About
Robert Bruce Harris was the first president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects and personally mentored several future leaders of golf architecture.
Robert Bruce Harris was a pioneering American golf course architect who became one of the most influential figures in mid-20th century design. After earning a BSLA from the University of Illinois and serving in the U.S. Navy during World War I, Harris began his career as a landscape designer before turning his focus to golf course architecture in the late 1920s. He was instrumental in transforming the style of golf courses, notably favoring large, round greens and spacious bunkers set away from greens to facilitate easy maintenance. Harris designed or remodeled over 150 courses across the Midwest and South in his prolific career. His projects include Midwest Country Club, Hillcrest Country Club, and the Brute Course at Grand Geneva Golf Resort. Harris trained many architects who later became prominent in the field, such as Lawrence Packard and David Gill. He was a founding member and the first president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, and co-authored a chapter in the influential 1950 text “Turf Management.” Harris’ legacy endures in the countless public and private courses he shaped.
