Charlottesville
June 21, 2022
Donald James Ross (November 23, 1872 – April 26, 1948) was a golf course designer. He was born in Dornoch, Scotland, but became a citizen of and spent most of his adult life in the United States. Ross started his career by being an apprentice to Old Tom Morris at St Andrews in Scotland around 1899. With the help of an American agronomy student, fellow Scotsman Robert White from St. Andrews, Ross decided to move to America. Ross invested all his life savings to move to the United States and walked off the boat with only $2. In America, he got his first job at Oakley Country Club in Watertown, Massachusetts. He quickly rose to the position of golf professional at Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina, where he began his course designing career.
Work
Ross learned several skills related to golf throughout his life such as greens keeping, club making, golf pro, and architect. Ross got his first job at the Royal Dornoch Golf Club, where he played while growing up, working as a greens keeper. Ross served an apprenticeship with Old Tom Morris in St Andrews before investing his life savings in a trip to the U.S. After his year long apprenticeship he went back to the Royal Dornoch Golf Club where he honed his playing abilities while also taking care of the greens and making clubs. Later in 1899, with the encouragement and support of Harvard astronomy professor and Salem and Petersham, Massachusetts resident Robert W. Willson, he obtained his first job in America at Oakley Country Club in Watertown, Massachusetts. In 1900 he was appointed as the golf professional at the Pinehurst Resort in North Carolina, where he began his course design career and eventually designed four courses. He then began running a substantial practice with summer offices in Little Compton, Rhode Island. At its height, Donald J. Ross and Associates, as his practice was known, oversaw the work of thousands of people. However, Ross always kept up his professional golf standing. His brother Alec won the 1907 U.S. Open.
While working at the Oakley Country Club, Ross had left an impression on the president of the Boston Athletic Association at the time, Edward E. Babb. During an exchange in 1910 between Babb and Joseph L. Wyckoff, a business partner of stationary maker White & Wyckoff in Holyoke, Massachusetts, Wyckoff remarked that he wished to find a man who "really knew about the laying out a golf course" for the Mount Tom Golf Club, today known as Wyckoff Country Club. Babb introduced Wyckoff to Ross later that year, bringing him back to the course, where he suggested key changes, but was unable to prepare plans as he had just signed a two-year contract as professional for the Essex County Country Club.
Completing this contract he returned to Holyoke in 1914 where he was put up in a house built for him by Wyckoff, who as an executive committee member of the Massachusetts Golf Association, saw himself as a patron of Ross, and offered him financial backing to move from being both an architect and golf pro, to focusing his career mainly in golf course architecture. It is unknown what duration or regularity Ross lived in Holyoke, as he travelled often, even spending time designing a course in Cuba during his tenure in Manchester that previous year, though a Boston Herald article still placed him in Holyoke in 1919. He would work with the Mount Tom Club for many years, welcoming Holyoke neighbors visiting his winter home in Pinehurst, completing a full redesign of the Mt. Tom course by 1922, and later serving as a pallbearer for Wyckoff following his death in 1931. Ross's work in Holyoke would remain largely untouched until the construction of I-91 in 1965 left only 5 fairways of his design today.
Ross's most famous designs are Pinehurst No. 2, Aronimink Golf Club, East Lake Golf Club, Seminole Golf Club, Oak Hill Country Club, Glen View Club, Memphis Country Club, Inverness Club, Miami Biltmore Golf Course and Oakland Hills Country Club. Although Ross was a competitive golfer, he is primarily known for his work as a course designer. In his time as a designer he is credited with roughly 400 course designs or redesigns between 1900 and 1948. Some of his early work was in Virginia and includes Jefferson Lakeside Country Club and Sewell's Point Golf Course. He also designed the Municipal Golf Course at Asheville, North Carolina in 1927. Ross also designed one of Westchester, New York's best courses, Whippoorwill Country Club, in Armonk, New York; however, Charles Banks was hired by Whippoorwill to redesign the course in 1928. He also designed a 9-hole course in northern New York, known as the Schroon Lake Municipal Golf Club in 1918. He designed the Hope Valley Country Club in Durham, North Carolina in 1927.
