Geoffrey S. Cornish
Golf course architect, author, and lecturer, Geoffrey St John Cornish (August 6, 1914 – February 10, 2020), designed more golf courses in the New England area than any other golf architect in history. Along with his design firm associates, he completed 240 golf courses in the United States, Canada, and Europe.
A native of Winnipeg, in Manitoba, Canada, Cornish graduated from the University of British Columbia with a bachelor’s degree in Agronomy. Cornish went on to the University of Massachusetts where he received his master’s degree and an honorary doctorate. In 1935, Cornish was introduced to golf architecture while evaluating soils for Capilano Golf Club in West Vancouver, which was being constructed under the supervision of Stanley Thompson.
Cornish eventually joined Thompson’s design firm as an apprentice. Four years later, Cornish became the greenskeeper at St. Charles Country Club in Winnipeg. After serving in the Canadian Army during World War II, Cornish went back to the University of Massachusetts to work with pioneer turfgrass scientist Lawrence Dickinson. In 1952, Cornish established his own design firm in Amherst, Massachusetts.
Cornish became a member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA) in 1967. He co-chaired the history committee and was eventually elected President in 1975. He was a recipient of the Donald Ross Award as well as the Golf Course Superintendents Association of America’s Distinguished Service Award. Cornish was also made a member of the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame.
Cornish co-wrote the landmark reference book, The Architects of Golf, which for the first time, gave readers specific information about the architectural history of their favorite golf courses, as well as the people who designed and developed them. Cornish, who believed knowledge should always be shared, not hoarded, conducted talks around the world on the history and practice of golf course architecture.
