John Van Kleek

One of the most underrated golf architects of his generation, John R. Van Kleek was born on October 22, 1888, in Auburn, New York, and died on February 18, 1967, in Tyron, North Carolina at age 70. John was the first recognized golf architect to graduate from Cornell University in 1912 and received his Master's degree in Landscape design the following year. Many golfers are not familiar with his name since the early years of his career were dominated by the fame of another remarkable architect, Donald Ross.

In 1923, John partnered with landscape designer Wayne Stiles which lasted until 1931. The pair became popular due to their distinct and meticulous landscaping style which can be seen in some of their works including Brookline Golf Course at Robert T. Lynch Municipal, South Shore Country Club, and Unicorn Golf Course, all located in Massachusetts. Although both John and Wayne were credited for their designed layouts, it was known at the time that Wayne focused on northern courses while John had the southern ones. Thus, John primarily worked out of Florida.

After their partnership, John decided to leave the firm and worked with esteemed American designer Robert Moses in New York. From strategically-designed golf courses, John moved to upstate to create designs for public, municipal, and private layouts. Kent Lemme, the superintendent at Taconic Golf Club in Williamstown, Massachusetts, was one of John’s avid fans when it comes to landscape design. Based on a 2008 New York Times article, Kent described John’s works as overlooked gems.

“Stiles and Van Kleek weren’t splashy, self-promoting guys…” said Bob Labbance, who wrote ‘The Life and Work of Wayne Stiles’ book. “They didn’t do many big, expensive projects,” Labbance said, “…they pleased their clients and their communities with relatively low-cost golf. But play those courses today and you appreciate the craft and talent involved.”

Image courtesy of: The Cultural Landscape Foundation