In the 1930s, he revolutionized greenskeeping practices in the southern United States when he oversaw the transition of the putting surfaces at Pinehurst No. 2 from oiled sand to Bermuda grass. Ross also designed the course at Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina which is home to the PGA Tour's Wyndham Championship. Currently, Sedgefield Country Club is one of only two regular Donald Ross designs on the PGA Tour (along with Detroit Golf Club which began hosting the Rocket Mortgage Classic in 2019). Aronimink Golf Club, located in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania, played host to the AT&T National in 2010 and 2011.
Ross was a founding member and first president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, which was formed at Pinehurst in 1947. He was admitted to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1977, a high honor rarely awarded for anything other than playing success.
Ross died while completing his final design at Raleigh Country Club in North Carolina. He is buried in Newton Cemetery in Newton, Massachusetts.
Design elements
What allows a Donald Ross golf course to stand out is the design principles and elements he used. He displayed great attention to detail. Often he created challenging courses with very little earth moving; according to Jack Nicklaus, "His stamp as an architect was naturalness." Some of his designs include the "turtleback" greens, a Ross double plateau, and The Punchbowl.[19] The route the golfer had to take was an important decision Ross had to make and he favored very clear routes that would not require much walking. When he would design a par-4 hole, he favored an uphill short hole. Ross often created holes which invited run-up shots but had severe trouble at the back of the green, typically in the form of fall-away slopes.[4] All of these exemplify his naturalness design philosophy which did not require intense earth moving, he simply let the lay of the land dictate what each and every hole should be. Ross would go into designing a new course with the thought to "make each hole present a different problem. So arrange it that every stroke must be made with a full concentration and attention necessary to good golf. Build each hole in such a manner that it waste none of the ground at my disposal and takes advantage of every possibility I can see." His most widely known trademark is the crowned or "turtleback" green, most famously seen on Pinehurst No. 2, though golf architecture writer Ron Whitten argued in Golf Digest in 2005 that the effect had become exaggerated compared to Ross's intention because greenkeeping practices at Pinehurst had raised the center of the greens.
Golfing career
Ross had a successful playing career, winning three North and South Opens (1903, 1905, 1906) and two Massachusetts Opens (1905, 1911), and finishing fifth in the 1903 U.S. Open and eighth in the 1910 Open Championship. As his fame grew, he began to teach and play less and to focus on golf course design.
Professional wins (5)
1903 North and South Open
1905 Massachusetts Open, North and South Open
1906 North and South Open
1911 Massachusetts Open
Courses Ross Designed
Canada
Manitoba
Elmhurst Golf and Country Club, Winnipeg
Pine Ridge Golf Club, Winnipeg
St. Charles Country Club, Winnipeg
New Brunswick
Westfield Golf and Country Club, Grand Bay-Westfield
Riverside Country Club, Rothesay
Nova Scotia
Brightwood Golf and Country Club, Dartmouth
