Pete Dye

Pete Dye, born December 29, 1925, in Urbana, Ohio, is widely regarded as one of the most influential golf course architects of the modern era. Coming from a golfing family—his father built a nine-hole course on their family farm—Dye’s early experience working and playing on that course laid the foundation for his lifelong passion for golf course design. After serving in the 82nd Airborne Infantry, Dye attended Rollins College, where he met his future wife, Alice, who later became his design partner.

Dye’s golf architectural career began in 1959 when he and Alice designed and built their first nine-hole course, El Dorado, near Indianapolis. A pivotal trip to Scotland in 1963 had a profound impact on Dye’s design philosophy, inspiring him with traditional Scottish course features like pot bunkers, small greens, and undulating fairways. Dye became renowned for his innovative, challenging, and visually intimidating courses, characterized by features such as railroad ties, deep bunkers, and strategic use of water hazards.

Over a career spanning more than five decades, Pete Dye designed or influenced more than 200 golf courses worldwide, including iconic venues like TPC Sawgrass (home to the famous island green 17th hole), Whistling Straits, Harbour Town Golf Links, and Kiawah Island’s Ocean Course. His work is credited with modernizing golf course architecture and mentoring many leading architects, including Tom Doak and Bill Coore.