William P. Bell

William P. Bell, born in 1886 in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, was a pioneering American golf course architect whose influence shaped the landscape of golf in the western United States. After early work in agriculture and various positions at California golf clubs, Bell established his design practice in 1920. He collaborated with iconic designers such as George C. Thomas Jr., contributing to renowned courses including Bel-Air, Riviera, and Los Angeles Country Clubs. Bell's individual designs, such as Stanford Golf Course, La Jolla Country Club, and Palos Verdes, are celebrated for their rolling greens, innovative bunkering, and meticulous attention to natural drainage. In the 1930s and 1940s, Bell partnered with A.W. Tillinghast on significant course redesigns and assisted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during World War II in building courses for wounded servicemen. Bell co-founded the American Society of Golf Course Architects and worked with his son, William F. Bell, post-war, notably envisioning the Torrey Pines layout. Bell is revered as one of golf’s Golden Age architects, having designed or remodeled over 70 courses during his career.