Featured architects
William S. Flynn
Philadelphia's quiet master of variety
- Born
- 1890, Milton, Massachusetts
- Years active
- 1911–1944
- Works
- 50+ designs and major remodels
- Era
- Golden Age
Why the name endures
Flynn came up as a construction man at Merion and Pine Valley before building a practice with Howard Toomey that produced Shinnecock Hills and Cherry Hills. He worked hard at variety — no two holes running the same way, no two greens defended alike — and left an agronomic legacy as careful as his design one.
Design principles
- Every hole given its own direction against the wind
- Greens defended by contour as often as by sand
- Drainage and turf treated as design decisions
Surviving work
Courses to see
Shinnecock Hills
New York, USA
Wind-exposed, tilting fairways and a great set of green sites.
Cherry Hills
Colorado, USA
Where Palmer drove the first green in 1960.
Lancaster Country Club
Pennsylvania, USA
Ravine golf and a recent U.S. Women's Open host.