Robert Lawrence (golf course architect)

Robert "Red" Lawrence was an American golf course architect, largely producing courses in the US states of Arizona and New Mexico.

Robert "Red" Lawrence
Born1893
White Plains, New York
DiedJuly 27, 1976
NationalityAmerican
OccupationGolf course architect

Life and career

Lawrence was born in White Plains, New York in 1893.[1] He began his career in 1919, as layout engineer of Westchester Country Club in Rye, New York, becoming part of what is known as the second generation of major American golf course designers. He is also known as a member of the "Philadelphia School" of golf course design, and was involved in the re-design of the original and premier example of this school the Merion Golf Club in Ardmore, Pennsylvania. In his early career, Lawrence was largely under the tutelage of William S. Flynn between 1921 and 1932, serving as the course architect's design assistant.[2] He then became the manager of several important golf and country clubs, before becoming a full-time golf course architect. Lawrence was a founding member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects in 1946.[3] By the age of 65 he moved from his residency in Boca Raton, Florida to Arizona, where he became a prolific architect of western American golf courses.[2]

In 1962 he earned the additional moniker "Desert Fox" for his design of the Desert Forest Golf Club, the world's first course built entirely in the desert.[1] At Desert Forest, the Championship Golf Course at the University of New Mexico, and other courses, he is known for building a course using the natural terrain of the area and including the original aspects of the region in the design.[4][5] In 1974 Lawrence designed an 18-hole addition to The Wigwam golf club, a course that was eventually named the "Red" course in honor of his long-term nickname.[6] His golf courses at the Tubac Golf Resort & Spa were featured in the 1996 Kevin Costner film Tin Cup.[7] Lawrence died in Tucson on July 27, 1976 at the age of 83, and inducted into the Arizona Golf Hall of Fame posthumously in 2003.[1][2]

Golf courses
The 17th hole of the Desert Forest Golf Club, designed by Robert "Red" Lawrence

The following are examples of golf courses designed by Lawrence (the list does not include every course he designed):

References
  1. "Robert "Red" Lawrence". Archived from the original on September 1, 2012. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  2. Bradley S. Klein (2004). Desert Forest Golf Club: The First Forty Years. Desert Forest Golf Club. pp. 57–65.
  3. "History: ASGCA In the Beginning". Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  4. "History". Archived from the original on February 8, 2013. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  5. Wayne Freedman (December 20, 2010). "Desert Forest Golf Club Review". ABC News. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  6. Lance W. Burton (2007). The Wigwam Resort. Arcadia Publishing. p. 8. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  7. "Desert Drives". Canadian Traveller. Archived from the original on April 13, 2013. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  8. "UNM - Championship Course and Robert "Red" Lawrence". Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  9. Klein, Bradley S. Page 59.
  10. "Country Club of Green Valley". Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  11. "Desert Forest Golf Club - Private". Golf Channel. Retrieved September 25, 2012.
  12. "Diplomat Resort Country Club - Public". Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  13. Rebecca Larsen (2004). "Desert Forest Golf Club: The Desert Course that Started it All". Golf Now. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  14. "Fountain of the Sun Country Club". Arizona Golfer. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  15. "Havasu Island Golf Course". Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  16. "Sunset Golf Club". Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  17. "Tres Rios GC at Estrella Mountain Park". Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  18. "Tucson Estates Golf Course". Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  19. "Tubac Resort to Hold Junior Golf Benefit Tournament". Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  20. Cicely A. Richard and Demand Media. "Golf Courses in Tubac, Arizona". USA Today. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  21. "The Wigwam". Retrieved November 7, 2012.
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