Who's who: Ted Robinson

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Who's who: Ted Robinson

  • Name:

    Theodore G. "Ted" Robinson
  • Also known as:

    Ted "Snr"; King of Waterscapes.
  • Country:

    USA
  • Lived:

    [1923-2008]. Born on May 17, 1923 in Long Beach, California. Died on March 2, 2008 in Laguna Beach, California (aged 84).
  • Original/Home Club:

  • Occupation:

    Golf course architect.
  • Turned Pro:

    n/a

Roll of Honour

President of the American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA) (1983-84); ASGCA Fellow from 1995.

Golf course design

The heaviest concentration of Ted Robinson layouts are to be found in the western United States, and especially in California. Whether designing in his own name, or with his son Ted Robinson Jr (between 1991 and 2008), Robinson's best known work includes, but is not limited to:
(* designed with son Ted Robinson Jr):

UNITED STATES:
Blacklake, CA (1990, redesign) / Desert Springs Resort, CA (1987, Palm & Valley courses) / Glen Ivy, CA (1999*) / Indian Wells CC, CA (1965, Cove course, with Eddie Susalla) / Indian Wells ResortI, CA (1986, East & West courses; now called Players & Celebrity courses) / Inn of the Mountain Gods, NM (1975) / Kapolei, HI (1995) / King Kamehameha, HI (1991 design and 2005* renovation; formerly called Waikapu Valley GC) / Ko Olina, HI (1990) / Koele, HI (1991, with Greg Norman) / Legends GC, CA (1995) / Mission Bay, CA (1964) / Newport Beach CC, CA (1985 & 1998, modifications) / Oakmont GC, CA (1964, East & West courses) / Ocotillo, AZ (1986) / The Phoenician, AZ (1990s*, modifications and addition of Canyon-nine) / CC of Rancho Bernardo, CA (1980, modifications) / Rhodes Ranch, NV (1997*) / Riverwalk, CA (1998*, redesign) / Riviera CC, CA (modifications) / Royal Oaks CC, WA (modifications) / Sahalee, WA (1969) / Sand Canyon, CA (2000*, Mountain & Valley courses; originally called Robinson Ranch) / Seattle GC, WA (modifications) / Singing Hills, CA (1967 & 1980, redesign of Oak Glen & Willow Glen courses) / Sudden Valley, WA (1971) / Sunbrook, UT (1990) / Tahquitz Creek, CA (1995*, Resort course) / Temecula Creek Inn, CA (1970, with Dick Rossen) / Thunderbird CC, CA (1980, renovation) / Tokatee, OR (1966) / Trysting Tree, OR (1986) / Tustin Ranch, CA (1989).

BEYOND THE UNITED STATES:
Hiratsuka Fujimi CC, Jpn (renovation of Oiso course) / Lakewood CC, Kanagawa, Jpn (1970, East & West courses) / Lakewood GC, Yamanashi, Jpn (1991, Sunpark Akeno course) / Lakewood GC, Gunma, Jpn (1996*, Tomioka course) / Pinx CC, Korea (1999*) / Rancamaya G&CC, Indonesia (1995*) / Turtle Hill, Costa Rica (1964, with Alfred Tull; formerly called Southampton Princess).

TED ROBINSON JR DESIGNS
(
not involving Ted Robinson Sr; includes but not limited to):
Arrowood, CA (2005) / Chimera, NV (2003; formerly called Tuscany GC) / La Iguana, Costa Rica (1999) / Whistling Rock, Korea (2011).

Did you know?

Ted Robinson established his golf course architecture business in 1954. Based out of Laguna Beach, California, Robinson completed more than 180 projects over the next 50 years, many in the Western United States, but also a few in Hawaii, Mexico, Central America, Japan, Korea and Indonesia. Leaving a successful career in finance, his son Ted Robinson Jr joined the firm in 1991, and continued it on after Ted Sr's death in 2008.

Robinson gained something of a reputation for his prodigious use of water hazards in several of his designs. This earned him the nickname "the King of Waterscapes", but probably would not have impressed many legendary course designers ... who recognised that losing balls in water is not the favourite pastime of the average golfer.

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