About
Harry Smead designed Pine Hills Country Club two years before Langford & Moreau finished the now-famous Lawsonia Links, and Pine Hills is still regarded as one of the boldest, most naturalistic courses in the Midwest.
Harry Smead was a prominent golf course architect in the early 20th century, known particularly for his distinctive use of landforms and bold green designs. Operating primarily in the Upper Midwest during the 1920s, Smead's architectural style was shaped by the influential methods of Langford & Moreau, as he was considered a disciple of their innovative 'steam-shovel' construction techniques. He is best known for designing Pine Hills Country Club in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and The Wisconsin Country Club (now simply The Country Club), both completed in 1928. Smead’s work is distinguished by striking, maximalist bunkering and intricate green complexes, which demand strategic play and remain revered by golfers and architects alike. At Stoughton Country Club, he contributed as a supervising contractor, further cementing his status in the region’s golf architecture scene. Despite the limited information about his life outside of golf, Smead’s contributions have stood the test of time and are still the subject of restoration and admiration today.
