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]
A.W. Tillinghast | |
|---|---|
 Tillinghast in 1909 | |
| Born | May 7, 1876 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Died | May 19, 1942 (aged 66) Toledo, Ohio, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Architect |
| Awards | World Golf Hall of Fame (2015) |
| Projects | Winged 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] |
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
editTillinghast 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
editTillinghast-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
editTillinghast 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
editThe 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
editReferences
edit- ^ Hennessey, Stephen (August 22, 2018). "The best A.W. Tillinghast golf courses". Golf Digest. Retrieved July 20, 2022.
- ^ 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.
- ^ Mallon, Bill; Jerris, Randon (2011). Historical Dictionary of Golf. Scarecrow Press. p. 294. ISBN 9780810874657.
- ^ McAllister, Mike (October 15, 2014). "Class of 2015 Hall of Famers receive surprise calls". PGA Tour.
- ^ Philadelphia School
- ^ 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.
- ^ Mallon, Bill; Jerris, Randon (2011). Historical Dictionary of Golf. Scarecrow Press. p. 294. ISBN 9780810874657. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
- ^ Source for U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur: USGA Championship Database
- ^ a b McAllister, Mike (October 15, 2014). "Class of 2015 Hall of Famers receive surprise calls". PGA Tour.
- ^ Passov, Joe (July 13, 2015). "Everything You Need to Know About Hall-of-Fame Architect A.W. Tillinghast". Golf.com. Retrieved January 30, 2018.
External links
edit- A. W. Tillinghast at Find a Grave
- The Tillinghast Association official site
- "Top 10 Tillinghast Courses" (with photographs)
- The first biography of A.W. Tillinghast "Tillinghast: Creator of Golf Courses" was published in 2006 by Classics of Golf
- A. W. Tillinghast at the World Golf Hall of Fame
- A.W. Tillinghast's legacy in golf course architecture "Tillinghast's Legacy in Golf Course Architecture"