White Point Golf Course, Queens County
Ontario
Essex Golf and Country Club, Windsor
Rosedale Golf Club, Toronto
Roseland Golf and Curling Club, Windsor
United States
Alabama
Birmingham Country Club East and West Courses, Birmingham
Country Club of Mobile, Mobile
Mountain Brook Club, Birmingham
The Great Southern Golf Club, Gulfport, Mississippi
California
Peninsula Golf & Country Club, San Mateo
Colorado
Broadmoor Golf Club, East Course, (Holes 1-6,16-18), West Course, (Holes 1-4, 13-18) Colorado Springs
Wellshire Golf Course, Denver
Lakewood County Club, Lakewood
Trinidad Municipal Golf Course, Trinidad
Connecticut
Shennecossett Golf Course, Groton
Country Club of Waterbury, Waterbury
Wampanoag Country Club, West Hartford
Birchwood Country Club, Westport
Florida
Belleair Country Club, Belleair
Biltmore Golf Club, Coral Gables
Bobby Jones Golf Course, Sarasota
Bradenton Country Club, Bradenton
Clewiston Country Club, Clewiston, Florida
The Country Club of Orlando, Orlando
Daytona Beach Golf Course (South Course), Daytona Beach
Delray Beach Golf Course, Delray Beach
Dunedin Country Club, Dunedin
Florida Country Club, Jacksonville
Fort George Island Golf Club, Jacksonville
Fort Myers Country Club, Fort Myers
Granada Golf Course, Coral Gables
Gulf Stream Golf Club, Delray Beach
Hollywood Beach Golf Course, Hollywood, Florida
Hyde Park Golf Club, Jacksonville
Keystone Heights Golf & Country Club, Keystone Heights
Mark Bostic Golf Course, Gainesville
Lake Wales Country Club, Lake Wales
Mayfair Country Club, Sanford
Melbourne Golf Club, Melbourne
New Smyrna Beach Golf Course, New Smyrna Beach
Palatka Municipal Golf Course, Palatka
Palm Beach Country Club, Palm Beach
Palma Ceia Golf Club, Tampa
Palma Sola Golf Club, Bradenton
Panama Country Club, Lynn Haven
Ponce de Leon Resort & Country Club, St. Augustine
Punta Gorda Country Club, Punta Gorda
Riviera Country Club, Coral Gables
Sara Bay Country Club, Sarasota
San Jose Country Club, Jacksonville
Seminole Golf Club, Juno Beach
St. Augustine Links - South, St. Augustine
Timuquana Country Club, Jacksonville
Georgia
Athens Country Club, Athens
East Lake Golf Club, Atlanta
Augusta Country Club, Augusta
Forest Hills Golf Club, Augusta
Brunswick Country Club, Brunswick
Bacon Park Municipal Golf Course (original 18), Savannah
Country Club of Columbus, Columbus
Highland Country Club LaGrange, Georgia Front 9
Savannah Country Club, Savannah
Washington Wilkes Country Club, Washington
Illinois
Beverly Country Club, Chicago
Evanston Golf Club, Skokie
Skokie Country Club, Glencoe
Bob O'Link Golf Club, Highland Park
Old Elm Club, Highland Park
Exmoor Country Club, Highland Park
Northmoor Country Club, Highland Park
Calumet Country Club, Homewood
Ravisloe Country Club, Homewood
Oak Park Country Club, River Grove
LaGrange Country Club, LaGrange
Indian Hill Club, Winnetka
Indiana
Donald Ross Course, French Lick Resort Casino, French Lick
Broadmoor Country Club, Indianapolis
Donald Ross Golf Course front nine, Fort Wayne
Iowa
Cedar Rapids Country Club, Cedar Rapids
Kansas
Shawnee Country Club, Topeka
Kentucky
Idle Hour Country Club, Lexington
Maryland
Fountain Head Country Club, Hagerstown
Country Club At Woodmore, Mitchelville Maryland
Actually Ross designed the old Prince George’s Country Club Golf Course in Kentland. It was originally known as Beaver Dam. In approx 1980 Prince George’s Country Club moved to Mitchellville and the name was changed to Woodmore. The Woodmore Course was designed by Arnold Palmer.
