ALLIED ASSOCIATIONS
ASGCA
President George Herbert Walker Bush to Receive ASGCA Donald Ross Award
BROOKFIELD, Wis. – George H.W. Bush, the 41st President of the United States (1989-1993), has been chosen as the 2018 recipient of the ASGCA Donald Ross Award. This award, given annually since 1976, is presented to a person who has made a significant contribution to the game of golf and the profession of golf course architecture. It will be presented to Bush in April as part of the 2018 ASGCA Annual Meeting in Houston. “President Bush exemplifies the highest traditions of golf, from displaying the values of good sportsmanship to respecting pace of play, and everything in between,” said ASGCA President John Sanford. “ASGCA is proud to add President Bush to the list of distinguished Donald Ross Award recipients.” The Bush family relationship with golf goes back generations. His maternal grandfather, George Walker, served as United States Golf Association president. Today, the Walker Cup bears his name. A member of the World Golf Hall of Fame, Bush has actively supported numerous national and international golf events, including the Presidents Cup, Ryder Cup, Walker Cup and Houston Open. “Golf clears the mind,” he told Sports Illustrated in a 1991 interview. “I don’t concentrate too much out here. I’m in it for the competition, the camaraderie.”
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As for pace of play, that same SI article noted: “When staffers ask whether (the President) broke 90, they’re talking minutes, not strokes. Sure enough, on the morning Bush left for an economic summit in London, he raced around a full 18 in an hour and 25 minutes. ‘My all-time record.’” The Donald Ross Award is presented by the ASGCA Awards Committee, co-chaired by ASGCA Past Presidents Steve Smyers, ASGCA, and Rees Jones, ASGCA Fellow (the 2013 Donald Ross Award recipient). For more information on ASGCA, visit www.asgca.org, call (262) 786-5960 or e-mail info@asgca.org.
ASGCA Background Founded in 1946 by Donald Ross, Robert Trent Jones and 12 other leading architects, the American Society of Golf Course Architects is a non-profit organization comprised of experienced golf course designers located throughout the United States and Canada. Members have completed a rigorous two-year long application process that includes the peer review of four representative golf courses. ASGCA members are experienced golf course architects, able to counsel in all aspects of golf course design and remodeling and comprise many of the great talents throughout the golf industry.