alice in Indianapolis, Pete became one of the youngest members of the insurance industry's prestigious Million Dollar Round Table. In 1959, he left insurance and with Alice embarked on a career in golf course architecture. Although told at the time that the economic rewards of the profession were not encouraging, Pete and Alice pursued their dream together and in 1960 began building a 9-hole course south of Indianapolis now known as Dye's Walk, which was soon followed by their first 18-hole course, Maple Creek.

In 1963, a trip to Scotland with Alice would profoundly influence his subsequent designs and career. Touring the great Scottish courses, Pete was influenced by the features he saw - small greens, pot bunkers, undulating fairways, wooden bulkheads- and began incorporating them into his own work. Early course designs in Pete's new signature style included Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, IN, The Golf Club in New Albany, OH and Harbour Town Golf Links in Hilton Head, SC, a collaboration with Jack Nicklaus that propelled Pete's career to the next level.

The decades that followed saw Pete build some of the greatest courses of the modern era, several of which have hosted major championships and The Ryder Cup. Oak Tree in Edmund, OK, TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, FL, The Ocean Course in Kiawah Island, SC, and Whistling Straits in Kohler, WI all challenged the world's top golfers. Casa de Campo resort in the Dominican Republic, where Pete built 90 holes including the world-renowned Teeth of the Dog, was a project Pete was especially proud of and where he had a vacation home for decades. Pete was a mentor to hundreds in the golf industry and his influence continues through their work in golf architecture, building practices and course maintenance.

Pete was also an accomplished amateur golfer. He won the Ohio State High School Golf Championship, was a medalist in the Ohio Amateur, qualified for the US Amateur five times, won the Indiana State Amateur, competed in a British Amateur, and played in the US Open at Inverness where he famously finished ahead of Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus.

Pete received dozens of honors throughout his career including the Donald Ross Award from the American Society of Golf Course Architects, the Old Tom Morris Award from the Golf Course Superintendents Association and the Sagamore of Wabash from the State of Indiana. Pete is one of only five golf course architects in the World Golf Hall of Fame. He was awarded honorary doctorates from Purdue University, Rollins College and the University of South Carolina.

He was preceded in death by his brother Roy and sister Ann Doss, as well as his wife Alice who passed away last year on February 1st. He is survived by sons Perry (Ann) of Colorado & P.B. (Jean) of Ohio, both successful golf architects carrying on the family tradition and who like their parents are members of the American Society of Golf Course Architects. Also surviving are two granddaughters Lucy Dye (Erik) Bowman and Lilly Dye (Ross) Harmon and two great-grandchildren Brooks and Margaret Harmon.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to International Circle of Friends, Inc., 12012 South Shore Blvd., Suite 208, Wellington, FL 33414 (www.internationalcircle.org). A Celebration of Life will be held at Crooked Stick Golf Club in Carmel, Indiana on Thursday, May 28th.