Franklin Clark Glasson (October 13, 1913 - January 2, 1994) was an American

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

known for his design and construction of

golf courses A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

in the

western United States The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the We ...

primarily during the 1950s and 60s. Over his career Glasson designed, constructed (sometimes personally), and operated nine golf courses that are still in operation.

Career

Glasson was actively involved in the construction and operation of the courses he designed. He operated the Deep Cliff course in

Cupertino, California Cupertino ( ) is a city in Santa Clara County, California, United States, directly west of San Jose on the western edge of the Santa Clara Valley with portions extending into the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The population was 57,82 ...

from its construction in 1961 until its sale to a private golf course operator, John Telischak in 1992. In at least one instance, on the Fall River Mills course, he did the excavation and grading work himself. This course was built on the site of a former dump and was littered with "ice boxes, car bodies, and washing machines". Glasson is said to have been excavating the site one day when his backhoe became stuck. An onlooker began laughing at his predicament and when Glasson went to confront this person he discovered it was his neighbor and then owner of the Rising River Ranch, Bing Crosby. Both gentleman laughed about the situation and went on to become friends.

Golf courses designed

The following is a list of the golf courses designed by Glasson. Ten are listed, two (Palm and Cypress) are located at the same facility. denotes unique feature or aspect

Personal life

Glasson was born in

San Jose, California San Jose, officially San José (; ; ), is a major city in the U.S. state of California that is the cultural, financial, and political center of Silicon Valley and largest city in Northern California by both population and area. With a 2020 popu ...

and developed an interest in the sport of

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...

at an early age. He caddied at the

Los Altos Hills Los Altos Hills (; ''Los Altos'', Spanish for "The Heights") is an incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population was 8,489 at the 2020 census. The town is known for its affluence and expensive residential rea ...

Golf and Country Club for eight years. He died in

Shasta, California Shasta is a census-designated place (CDP) in Shasta County, California, United States. Shasta sits at an elevation of . Its population is 1,043 as of the 2020 census, down from 1,771 from the 2010 census. Shasta State Historic Park located at Sh ...

Career

Golf courses designed

Personal life

See also

References

External links