Tributes have been pouring in from across the golfing world for renowned golf course architect Ron Kirby, who passed away on Thursday (August 17) aged 90.
Kirby oversaw hundreds of designs globally, working on projects on his own but also in tandem with many of the game’s most celebrated course architects. He worked vigorously and well until sudden illness overtook him and he passed peacefully with family by his side in Copenhagen, where he had been working on a project.
Among those to pass on their praise for his work, and lament his passing, was Sunil Chatrani, executive chairman of Apes Hill Barbados, home to Kirby’s last completed design, which opened for play last November.
“We at Apes Hill Barbados are profoundly grateful for having had Ron Kirby become one of our family members through his extensive time here and the relationships he built with us,” said Chatrani. “Ron became a wonderful friend and will be deeply missed. That he also designed our golf courses is a gift that will give forever.”
“He was an incredible man, always with a smile and a twinkle in his eyes who had an abundance of rich friendships from the dozen plus countries he worked in globally,” said Roddy Carr, who was instrumental in Kirby being selected to design Old Head Golf Links in Ireland and Apes Hill Barbados. “Ron lived a rich and full life and did what he loved doing right to the end – recently sketching golf holes in Denmark.
“He was never an ego guy, it was never about him but always about what his clients wanted,” Carr added. “Ron once told me: ‘I did my finishing school with Jack. Nicklaus was the best strategist, Trent Jones the best router, Tom Fazio the best landscaper’”.
From humble beginnings as a caddie, caddie master and maintenance crew member in his hometown of Beverly, Massachusetts, Kirby became one of the most highly respected golf course architects in the world – and a Fellow of the American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA) in 2003 – during his 50-year golf design career.
At the University of Massachusetts-Stockbridge, Kirby earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture. He began working as a design associate for Dick Wilson, then served under ASGCA founding member Robert Trent Jones Snr., designing courses in the United States, Europe and the Caribbean.
Kirby started his own design company in 1970, with consulting partner Gary Player. Eventually, he sold his company to Golden Bear Inc, and joined Nicklaus Design Services and Jack Nicklaus, as overseer of all European projects.
Among Kirby’s extensive portfolio of courses includes London Golf Club’s International Course; Dolphin Head Golf Course in Hilton Head, South Carolina; Sun City Golf Course in South Africa; and La Moraleja Golf Club in Madrid, Spain.
Throughout his career, he was accompanied by his wife Sally. Their travels together set the tone for Kirby’s autobiography, ‘We Spent Half Our Lives on the Wrong Side of the Road’, which was published in 2020. Sally died that same year. He is survived by his children Faye, Ron Jnr and Beverly.
“Ron Kirby was one of a kind, or perhaps I should say Ron and Sally Kirby were two of a kind,” said ASGCA President Brit Stenson. “His positive impact on golf course architecture in countries around the world will serve as a professional legacy, but it was Ron’s enduring relationship with Sally that many of us will long remember.”