Date posted: 15 December 2023
Posted by: Peter Bennett

Ron Kirby redesigned the 5th Green in Killiney Golf Club, circa 2000.

Golf architect and designer, Ron Kirby died in Aug 2023 in Copenhagen, Denmark, after a short illness. He was 90 years old and was still working on a golf project. He worked on hundreds of projects around the world, both as solo jobs and in tandem with some of the biggest names in golf design. He worked with Dick Wilson, Robert Trent Jones Sr., Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus during lengthy career.

A native of Beverly, Massachusetts, Kirby was a caddie, caddie master and maintenance crew member who later became one of the most widely travelled architects of his time.

Ronnie Kane, "Ron was one of the great golf course designers. He loved visiting Ireland. He worked on Mount Juliet, The Old Head, Dromoland Castle, Castlemartyr, Hog's Head Golf Course, Corballis, Greystones Golf Club, and of course Killiney. I met Ron about 20 years ago. It was through John Clarkin, the agronomist, whose company, Turfgrass, has done work for Killiney over many years. It was during the time Ron was in Ireland working on the redesign of Mount Juliet on behalf of Jack Nicklaus. He redesigned the 5th Green here in Killiney. He was a lovely guy, very helpful. A great conversationalist with a wealth of stories. You could listen to him all night."

Kirby was a popular and highly-regarded golf architect who had a fondness for Ireland… especially the southern counties. His design work here embraces Mount Juliet (1991), Old Head (1997), Dromoland Castle (2002/3, alongside JB Carr), and Castlemartyr (2007). He designed Skellig Bay (now the site of Hog’s Head) in 2005, added some important holes at Corballis, and even ventured to Wicklow where he worked at Greystones Golf Club.

Apes Hill Barbados Mourns the Passing of Ron Kirby, Renowned Golf Course Architect by Mark McGowan, The Irish Golfer, 18 Aug 2023.

Apes Hill Barbados has delivered a glowing tribute to esteemed golf course architect, Ron Kirby, who passed away yesterday at the age of 90.

Kirby oversaw hundreds of designs globally, working on projects on his own but also in tandem with many of the game’s most celebrated golf course architects. He worked vigorously and well until sudden illness overtook him and he passed peacefully on Thursday with family by his side in Copenhagen, Denmark, where he had been working on a project.

“We at Apes Hill Barbados are profoundly grateful for having had Ron Kirby become one of our family members through his extensive time here and the relationships he built with us,” said Sunil Chatrani, Executive Chairman, Apes Hill Barbados. <i>“Ron became a wonderful friend and will be deeply missed. That he also designed our golf courses is a gift that will give forever.

Apes Hill Barbados is home to Kirby’s last completed design, the 18-hole championship course that opened last November, as well as a nine-hole par-3 course and an island-style 19th hole that are close to completion.

“He was an incredible man, always with a smile and a twinkle in his eyes who had an abundance of rich friendships from the dozen plus countries he worked in globally,” said Roddy Carr, who was instrumental in Kirby being selected to design Old Head Golf Links in Ireland and Apes Hill Barbados. “Ron lived a rich and full life and did what he loved doing right to the end – recently sketching golf holes in Denmark.”

From humble beginnings as a caddie, caddie master and maintenance crew member in his hometown of Beverly, Massachusetts, USA. Kirby became one of the most highly respected golf course architects in the world and a ‘Fellow’ of the American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA) during his five-decade golf design career.

At the University of Massachusetts-Stockbridge, Kirby earned a bachelor’s degree in agriculture. He began working as a design associate for Dick Wilson, then served under ASGCA Founding Member Robert Trent Jones Snr., designing courses in the United States, Europe and the Caribbean.

Kirby used his golf course architecture and construction experience to start his own design company in 1970, with consulting partner Gary Player. Eventually, he sold his company to Golden Bear, Inc., and joined Nicklaus Design Services and Jack Nicklaus, as overseer of all European projects.

“He was never an ego guy, it was never about him but always about what his clients wanted,” Carr said. “He worked with Dick Wilson, Gary Player, Robert Trent Jones Snr and Jack Nicklaus. Ron once told me: ‘I did my finishing school with Jack. Nicklaus was the best strategist, Trent Jones the best router, Tom Fazio the best landscaper’”.

Kirby’s course portfolio is extensive, including London Golf Club International Course, London; Dolphin Head Golf Course, Hilton Head, South Carolina; Sun City Golf Course, Bophuthatswana, South Africa; and La Moraleja Golf Club, Madrid, Spain.

Throughout his career, he was accompanied by his wife, Sally. Their travels together set the tone for Kirby’s autobiography, We Spent Half Our Lives on the Wrong Side of the Road, published in 2020. Sally died that same year. He is survived by his children Faye, Ron Jnr., and Beverly.

All agree that Kirby passed while continuing to do great work. It is gratifying to know that he was pleased with his final design, the championship 18-hole golf course at Apes Hill Barbados.

Reproduced by kind permission of John Shortt, Irish Golfer.