Maine
Lucerne Golf Course, Dedham
Portland Country Club, Falmouth
Lake Kezar Country Club Lovell
Augusta Country Club, Manchester
Cape Neddick Country Club, Cape Neddick (York)
Penobscot Valley Country Club, Orono
Poland Spring Resort Golf Course (redesigned and expanded), Poland Spring
York country club, york
Biddeford Saco Country Club, Saco
Blue Hill Country Club, Blue Hill
Massachusetts
Essex County Club, Manchester-by-the-Sea -1893
Andover Country Club, Andover
Ellinwood Country Club, Athol
Woodland Golf Club, Auburndale
Belmont Country Club, Belmont
William J. Devine Memorial Golf Course, Boston (re-design)
Littlputt Links, Brookline (Indoor miniature golf)[2]
Kernwood Country Club, Salem
Fresh Pond Golf Course, Cambridge
Ponkapoag Golf Course No. 1, Canton
Ponkapoag Golf Course No. 2 (Front 9 only), Canton
Cohasset Golf Club, Cohasset
Concord Country Club, Concord
Oak Hill Country Club, Fitchburg
Framingham Country Club, Framingham
Wyckoff Country Club, Holyoke (partial, 5 fairways, 7 greens after re-design)
Hyannisport Club, Hyannis Port
George Wright Golf Course, Hyde Park
Greenock Country Club, Lee
Longmeadow Country Club, Longmeadow
Ludlow Country Club, Ludlow
Merrimack Valley Golf Club, Methuen
Whaling City Golf Club (Front 9), New Bedford
Brae Burn Country Club, Newton
Charles River Country Club, Newton
Newton Commonwealth, Newton
North Andover Country Club, North Andover
Oyster Harbors Osterville
Wianno Golf Club Osterville
Salem Country Club, Peabody
Petersham Country Club, Petersham
Country Club of Pittsfield, Pittsfield
Orchards Golf Club, South Hadley
Plymouth Country Club Plymouth
Cohasse Country Club, Southbridge
Vesper Country Club, Tyngsborough
Oakley Country Club, Watertown
Sandy Burr Country Club, Wayland
Wachusett Country Club, West Boylston
Leo J. Martin Memorial Golf Course, Weston
Weston Golf Club, Weston
Whitinsville Golf Club, Whitinsville
Winchester Country Club, Winchester
Worcester Country Club, Worcester
Bass River Golf Course, Yarmouth
Pocasset Golf Club, Pocasset
Springfield Country Club, Springfield
Tekoa Country Club Westfield
Winchendon Golf Club (Winchendon, Massachusetts)
Southwick Country Club Southwick, Massachusetts
Tatnuck Country Club, Worcester
Michigan
Chandler Park Detroit, Michigan
Barton Hills Country Club, Ann Arbor
Oakland Hills Country Club, Bloomfield Hills
Dearborn Country Club, Dearborn
Warren Valley Golf Club, Dearborn Heights
Detroit Golf Club, Detroit
Rogell Golf Course, Detroit
Elk Rapids Golf Club, Elk Rapids
Franklin Hills Country Club, Franklin
Grosse Ile Golf and Country Club, Grosse Ile
Highlands Golf Course, Grand Rapids (Closed)
Kent Country Club, Grand Rapids
Rackham Golf Course, Huntington Woods
Shadow Ridge Golf Course, Ionia
Monroe Golf and Country Club, Monroe
Muskegon Country Club, Muskegon, Michigan
Western Golf & Country Club, Redford
St. Clair River Country Club, St. Clair
Minnesota
Cloquet Country Club, Cloquet
Northland Country Club, Duluth
Interlachen Country Club, Edina
The Minikahda Club, Minneapolis
Woodhill Country Club, Wayzata
White Bear Yacht Club, White Bear Lake
Minneapolis Golf Club, St Louis Park
Mississippi
Great Southern Golf Club, Gulfport
Missouri
Hillcrest Country Club, Kansas City Hillcrest Country Club is a private country club in Kansas City, Missouri. The course was designed by Donald J. Ross beginning in 1912 and opened for play in 1916. Constructed on the highest point of the County it was aptly named Hillcrest. This championship layout measures 6,763 yards and has played host to a number of large tournaments over the years.
