A. W. Tillinghast

A.W. Tillinghast
Tillinghast in 1909
Born(1876-05-07)May 7, 1876
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
DiedMay 19, 1942(1942-05-19) (aged 66)
Toledo, Ohio, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
OccupationArchitect
AwardsWorld Golf Hall of Fame (2015)
ProjectsWinged Foot Golf Club, San Francisco Golf Club, Bethpage Black Course, Baltusrol Golf Club, Somerset Hills Golf Club, Quaker Ridge Golf Club, Baltimore Country Club, Shackamaxon Country Club[1]

Albert Warren "Tilly" Tillinghast (May 7, 1876 – May 19, 1942)[2][3] was an American golf course architect. Tillinghast was one of the most prolific architects in the history of golf; he worked on more than 265 different courses. He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2015.[4]

Tillinghast, along with William Flynn, George C. Thomas, Jr., Hugh Wilson, George Crump, and William Fownes together made up the "Philadelphia School" of golf course architecture. Together, the group designed over 300 courses, 27 of which are listed among the top 100 golf courses in the world.[5]

Personal life

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Tillinghast was born in 1874 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the son of Lavinia Worell Davis and Benjamin Collins Tillinghast, owner of a successful rubber goods company there. He married 17 year old Lillian Heath Quigley in 1894 in Philadelphia. They had two daughters Marion Frances (1896–1969) and Elsie May (1898–1974). He lived with his wife Lillian in Beverly Hills, California, and died at his daughter Marion Frances's home in Toledo, Ohio, in 1942.[6]

Career

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Main article: List of golf courses designed by A. W. Tillinghast

Tillinghast-designed courses have hosted multiple professional golf major championships—the 1927, 1928, 1938 and 1949 PGA Championships, contested at Cedar Crest Park, Baltimore Country Club, Shawnee and Hermitage Country Club, respectively; the 2005 and 2016 PGA Championship, contested at Baltusrol Golf Club, which has also been the host of seven U.S. Opens; the 2006 and 2020 U.S. Open, contested at Winged Foot Golf Club; and many others. He also designed the course at the Ridgewood Country Club, used for the 1935 Ryder Cup and Scarboro Golf and Country Club in Toronto, host of the Canadian Open for four occasions. In 1916, he created the Municipal Golf Course, now called Brackenridge Park Golf Course in San Antonio, Texas which hosted the Texas Open from 1922 to 1959. He also designed Oak Hills Country Club in San Antonio, which hosted the Texas Open 24 times between 1960 and 1994. [7]

In Westchester County, New York alone, Tillinghast designed the Fenway Golf Club, Scarsdale; Wykagyl Country Club, New Rochelle; Old Oaks Country Club, Purchase; Quaker Ridge Golf Club, Scarsdale; Scarsdale Golf Club, Hartsdale, where he designed the back nine; Briar Hall Golf & Country Club and Sleepy Hollow Country Club in Briarcliff Manor; and Winged Foot Golf Club (East & West), Mamaroneck. In Rockland County, New York in 1920, Tillinghast created a course specifically for Paramount Pictures founder Adolph Zukor, now known as Paramount Country Club. Tillinghast was also the uncredited co-designer of several green complexes at Century Country Club in Purchase.[6]

Results in major championships

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Tillinghast also played in several major championships, including:[8]

Tournament 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912
U.S. Open DNP DNP DNP DNP DNP WD DNP DNP 25 DNP DNP
U.S. Amateur WD R32 R32 DNQ DNQ DNP DNP R32 DNQ DNP R32

DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place
DNQ = Did not qualify for match play portion
R256, R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play
Yellow background for top-10

Legacy

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The Wissahickon Course at the Philadelphia Cricket Club is dedicated to Tillinghast, who designed the course in 1920.[9]

He was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2015, the "sixth architect to be inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in the Lifetime Achievement category".[10][9]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Hennessey, Stephen (August 22, 2018). "The best A.W. Tillinghast golf courses". Golf Digest. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
  2. ^ Shackelford, Geoff (June 13, 2006). "he Best Holes Ever Designed by Winged Foot Architect A.W. Tillinghast". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on October 23, 2014.
  3. ^ Mallon, Bill; Jerris, Randon (2011). Historical Dictionary of Golf. Scarecrow Press. p. 294. ISBN 9780810874657.
  4. ^ McAllister, Mike (October 15, 2014). "Class of 2015 Hall of Famers receive surprise calls". PGA Tour.
  5. ^ Philadelphia School
  6. ^ a b "A. W. Tillinghast, A Golf Expert, 65; Designer of Many Courses and Former Editor of Golf Illustrated Dies Surveyed 700 Links Captain of First American Team to Hold a Tourney With Canadians". The New York Times. May 20, 1942. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  7. ^ Mallon, Bill; Jerris, Randon (2011). Historical Dictionary of Golf. Scarecrow Press. p. 294. ISBN 9780810874657. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
  8. ^ Source for U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur: USGA Championship Database
  9. ^ a b McAllister, Mike (October 15, 2014). "Class of 2015 Hall of Famers receive surprise calls". PGA Tour.
  10. ^ Passov, Joe (July 13, 2015). "Everything You Need to Know About Hall-of-Fame Architect A.W. Tillinghast". Golf.com. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
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