Dye, Pete (Paul Dye, Jr.), 1925–2020, American golf course architect, often regarded as the father of modern golf course architecture, b. Urbana, Ohio. He was a successful amateur golfer and an insurance salesman before deciding to become a golf course architect in his mid-30s. He and his wife and business partner, Alice O'Neal Dye, 1927–2019, b. Indianapolis, married 1950, created their first 18-hole course in 1962 and designed more than 100 public and private courses, including Whistling Straits, Haven, Wis., host of several PGA Championships, and TPC Sawgrass, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., noted for the island green on the 17th hole and the site of the annual Players Championship. On a 1963 trip to Scotland, the Dyes were influenced by the small greens, pot bunkers, and undulating fairways of the links courses. Their innovative designs also incorporated environmentally friendly drainage and irrigation systems. Alice Dye also was a successful competitive amateur golfer.
See his memoir (1995, with M. Shaw) and hers (2004, with M. Shaw).
The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2024, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
See more Encyclopedia articles on: Sports: Biographies