New Hampshire
Bald Peak Colony Club, Melvin Village
Bethlehem Country Club, Bethlehem
Maplewood Golf Club, Bethlehem
Mount Washington Hotel (Mount Washington Course), Bretton Woods
The Balsams Grand Resort Hotel (The Panorama Golf Course), Dixville Notch
Crotched Mountain Golf Club (first 9 holes), Francestown
Carter Country Club, Lebanon
Manchester Country Club, Bedford
Kingswood Golf Club, Wolfeboro
Lake Sunapee Country Club, New London
Wentworth By The Sea Country Club, Rye
New Jersey
Seaview Marriott Resort (Bay Course), Absecon
Riverton Country Club (1900), Cinnaminson
Plainfield Country Club, Edison
River Vale Country Club (1931), River Vale
Knickerbocker Country Club (1914), Tenafly
Mountain Ridge Country Club, West Caldwell
Deal Golf Club, Deal
Echo Lake Country Club, Westfield
Crestmont Country Club, West Orange
Montclair Golf Club (1920), West Orange, New Jersey
New York
The Sagamore Golf Course, Bolton Landing
Chautauqua Golf Club-Lake Course, Chautauqua
Siwanoy Country Club, Bronxville
North Fork Country Club, Cutchogue
Mark Twain Golf Course, Elmira
Glens Falls Country Club, Glens Falls
Irondequoit Country Club, Pittsford (near Rochester)
Monroe Golf Club, Pittsford
Oak Hill Country Club (East & West), Pittsford
Brook Lea Country Club, Rochester
Country Club of Rochester, Brighton
Teugega Country Club, Rome
Bellevue Country Club, Syracuse
Tupper Lake Country Club, Tupper Lake
Country Club of Buffalo, Williamsville
Rip Van Winkle Country Club, Palenville
Thendara Golf Club Front Nine, Thendara
Whippoorwill Club, Armonk
Schroon Lake Municipal Golf Club, Schroon Lake
Lake Pleasant Golf Club, Lake Pleasant
North Carolina
Country Club of Asheville, Asheville
Asheboro Municipal Golf Course, Asheboro
Asheville Municipal Golf Club, Asheville
Grove Park Inn Golf Club, Asheville
Biltmore Forest Country Club, Biltmore Forest
Black Mountain Municipal Golf Course, Black Mountain NC
Alamance Country Club, Burlington
Carolina Golf Club, Charlotte
Charlotte Country Club, Charlotte
Myers Park Country Club, Charlotte
Hope Valley Country Club, Durham
Highland Country Club, Fayetteville
Stryker Golf Course, Fort Bragg
Overhills Golf Club, Percy Rockefeller Estate now on Fort Bragg
Greensboro Country Club, Greensboro
Sedgefield Country Club, Greensboro
Hendersonville Country Club, Hendersonville
Highlands Country Club, Highlands
High Point Country Club, High Point
Linville Golf Club, Linville
Lenoir Golf Club, Lenoir
Pinecrest Country Club, Lumberton
Lake Lure Municipal Golf Course (9 Holes), Lake Lure, North Carolina
Monroe Country Club (The Front 9 Holes), Monroe
Mooresville Golf Course (The Front 9 Holes), Mooresville
Mimosa Hills Country Club, Morganton
New Bern Golf and Country Club, New Bern
Catawba Country Club, Newton
Pinehurst No. 1, Pinehurst
Pinehurst No. 2, Pinehurst
Pinehurst No. 3, Pinehurst
Raleigh Country Club, Raleigh
Pennrose Park Country Club, Reidsville
Roaring Gap Country Club, Roaring Gap
Richmond Pines Country Club, Rockingham
Benvenue Country Club, Rocky Mount
Country Club of Salisbury, Salisbury
Sanford Golf Club, Sanford
Mid Pines Golf Club, Southern Pines
Pine Needles Golf Club, Southern Pines
Southern Pines Golf Club, Southern Pines
Tryon Country Club, Tryon
Waynesville Country Club Inn, Waynesville
Cape Fear Country Club, Wilmington
Wilmington Municipal Golf Course, Wilmington
Forsyth Country Club, Winston-Salem
Farmville Country Club
Ohio
Acacia Country Club, Lyndhurst (Course was closed in 2013 & converted to public greenspace. Reported by James Ewinger, The Plain Dealer on October 11, 2012 at 10:20 AM, updated October 11, 2012 at 8:56 PM)
Athens Country Club, Athens
Avon Fields Golf Course, Cincinnati[4]
Brookside Country Club, Canton - Brookside of Canton is a Don Ross design
Chillicothe Country Club, Chillicothe
