Theodore (Ted) G. Robinson, died March 2 at age 84 after a 10-month battle with pancreatic cancer. Robinson, former president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, left his mark on the industry with elements that continue to be part of golf course designs.
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Robinson originally was trained as a land planner. He received his master’s degree in land planning from the University of Southern California after graduating from the University of California, Berkeley. He originally was hired to plan for community development, some of which included golf courses. He started designing the courses themselves, eventually transitioning to golf courses exclusively and starting his own firm. He drew everything by hand.
“It’s kind of amazing,” said his son, golf course architect Ted Robinson, Jr. “Someone described him as the fastest man with a No. 2 pencil west of the Mississippi River. It’s true; you rarely see him turn around and erase anything.”
Ted Sr. started trends that remain in design standards today, his son said. He was known as the “king of the waterscape” because of his use of streams, ponds and other waterways in designs.
“He didn’t believe in carries, except over water,” Ted Jr. said.
Even though Ted Sr. designed championship courses, he believed in accessibility and aimed to design courses for the average player. One of the only troubles golfers might encounter on one of Ted Sr.’s courses is the magnetic bunker, where the edges are folded into the bunker, so if the ball lands anywhere near the trap, it’s guaranteed to roll in.
Ted Sr. also was known for designing the first high-end public facility in southern California – maybe the first in the entire state. He was also known for his golf-oriented, master-planed community, Mesa Verde, in Costa Mesa, as well as 26 golf course architecture projects in the Palm Springs/Palm Desert area alone, including Sunrise, Monterey, Palm Valley, The Lakes, Indian Wells, Ironwood, Tahquitz Creek and Desert Springs.
Ted Sr. branched out and designed award winning courses in Washington, Oregon, Utah, New Mexico, Arizona and Hawaii. He also worked internationally in Japan, Korea and Indonesia. His son recalled eye-opening projects in places such as Acapulco and Iran, where the work ethic isn’t quite what it is in the United States.
Ted Sr. was active in industry associations. He joined the ASGCA in 1973 and served as president in 1983-84. He earned fellow status in 1995.
“ASGCA is saddened by Ted’s passing,” said ASGCA president Steve Forrest. “His work over the past 50 years represents some of the best in the industry. He was a true pioneer in golf course architecture. His integrated design concepts set the standard for many of today’s architects. As both a colleague and a friend, he will be missed.”
Ted Sr. was honest, well liked an unassuming, his son said.
“The celebrity that came with what he did embarrassed him a little bit,” he said. “He would kind of laugh and say, ‘OK, that’s great,’ but he didn’t really have that kind of an ego.”
At the urging of his wife, Ted Sr. slowed down, leaving more of the firm’s work to his son. But he never stopped his involvement – even up to the end.
“I was working on a project in Korea, and he had a copy of it next to his bed,” Ted Jr. said. “I’d show up, and he’d critique it.”
It wasn’t a struggle for his father to do the work.”
“He would come in on the weekends and design because that’s what he wanted to do,” Ted Jr. said. “That’s why he was as prolific as he was. He was doing exactly what he wanted to do.”
Besides Ted Jr., Ted Sr. is survived by his wife, Bobbi, daughters Kris and Leigha and his 10 grandchildren.
A memorial service will be held March 13 in Indian Wells, Calif. In lieu of flowers, the family requests a donation to the Ted Robinson Cancer research Fund, USC/Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, RM 8302 MC 9181, University of Southern California, PO Box 77902, Los Angeles, CA 90099-5334.