John L. Bredemus (November 20, 1884 - May 8, 1946) was a track and field athlete, teacher, principal, and golf course designer from the United States. He finished second in the 1906

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It has ...

(AAU) all-around competition, won in 1908, and lost to Olympic star

Jim Thorpe James Francis Thorpe ( Sac and Fox (Sauk): ''Wa-Tho-Huk'', translated as "Bright Path"; May 22 or 28, 1887March 28, 1953) was an American athlete and Olympic gold medalist. A member of the Sac and Fox Nation, Thorpe was the first Native ...

in 1912, but was subsequently declared champion after Thorpe's stints playing semi-professional baseball were reported and rulings determined Thorpe ineligible for the amateur status then required at AAU and Olympic competition. He graduated from

Princeton University Princeton University is a private university, private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the List of Colonial Colleges, fourth-oldest ins ...

in 1912 with a degree in

civil engineering Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including public works such as roads, bridges, canals, dams, airports, sewage ...

and moved to New York City where he worked as a teacher. Bredemus went on to a career designing golf courses in Texas and Mexico. Bredemus was born in

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city and seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. Located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. At the 2020 census, Flint had a population of 8 ...

. He went to

Phillips Exeter Academy (not for oneself) la, Finis Origine Pendet (The End Depends Upon the Beginning) gr, Χάριτι Θεοῦ (By the Grace of God) , location = 20 Main Street , city = Exeter, New Hampshire , zipcode ...

. Bredemus moved to New York City after graduating from Princeton and learned to play golf at

Van Cortlandt Park Van Cortlandt Park is a park located in the borough of the Bronx in New York City. Owned by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, it is managed with assistance from the Van Cortlandt Park Alliance. The park, the city's third-lar ...

. In 1919 he moved to Texas for a job as principal.

Bud Shrake Edwin A. "Bud" Shrake, Jr. (September 6, 1931 – May 8, 2009) was an American journalist, sportswriter, novelist, biographer and screenwriter. He co-wrote a series of golfing advice books with golf coach Harvey Penick, including ''Harvey Penick' ...

wrote Bredemus into his golf themed

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

''Billy Boy''. Bredemus was inducted into the Texas Golf Hall of Fame in 1981. He designed

Memorial Park Golf Course A memorial is an object or place which serves as a focus for the memory or the commemoration of something, usually an influential, deceased person or a historical, tragic event. Popular forms of memorials include landmark objects or works of a ...

which hosted some golf greats and was home to the Houston Open from 1951 to 1963. He is credited with designing many other courses as well.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bredemus, John L. 1884 births 1946 deaths Golf course architects People from Flint, Michigan Princeton University School of Engineering and Applied Science alumni Track and field athletes from Michigan Phillips Exeter Academy alumni