Joseph A. Roseman

Known as the "father of the modern mower," Joseph Aloysius Roseman, Sr. (June 15, 1888 – February 29, 1944) was an American golf professional, golf course architect, and inventor of golf course mowing equipment.

One of his first jobs was at The Country Club as an assistant under Jack Hagen and he also worked at a course in Lake Placid, New York. In 1906 he moved to Des Moines, Iowa, where he was engaged as the professional and keeper of the greens at the Des Moines Golf and Country Club where he remained until 1916.

He was a natural tinkerer and inventor. One of his first innovative ideas was a hitch for horses that allowed them to pull three gang mowers as a unit. His design was patented in the U.S., England, and France. Later he adopted a Ford Model T to serve as a tractor to pull the mowers.

He worked at several other locations, being engaged in Racine, Wisconsin, where he designed the Racine Country Club course. In 1917 he settled in Glenview, Illinois, near Chicago, where he designed courses and served as the first professional and course superintendent at the Westmoreland Country Club in Wilmette, Illinois. He left Westmoreland in 1928 to handle his golf course design business. In total, he is credited with the design of more than 50 golf courses and made alterations on at least 100 courses.