George Clifford Thomas Jr. (October 3, 1873 – February 23, 1932) was an American golf course architect, botanist, and writer. He designed the original course at Whitemarsh Valley Country Club, outside

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

; and more than twenty courses in California, including Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades and Red Hill Country Club in

Rancho Cucamonga Rancho Cucamonga was a Ranchos of California, Mexican land grant in present-day San Bernardino County, California, given in 1839 to the dedicated soldier, smuggler and politician Tiburcio Tapia by Mexican governor Juan Bautista Alvarado. The gra ...

. Thomas, along with A.W. Tillinghast, William Flynn, Hugh Wilson, George Crump, and William Fownes together made up the "Philadelphia School" of golf course architecture. Together, the group designed over 300 courses, 27 of which are on in the top 100 golf courses in the world.

Biography

Thomas was born in Philadelphia on October 3, 1873. He attended

Episcopal Academy The Episcopal Academy, founded in 1785, is a private, co-educational school for grades Pre-K through 12 based in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania. Prior to 2008, the main campus was located in Merion Station and the satellite campus was located in ...

, and graduated from the

University of Pennsylvania The University of Pennsylvania (Penn or UPenn) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. One of nine colonial colleges, it was chartered in 1755 through the efforts of f ...

in 1894. His father was a partner in the investment bank Drexel & Company, where the son worked until 1907. As a teenager, he began designing a golf course on his family's suburban estate, Bloomfield Farm. ''Note:'' This includes He sold the course in 1908 to a group of golfers who converted it into Whitemarsh Valley Country Club. He designed a 9-hole course in

Marion, Massachusetts Marion is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,347 at the 2020 census. For geographic and demographic information on the village of Marion Center, please see the article Mar ...

, and a course in

Spring Lake Heights, New Jersey Spring Lake Heights is a borough located in the southern coastal portion of Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 4,890, an increase of 177 (+3.8%) from the 2010 census co ...

. In the 1910s, he was able to observe some of the pioneers of golf course design working near Philadelphia. He was a founding member of Sunnybrook Golf Club, and witnessed Donald Ross's 1914-15 construction of its original course in Flourtown, Pennsylvania. He was friends with Hugh Wilson, who designed

Merion Golf Club Merion Golf Club is a private golf club which is located in Haverford Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, a township bordering Philadelphia to the northwest along the historic Main Line. The club has two courses: the East Course, and the ...

's original East Course in 1912, and its original West Course in 1914; with George Crump, who designed

Pine Valley Golf Club Pine Valley Golf Club is a golf course in Pine Hill, Camden County, in southern New Jersey. It was ranked the number one course in ''Golf Magazines 100 Top Courses in the U.S. and the World in 2012, 2015, 2019, 2020, and 2023. A private club ...

's original course in 1915; and with A. W. Tillinghast, who later designed the

Philadelphia Cricket Club The Philadelphia Cricket Club, founded in 1854 in southeastern Pennsylvania, is the oldest country club in the United States. Its two locations are in Chestnut Hill and Flourtown, north-northwest of downtown Philadelphia. History Founde ...

's original course in Flourtown. Crump, Tillinghast, Wilson, William Flynn (who constructed Wilson's courses at Merion), and Thomas were masters of the "Philadelphia School" of golf course design, which encouraged high-risk/high-reward play. He served in the

Army Air Service The United States Army Air Service (USAAS)Craven and Cate Vol. 1, p. 9 (also known as the ''"Air Service"'', ''"U.S. Air Service"'' and before its legislative establishment in 1920, the ''"Air Service, United States Army"'') was the aerial warf ...

during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, attaining the rank of captain. "The Captain" remained his nickname for the rest of his life. He moved to California in 1919, where he designed the course at La Cumbre Country Club in Santa Barbara. William P. Bell collaborated and supervised its construction. He and Bell later collaborated on courses for

Los Angeles Country Club The Los Angeles Country Club is a golf and country club in Los Angeles, California, United States. The club is noted for being very exclusive. It hosted the 2023 U.S. Open on its North Course. History In the fall of 1897, a group of Los Ang ...

, Ojai Country Club, Bel-Air Country Club, Fox Hills Golf Course, Red Hill Country Club, and others. In 1926, he published a seminal book, ''Golf Course Architecture in America'', in which he stated the goal behind his work: "When you play a course and remember each hole, it has individuality and change. If your mind cannot recall the exact sequence of the holes, that course lacks the great assets of originality and diversity." He considered the course at Red Hill Country Club to be his masterpiece. It is the only one of his courses that has never been extensively altered.

Dogs and roses

He raised English setters, and was one of the founders of the English Setter Club of America. In 1912, he began breeding roses on Bloomfield Farm, trying to create a variety that would thrive in Philadelphia's Mid-Atlantic climate. His botanical work continued in California, where he cultivated some 1,200 varieties, including his own "Bloomfield" hybrids. He wrote two books on roses.

Family

He married Edna H. Ridge in Philadelphia on July 6, 1901. They had two children: George Clifford III, born April 13, 1905; and Josephine Moorehead, born April 14, 1907. Thomas died of a heart attack at their home in Beverly Hills on February 23, 1932.

Legacy

Geoff Shackelford, a golf course architect and author, wrote a 1995 history of Riviera Country Club and a 1996 biography of Thomas. In 2008, Thomas was posthumously inducted into the Southern California Golf Association's Hall of Fame. In 2010, Gil Hanse restored the North Course at Los Angeles Country Club to Thomas's 1921 design. On ''

Golf Digest ''Golf Digest'' is a monthly golf magazine published by Warner Bros. Discovery through its TNT Sports unit. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competitive golf. The magazine started by John F. ...

