Pete Dye’s Lasting Impact

PETE DYE’S LASTING IMPACT ON THE PLAYERS A LOOK BACK ON THE LIFE OF PETE DYE, THE GOLF ARCHITECT BEHIND THE TPC SAWGRASS COURSE, AND HIS CONNECTION TO JACKSONVILLE

f you’ve ever admired the beauty or cursed the difficulty of the TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course, you’ve got Pete Dye to thank for that. If you would have brought up the difficulty of the course, especially the 17th hole island green, Dye might laugh and have said two things: his late wife, Alice Dye, should get the credit for designing the 17th hole of Stadium Course and golf was never supposed to be fair. I

The man who designed over one hundred golf courses and put Jacksonville’s golf scene on the map died January 9, 2020 in the Dominican Republic. He was 94 years old.

Pete Dye was born in Ohio in 1925 and grew up with golf. His father, Paul Dye, designed and built a golf course on the family farm that Pete grew up working and playing on. Dye was a good golfer and won championships in high school, but World War II lead him to join the Army before he graduated. After his service, Dye enrolled in Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, became a member of the golf team, and met the love of his life, Alice.

After college the Dyes moved to Indiana and ran a successful insurance business, but the love of golf was still in their hearts. In 1955 Pete told Alice he wanted to get out of the office and design golf courses and they were collaborators ever since.

In 1982 Pete and Alice to headed Ponte Vedra to design the nowfamous TPC Sawgrass Stadium Course. What was once swampland was transformed by the Dye’s into one of the most iconic golf courses. Although it is Pete’s name that is so closely associated with

the course, it is Alice who was the inspiration to make the 17th hole an island green. Pete was always quick to credit Alice with the hole that has been the thorn in the side of many golfers for decades. Its sister course, Dye’s Valley, opened at TPC Sawgrass in 1987.

In 2008 he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame. Regarded by some, most notably Hall of Fame golfer Greg Norman, as the “Picasso of golf architecture” and others as “dye-abolical” for his course designs, Pete Dye has certainly left a mark on the golfing community and Jacksonville.

Pete is preceded in death by his wife of 68 years, Alice and is survived by his two sons, Perry and P.B. Dye. In his last years of his life Pete was battling Alzheimer’s. -Elena Curtis ◊

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All Month Blue Jay Listening Room Where every ticket is a backstage pass. Shows this month include Big Sandy & His Fly-Rite Boys, Sarah Borges and The Broken Singles, The Snacks Blues Band, The Matt O'Ree Band, Tennessee Redemption, Sweet Crude & more. Blue Jay Listening Room tickets Vary

3/20 Bar Takeover— Sidecar & Manifest Distilling Join Bellwether and Sidecar as their bar crews team up to craft competing cocktails for Chef Kerri Roger's multicourse meal. Bellwether $85

3/28 Naturalist Tour of Bogey Creek Preserve Join a Florida Master Naturalist and NFLT volunteer for an interpretive tour of Bogey Creek Preserve. Bogey Creek Preserve Free

3/4 20 Years of LaVilla School of the Arts An evening of African rhythms, dance, and festivities featuring African musical ensemble Crocodile River Music. LaVilla School of the Arts $5+

3/21 The Winemaker Dinner This event features a raw bar and charcuterie reception followed by a five-course meal, which Chef Michael McKinney and his team have paired with wines offered by the family's winery. Restaurant Orsay $225

4/4 Trinity Love Hoblit Gala Join in support of funding neurological research, training, treatment, and awareness for brain aneurysm, stroke and other cerebrovascular conditions. Omni Amelia Island Plantation Resort: Magnolia Room $125+

3/6 Tom Coughlin Jay Fund Wine Tasting Gala This is your chance to eat, drink, socialize, and bid on one-of-a-kind auction items throughout the night with Tom Coughlin at this star-studded event. Wells Fargo Building $150

3/22 Trade + Public Join Breakthru Beverage, Southern Glazer's Wine and Spirits, Winebow, Progress Wine Group, RNDC, Terroir Selections, and others, pour hundreds of their favorite wines at this epic tasting. Restaurant Orsay $100+

Springtime Serenade Featuring Voices of Jacksonville, JCC's adult professional ensemble, with special performances by the JCC's Training, Lyric, and Treble Choirs. Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church Free 4/5

Spring Events

3/6 St. Augustine Fashion Week Season 6 Guests enjoy a true red carpet experience, craft cocktails, passed hors d'oeuvres, nightly entertainment and a professional runway production. Bozard Lincoln Ford $50+

3/7 Daniel Romano Romano is a prolific Canadian singer/ songwriter whose music reflects a mix of Nashville's countrypolitan era, '60s psych rock, and a host of other eclectic influences. Intuition Ale Works $22

3/22 Family Meal & Bottle Auction Chefs Kerri Rogers, Louis Kurz, Donald Dean, Michael McKinney, Rebecca Reed, & Jon Insetta each dream up an inventive dish to pair with some of Southern Glazer's Wine & Spirits’ wines. Bellwether $200

4/11 Amaro 101: Pairing with Bee Friends Farm Learn more about the bitter world of amari (plural of amaro), its history, diverse styles & flavors, and how it pairs with the not so bitter, honey. The Volstead $65

3/24 Cheese 101 Did you know there are seven categories of cheese? Do you know how to identify them and what their characteristics are? Don't miss your chance to learn cheese pairing and serving in this workshop. And don't forget the wine! Grater Goods $25

Intuition Ale’s Spring Festival Join Intuition Ale Works for one of the biggest music festivals of the season. Featuring artists such as Lake Street Dive, Liz Phair, The Suffers and Juliana Hatfield. Intuition Ale Works $35 5/1-2

3/19 Jacksonville Magazine’s Explorers Club — Crafts & Giraffes This unique event combines the immersive wildlife experience of a tour at White Oak with the finest beer from your favorite local brewery. White Oak Conservation $197.25

3/27-29

Hush House Mother "Mama Starr" will take you through an evening of dance, acrobatics, sensuality, humor and much more as she explores the definitions humanity has placed on love. SaltAer Circus School $25+

5/7 Ritz Chamber Players “Make Love Not War” The Ritz Chamber Players' season finale explores works written to honor both military service and the lives of those impacted by war and conflict. Hendricks Avenue Baptist Church Free