46 Dynasties are remarkable things. In our modern world, with billions of people receiving decent educations and able to make their own decisions about how they will live their lives, people still often follow the same path as their parents. Whether presidents, prime ministers, musicians, actors or businesspeople, there are many ‘modern dynasties’. The history of golf architecture has its share. In some ways, it isn’t surprising: most golf design practices are small, and sit often comfortably within the sphere of ‘family businesses’. So the existence of names like Hawtree, Harradine – and Jones, reputedly the best known of all – is not as big a shock as it might seem. Robert Trent Jones, Sr. is one of the profession’s most important names. In the aftermath of World War Two, with golf in the US looking to move on and embrace the mood of progress, Jones became the dominant architect, building hundreds of courses across America and the world. He was instrumental in the creation of the American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA), the profession’s largest trade body. Jones, Sr., who died in 2000 at the age of 93, continued to design courses until very late in life. Much earlier, his two sons had joined him in the family business, and both later went their own way, creating large course portfolios of their own. Younger son Rees has, in a sense, From working for his father, one of the great names of golf design, to going his own way and building a reputation as perhaps the greatest preparer of tournament courses the game has seen, Rees Jones’ life has been one big adventure. He spoke to Adam Lawrence about past, present and future. One big adventure REES JONES INTERVIEW
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