The widely respected golf course architect, Rees Jones, has been selected to receive the 2004 Old Tom Morris Award from the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America (GCSAA). The award presentation will take place during the association’s 75th International Golf Course Conference and Show in San Diego from 9th – 14th February
GCSAA’s most prestigious honour, the Old Tom Morris Award, is presented each year to an individual who ‘through a continuing lifetime commitment to the game of golf has helped to mould the welfare of the game in a manner and style exemplified by Old Tom Morris‘.
Morris (1821-1908) was greenkeeper and golf professional at the St. Andrews Links; a four-time winner of the Open (1861, ’62, ’64 and ’67); and ranked as one of the top links designers of the 19th century.
Jones, a member and past president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA), has designed or renovated more than 100 courses throughout his career, many of which are widely regarded as among the very best in the world. His designs include Pinehurst No. 7, Haig Point Club, Nantucket Golf Club, Ocean Forest Golf Club, Atlantic Golf Club, Sandpines Golf Club and, in England, The Oxfordshire Golf Club.
Nicknamed ‘The Open Doctor‘ for his highly acclaimed work remodeling several US Open courses, including Bethpage Black, Torrey Pines, The Country Club at Brookline, Hazeltine National, Baltusrol, Congressional and Pinehurst No. 2, Jones is the first second-generation Old Tom Morris Award recipient since the award was created in 1983. His father, the late Robert Trent Jones Sr., received the award in 1987.
“Through nearly 40 years in golf course design, Rees Jones has made an indelible imprint on the game of golf,” said GCSAA president Jon D. Maddern, CGCS. “His design approach creates courses that deliver a fair challenge and aesthetic appreciation to golfers of every skill level, from novice to professional. His environmental approach blends the course with its natural surroundings and provides for sustainable ecosystems. Those who have worked with him have nothing but the best to say about him and their experience. Rees Jones perfectly represents the dedication and service that the Old Tom Morris Award was created to recognize.”
Jones joins a list of highly respected past award holders including Arnold Palmer, Tom Watson, Tom Fazio, Gerald Ford, Bob Hope, Byron Nelson, Ken Venturi, Ben Crenshaw, Jaime Ortiz-Patià±o, Nancy Lopez, Tim Finchem, Walter Woods and Pete Dye.
GCSAA www.gcsaa.org