June 2021 Ohio Golf Journal

I wish I could say that I knew Arthur Hills better than I did. Our only in-depth meeting came in 1993, when – as a Chicago golf columnist – I was invited to the Grand Opening of The Thoroughbred in Rothbury, Michigan. Over the years as we have visited more of his creations, I have come to know his work quite well. Last year, at the request of friend and colleague Fred Altvater, I had the honor of introducing the Arthur Hills Golf Trail to not only the readers of the Ohio Golf Journal but golfers nationwide through pieces that ran in other publications and websites. In addition to Hills’ three Illinois designs I’ve also played his courses in Michigan and South Carolina. My favorite is the Arthur Hills Course at Michigan’s Boyne Highlands Resort, but he designed so many good ones. Hills eventually designed over 200 courses and renovated over 150 in a career that began in 1967. He worked as a course designer into his eighties, before passing away on May 18 at the age of 91. Wish I Had Known Arthur Hills Better By Len Ziehm While Pete Dye may have received more notoriety for his golf architectural efforts, Hills’ work should never be taken lightly. Residential courses were his staple, and in my native Illinois, he created three good ones in Stonewall Orchard, a long-time site of the Illinois PGA Championship; Bolingbrook, the centerpiece of the community of the same name; and Chicago Highlands, a private club that hosted Ohio Golf Journal