William Francis Bell (August 8, 1918 – September 20, 1984) was a

golf course architect 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 ...

, active from the 1960s into the early 1980s.

Biography

Born in

Pasadena, California Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district. I ...

, son of noted architect Billy Bell, Bell Jr. studied at University of Southern California in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...

. He was affectionately known as "Billy Bell Jr.". William F. Bell's courses were designed in the Western United States. Bell is considered a commercial golf course architect with more than 200 courses credited to his work and design, mostly in the American West and Hawaii. Notably, Bell was the golf architect for

Torrey Pines Golf Course Torrey Pines Golf Course is a 36-hole municipal golf facility on the west coast of the United States, owned by the city of San Diego, California. It sits on the coastal cliffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean in the community of La Jolla, just south ...

, both Torrey Pines North course and Torrey Pines South course, site of the 2008 and 2020 US Open. Bell was elected into The American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA) in 1950 and served as ASGCA President from 1957-1958. Bell was elected in 2017 to the Southern California Golf Association Hall of Fame for his contribution to the sport of golf. Bell's Mesa Verde Country Club hosted the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also k ...

Orange County Open Invitational from 1959 - 1962 with notable champions

Tony Lema Anthony David Lema (February 25, 1934 – July 24, 1966) was an American professional golfer who rose to fame in the mid-1960s and won a major title, the 1964 Open Championship at the Old Course at St Andrews in Scotland. He died two years later ...

and

Billy Casper William Earl Casper Jr. (June 24, 1931 – February 7, 2015) was an American professional golfer. He was one of the most prolific tournament winners on the PGA Tour from the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s. In his youth, Casper started as a caddie a ...

. LPGA

Nancy Lopez Nancy Marie Lopez (born January 6, 1957) is an American former professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1977 and won 48 LPGA Tour events, including three major championships. Amateur career Lopez won the New Mexico Women's ...

won at Mesa Verde Country Club in 1984. Bell's Bermuda Dunes Country Club hosted the PGA Tour's

Desert Classic The Desert Classic (currently known as The American Express for sponsorship reasons; previously known as the CareerBuilder Challenge, Palm Springs Golf Classic, the Bob Hope Desert Classic, the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic, and the Humana Challen ...

for 49 years. Bell's Newport Beach Country Club course has hosted the

Hoag Classic The Hoag Classic (formerly Toshiba Classic) is a golf tournament on the PGA Tour Champions. The Hoag Classic is played annually in March in Newport Beach, California at the Newport Beach Country Club. Newport Beach Country Club was designed by Will ...

on the

PGA Tour Champions PGA Tour Champions (formerly the Senior PGA Tour and the Champions Tour) is a men's professional senior golf tour, administered as a branch of the PGA Tour. History and format The Senior PGA Championship, founded in 1937, was for many years ...

from 1995 - 2022. Bell's Saticoy Club hosted the

LPGA Mediheal Championship The LPGA Mediheal Championship is a women's professional golf tournament in California on the LPGA Tour. A new event in 2018, it was held at Lake Merced Golf Club in Daly City, an adjacent suburb south of San Francisco. The course hosted the ...

in October 2022. Following at $25 renovation upgrade, Bell's Industry Hills is home to the Southern California Section of the PGA of America since 2016. Industry Hills Eisenhower course has hosted several professional tournaments: *LPGA 1980

Olympia Gold Classic The Olympia Gold Classic was a women's professional golf tournament on the LPGA Tour, held in southern California in Los Angeles County from 1978 to 1982. It was played in late winter at the Rancho Park Golf Course in the city of Los Angele ...

*LPGA 2011 Kia Classic. * 2011 U.S. Women's Open Qualifying. *

2016 U.S. Women's Open The 2016 U.S. Women's Open was the 71st U.S. Women's Open, held July 7–10 at CordeValle Golf Club in San Martin, California, southeast of San Jose. The U.S. Women's Open is the oldest of the five current major championships and the third of ...

Qualifying.

Notable courses

*Alhambra Municipal Golf Course * Ancil Hoffman, Sacramento, CA * Apple Valley Country Club, Apple Valley, CA *

Bakersfield Country Club Bakersfield Country Club is an 18-hole private golf course located in Bakersfield, California. The course is 6,819 yards on hilly terrain, designed by William P. Bell. Being located in the foothills of northeast Bakersfield makes this one of the f ...

(Private), Bakersfield, CA (with William P. Bell) * Bermuda Dunes Country Club, Bermuda Dunes, CA * California Country Club, Whittier, CA * Canyon at Mountain Dell Golf Course, Salt Lake City, UT *

Eaton Canyon Eaton Canyon is a major canyon beginning at the Eaton Saddle near Mount Markham and San Gabriel Peak in the San Gabriel Mountains in the Angeles National Forest, United States. Its drainage flows into the Rio Hondo river and then into the Los An ...

, CA * Hawaii Kai Golf Course, Honolulu, HI * Heartwell Golf Course, Long Beach, CA * Idaho Falls Country Club, Idaho Falls, ID * Industry Hills Eisenhower, City of Industry, CA * Industry Hills Zaharias, City of Industry, CA * Los Verdes Golf Course, Rancho Palos Verdes, CA * Lomas Santa Fe, Solana Beach, CA * Maryvale Golf Course, Phoenix, AZ * Mesa Verde Country Club, Costa Mesa, CA * Mission Trails Golf Course, San Diego, CA * Newport Beach Country Club, Newport Beach, CA * Palo Alto Municipal Golf Course, Palo Alto, CA * Papago Golf Course, Phoenix * Peacock Gap Country Club, San Rafael, CA * Recreation Park, Long Beach, CA * Rancho Bernando Inn, San Diego, CA * Sandpiper Golf Course, Santa Barbara, CA * Saticoy Club, Somis, CA * Tamarisk Country Club, Rancho Mirage, CA *

, San Diego, CA * Tucson Country Club, Tucson, AZ (with William P. Bell)

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bell, William Francis 1918 births 1984 deaths Sportspeople from Los Angeles Golf course architects Architects from Pasadena, California