Oakwood Club, Cleveland Heights (Course closed and turned into a shopping center)
Scioto Country Club, Columbus
Dayton Country Club, Dayton
Lancaster Country Club, Lancaster
Miami Valley Golf Club, Dayton
Delaware Country Club (formerly Dornoch), Delaware
Denison Golf Club at Granville (formerly Granville Golf Course), Granville
Hamilton Elks Country Club, Hamilton (designed by WC Jackson in 1923) [1]
Hawthorne Valley Golf Club, Solon Closed permanently in 2019 ( error - designed by Frank H. Pelton and F. T. Stafford)[5]
Congress Lake Club, Hartville
Westbrook Country Club, Mansfield
Piqua Country Club, Piqua
Portsmouth Elks Country Club, McDermott
Shaker Heights Country Club, Shaker Heights
Mohawk Golf Club (Original/Back 9), Tiffin
Inverness Club, Toledo
Manakiki Golf Course (Cleveland Metroparks), Willoughby Hills
Mill Creek Park Golf Course, Youngstown
Columbus Country Club, Columbus
Miami Shores Golf Course, Troy
Youngstown Country Club, Youngstown
Springfield Country Club, Springfield
Hyde Park Country Club, Cincinnati
Zanesville Country Club, Zanesville
Maketewah Country Club, Cincinnati, OH
Kenwood Country Club (Kendale & Kenview) Cincinnati, OH Home - Kenwood Country Club
Pennsylvania
Allegheny Country Club, Sewickley Heights
Bedford Springs Hotel, Bedford
Elkview Country Club, Greenfield Township
Buck Hill Falls Golf Club, Buck Hill Falls
Tumblebrook, Coopersburg
Edgewood Country Club, Churchill
Kahkwa Club, Fairview (Erie)
Steel Club, Hellertown
Kennett Square Golf and Country Club, Kennett Square
McCall Field Golf and Country Club
Gulph Mills Golf Club
Rolling Rock Club, Laughlintown
Immergrun Golf Club, Loretto on the campus of Saint Francis University
Aronimink Golf Club, Newtown Square
Jeffersonville Golf Club, Norristown
"Legendary" Lulu Country Club, North Hills
Schuylkill Country Club, Orwigsburg
The Union League Golf Club at Torresdale, Philadelphia
Pocono Manor Golf Course (East Course), Pocono Manor
Green Oaks Country Club, Verona
Conewango Valley Country Club, Warren
St. Davids Golf Club, Wayne
Country Club of York, York
Lu Lu Country Club, Glenside, Pennsylvania[6]
Lewistown Country Club Original 9 holes (Lewistown, PA)
Rhode Island
Rhode Island Country Club, Barrington
Metacomet Country Club, East Providence
Sakonnet Golf Club, Little Compton
Point Judith Country Club, Narragansett
Triggs Memorial Golf Course, Providence
Agawam Hunt, Rumford
Wannamoisett Country Club, Rumford
Goddard Memorial State Park, Warwick
Warwick Country Club, Warwick
The Misquamicut Club, Watch Hill
Winnapaug Golf Course, Westerly
South Carolina
Fort Mill Golf Club (9 holes), Fort Mill
Lancaster Golf Club (9 holes), Lancaster
Camden Country Club, Camden
Moree's Country Club (19 holes), Cheraw
Dogwood Hills. Walterboro South Carolina. 9 holes
Tennessee
Brainerd Golf Club, Chattanooga
Chattanooga Golf and Country Club, Chattanooga
Ridgefields Country Club, Kingsport
Cherokee Country Club, Knoxville
Holston Hills Country Club, Knoxville
Memphis Country Club, Memphis
Belle Meade Country Club, Nashville
Original Richland Country Club, Nashville
Shelby Golf Club, Nashville
Tate Springs Country Club, Bean Station, Tennessee (closed to TVA flooding in 1942)
Texas
River Oaks Country Club, Houston
Sunset Grove Country Club, Orange
Vermont
Burlington Country Club, Burlington
Virginia
Country Club of Virginia (Westhampton Course), Richmond
Washington Golf & Country Club, Arlington
Army Navy Country Club, Arlington
Kinderton Country Club, Clarksville
Danville Golf Club, Danville
The Woodlands Golf Course, Hampton
Lakeside Park Club, Henrico County
The Homestead (The Old Course), Hot Springs
Woodberry Forest School (9-hole course)
Sewells Point, Norfolk
Wisconsin
Kenosha Country Club, Kenosha
Oconomowoc Golf Club, Oconomowoc
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