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William P. Bell

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
William P. Bell
Born
William Park Bell

(1886-04-19)April 19, 1886
Canonsburg, Pennsylvania
DiedJune 21, 1953(1953-06-21) (aged 67)
Pasadena, California
Resting placeMountain View Cemetery
Altadena, California
OccupationGolf course architect
TitleASGCA President
Board member ofAmerican Society of
Golf Course Architects
Spouse(s)Anna K. Bell
(1893–1975)
ChildrenWilliam Francis Bell
(1918–1984)

William Park Bell (April 19, 1886 – June 21, 1953) was a noted golf course architect, active from the 1920s into the early 1950s.[1]

Biography

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Born in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, Billy Bell studied agriculture at Duff's Business Institute in Pittsburgh. He moved west to California at age 25 in 1911, and held a series of golf jobs at the Pasadena Country Club, including caddymaster and course superintendent. Bell worked on golf course construction for architect Willie Watson, including serving as Watson's superintendent, before going into golf course design and development on his own in 1920.[2]

Most of Bell's courses were designed and built in southern California. He is considered one of the most important golf course architects in the state, with more than fifty courses credited to his work and design, and he designed and built courses in other western states as well, including Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Oregon, and Hawaii.

Early in his design career, Bell worked closely with famous designer and fellow Pennsylvanian George C. Thomas Jr., on courses which included the Riviera Country Club, often cited as one of the world's best courses. Although Thomas is listed as architect of record, Bell made significant contributions to many of the designs. Bell's son William F. Bell (1918–1984) trained with him, joined him in partnership after World War II, and later became an important golf course architect in his own right. Bell Sr. served as a turf consultant to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during the war, and was awarded a commendation by the Southern California chapter of the PGA, in honor of his work creating golf courses for wounded servicemen. Bell Sr. was a founding member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, and served as ASGCA President in 1952.[3]

Bell died in Pasadena at age 67 in 1953 and is buried at Mountain View Cemetery and Mausoleum in Altadena.

Courses

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Golf courses designed and built by William P. Bell:

Main page: Category:Golf clubs and courses designed by William P. Bell
  • OD denotes courses for which Bell is the original designer
  • R denotes courses reconstructed by Bell
  • A denotes courses for which Bell made substantial additions
  • E denotes courses that Bell examined and on the construction of which he consulted
Name Contribution Year Built City / Town State / Province Country Comments
Adobe Course at Arizona Biltmore Hotel OD Phoenix Arizona United States United States Resort
Encanto Park GC OD Phoenix Arizona United States United States Public course
Mesa CC OD Mesa[4] Arizona United States United States Private course
Tucson CC OD Tucson California United States United States Private course; with William Francis Bell
Bakersfield CC OD Bakersfield California United States United States Private course
Balboa Park Municipal GC OD San Diego California United States United States Public course
Bel-Air CC OD Bel Air California United States United States Private course
Brookside GC OD Pasadena California United States United States Public course; 36 holes
Chevy Chase CC OD Glendale California United States United States Private course; with William Francis Bell[5]
David L Baker GC OD Fountain Valley California United States United States Public course
Girard CC OD Woodland Hills[6] California United States United States Private course; now Woodland Hills CC;
Hacienda GC OD La Habra Heights California United States United States Private course
La Jolla CC OD La Jolla California United States United States Private course
Marine Memorial Golf Course OD Camp Pendleton California United States Military course that allows Public play
Meadowlark GC OD Huntington Beach California United States United States Public course
Mesa Verde CC OD Costa Mesa California United States United States Private course
Rancho Park GC OD Los Angeles California United States United States Public course
Red Hill CC OD Alta Loma California United States United States Private course; with George C. Thomas Jr.
San Diego CC OD San Diego California United States United States Private course
Stanford University GC OD Palo Alto California United States United States Private course; with George C. Thomas Jr.
Sunnyside CC OD Fresno California United States United States Private course
Torrey Pines GC (North course, South course) OD San Diego California United States United States Municipal courses; 36 holes
Tilden Park GC OD Berkeley California United States United States Public course
Virginia CC OD Long Beach California United States United States Private course; with A.W. Tillinghast
Woodland Hills CC OD Woodland Hills California United States United States Private course
Valley CC OD Englewood Colorado United States United States Private course
Kaneohe Klipper GC OD Kaneohe Hawaii United States United States Military course
The Legacy GC OD Henderson Nevada United States United States
Forest Hills GC OD Cornelius Oregon United States United States Public course; with William Francis Bell
Tijuana CC OD Tijuana Baja California Mexico Mexico Private course

Source:[7]

References

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  1. ^ "The Bells: California's first family of golf course design". (California): City of San Diego. 12 November 2015. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
  2. ^ The Golf Course, by Geoffrey Cornish and Ronald Whitten, 1981, New York, The Rutledge Press, ISBN 0-8317-3947-9, p. 166
  3. ^ The Golf Course, by Geoffrey Cornish and Ronald Whitten, 1981, New York, The Rutledge Press, ISBN 0-8317-3947-9, p. 166
  4. ^ "Mesa Golf Membership Packet" (PDF). mytrilogylife.com.
  5. ^ Geoffrey S. Cornish; Ronald E. Whitten (1993). The Architects of Golf: A Survey of Golf Course Design from Its Beginnings to the Present, with an Encyclopedic Listing of Golf Course Architects and Their Courses. HarperCollins. p. 204. ISBN 978-0-06-270082-7.
  6. ^ Geoff Shackelford (1999). The Golden Age of Golf Design. Wiley. p. 44. ISBN 978-1-886947-31-3.
  7. ^ www.worldgolf.com

Mesa Verde Country Club is in Costa Mesa Ca. Not Mesa Arizona

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