R.I.P. Larry Packard
/Larry Packard, golf architect of Innisbrook and many others who worked on over 600 courses, was 101.
For Immediate Release courtesy of folks at Innisbrook:
INNISBROOK, FL – Larry Packard, one of golf’s legendary course designers, has passed has away at his home at the age of 101.
Born on November 15, 1912 – before the start of World War One – he was best known for designing the famed Copperhead Course at Innisbrook, but worked on over 600 golf courses and was a former president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects.
“We are saddened to lose a titan of the golf industry and a cornerstone of the Innisbrook community,” said Sheila C. Johnson, Founder & CEO of Salamander Hotels & Resorts. “Larry was a truly wonderful and exceptionally accomplished person. He was, and still is, an inspiration to us all, and our thoughts are with his family at this time.”
On his 100th birthday in 2012, held at the Innisbrook restaurant which bears his name, Packard had a few simple words of advice for those who asked about the secret to his longevity:
“It’s all about what you eat and what you put into your body,” he said with a twinkle in his eye. No salt; don’t eat a lot of butter and fats. You also have to be happy, and make sure you like what you do every day.”
For over 80 years, “like what you do” was certainly Packard’s motto. Born in Northampton, MA, Packard became interested in landscape architecture in the 1930s when the United States was in the grip of the Great Depression. One particular job at Westover Field Air Base in his home state involved planting grass along two runways, each two miles long. This was an enormous undertaking before the days of motorized seeding equipment. Already the consummate perfectionist, Packard’s work drew attention from the government, which sent an informant to find out how he did it with such precision.
Another of Packard’s assignments as a wartime architect was to devise a camouflage scheme for the airbase to prevent an enemy attack. Packard found what he describes as “an easy solution,” based on childhood memories. In fact, he did such a good job that even some of the US fighter pilots couldn’t find the runways to land. This expertise was later sought out to design an airport in Chicago, which is known today as O’Hare – the world’s fourth busiest. However, soon Packard’s work would lead from runways to fairways.
After World War Two ended, Packard began his career in golf course architecture with an entry-level position in the firm of the famous course architect Robert Bruce Harris, where he also got to know the renowned architect Robert Trent Jones. During the next 50 years, Packard was prolific, designing over 350 new golf courses and redesigning another 250. He signature touch became the “double dogleg” hole design. His work was also geographically diverse, including the United States, Egypt, Japan, China, South Korea, Guatemala and Costa Rica.
By 1970, Packard was president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, where he made significant expansions to the membership and was instrumental in changing the face of the organization. That same year, Innisbrook Resort opened its gates, with Packard designing the first layout: the Island Course.
Packard subsequently designed the resort’s three other courses: North, South and the acclaimed Copperhead, which annually hosts the PGA TOUR’s Valspar Championship. The time spent on Innisbrook’s 900 acres led to Packard choosing to make his home among the topographically different area of Florida.
Packard leaves behind two children: Pamela Sharkey and Roger Packard, who followed in his father’s footsteps to become a celebrated golf course designer.