'' 2023 list of the 100 greatest golf courses in America, Riviera Country Club was ranked 19th, and the restored North Course at Los Angeles Country Club was ranked 16th. In June 2012, the first George C. Thomas Jr. Invitational Tournament was held on the North Course at Los Angeles Country Club.

Golf courses

* Whitemarsh Valley Country Club,

Erdenheim, Pennsylvania Erdenheim is a community in Springfield Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. It is served by the 19038 ZIP Code. The primary commercial areas are located along Bethlehem Pike. The name is German for "Earthly Home," and comes from nearby ...

(1892?-1908).
Marion Golf Club
Marion, Massachusetts (9 holes, 1900). * Spring Lake Golf Club, Spring Lake Heights, New Jersey (1911). * La Cumbre Country Club,

Santa Barbara, California Santa Barbara (, meaning ) is a coastal city in Santa Barbara County, California, of which it is also the county seat. Situated on a south-facing section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States excepting A ...

(1920, with William P. Bell, demolished).
Red Hill Country Club

Rancho Cucamonga, California Rancho Cucamonga ( ) is a city located just south of the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains and Angeles National Forest in San Bernardino County, California, United States. About east of Downtown Los Angeles, Rancho Cucamonga is the List ...

(9 holes, 1921 and 9 holes with William P. Bell, 1946). * North Course,

, Los Angeles, California (1921 redesign, with Herbert Fowler; 1927-28 redesign, with William P. Bell). Now restored to Thomas's 1921 design. * Saticoy Country Club,

Ventura, California Ventura, officially named San Buenaventura (Spanish for "Saint Bonaventure"), is a city in and the county seat of Ventura County, California, United States. It is a coastal city located northwest of Los Angeles. The population was 110,763 at the ...

(9 holes, 1923). Now Saticoy Regional Golf Course. * Los Angeles Municipal Courses,

Griffith Park Griffith Park is a large municipal park at the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains, in the Los Feliz neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. The park includes popular attractions such as the Los Angeles Zoo, the Autry Museum of the Amer ...

, Los Angeles, California (36 holes, 1923). Renamed the Woodrow Wilson and Warren G. Harding Memorial Golf Courses. * Palos Verdes Golf Club,

Palos Verdes Estates, California Palos Verdes Estates is a coastal city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, situated on the Palos Verdes Peninsula and neighboring Rancho Palos Verdes and Rolling Hills Estates. The city was master-planned by the noted American ...

(1924, Consulted to William P. Bell design). * Ojai Country Club,

Ojai, California Ojai ( ; Chumashan languages, Chumash: ''’Awhaỳ'') is a city in Ventura County, California. Located in the Ojai Valley, it is northwest of Los Angeles and east of Santa Barbara, California, Santa Barbara. The valley is part of the east– ...

(1925, with William P. Bell). Now Ojai Valley Inn & Spa. * Bel-Air Country Club, Bel Air, Los Angeles, California (1926, with William P. Bell). * Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades, California (1927, with William P. Bell). * Fox Hills Golf Course,

Culver City, California Culver City is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 40,779. It is mostly surrounded by Los Angeles, but also shares a border with the unincorporated area of Ladera Heights, Californi ...

(1927, with William P. Bell, demolished). Now the site of Culver City Shopping Mall. * Stanford University Golf Course,

Stanford, California Stanford is a census-designated place (CDP) in the northwest corner of Santa Clara County, California, United States. It is the home of Stanford University, after which it was named. The CDP's population was 21,150 at the United States Census, ...

(1930, with William P. Bell).Stanford Golf Course
/ref> File:Griffith Park from the air.jpg, Wilson and Harding Golf Courses (center, far left),

, Los Angeles, California File:RivieraCountryClub18th.jpg, 18th hole, Riviera Country Club, Pacific Palisades, California. Because of the half-bowl shape of the topography, this hole is nicknamed "The Amphitheater". File:PVGC-12-12.jpg, 12th hole, Palos Verdes Golf Club, Palos Verdes Estates, California File:14th hole, Palos Verdes Golf Club (2003).jpg, 14th hole, Palos Verdes Golf Course - designed by George C. Thomas & William P. Bell (photo taken in 2003)

References

* Geoffrey S. Cornish, Ronald E. Whitten: ''The Architects of Golf''. HarperCollins, New York 1993. * Geoff Shackelford: ''The Riviera Country Club; A Definitive History''. Riviera Country Club 1995. * Geoff Shackelford: ''The Captain: George C. Thomas Jr. and His Golf Architecture''. Sleeping Bear Press, Chelsea 1996. * George C. Thomas Jr.: ''The Practical Book of Outdoor Rose-growing for the Home Garden''. J.B. Lippincott Co., Philadelphia 1914. * George C. Thomas Jr.: ''Golf Course Architecture in America: Its Strategy and Construction''. John Wiley & Sons, New York 1926. Reprint: Clocktower Press, Ann Arbor 1997. * George C. Thomas Jr.: ''Breeding Roses at Home''. American Rose Society, 1929.

External links

''New York Times'' obituary, February 29, 1932George C. Thomas Jr. from Whitemarsh Valley Country Club.Riviera Country Club: A Historian's Dream Article
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Thomas, George C. Jr. 1873 births 1932 deaths American golf course architects Writers from Philadelphia People from Beverly Hills, California Rose breeders