R.I.P. Mark Parsinen

Here is an obituary for Golfweek I penned on a modern day visionary, Mark Parsinen, who may not have gotten the credit he deserved. Not only his impact on Scotland golf and the shift away from 90s excess, but one of the most important figures in sending the sport back to admiring and demanding classically-inspired golf courses.

Remembrances and tributes…

From Richard Humphreys at Golf Architecture.

Martin Dempster writing for The Scotsman.

Bradley Klein for GolfAdvisor.com.

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We lost a great one today. Mark Parsinen, our partner in the design of Castle Stuart passed away after suffering a stroke at age 70. I am a much better golf course architect for having worked with Mark, and a much better person for knowing him! Articulate, passionate, and a true thinker about golf course design, more people need to understand how brilliant he was. He gave us a canvas to work with him on that launched our career, and he was always there rooting us on! Keeping the golfer “hopeful and engaged” was his mantra when it came to design, and those are words I think of every time I am on site. On this sad day it is tough to be hopeful, but we must remain engaged in espousing the things he taught us! 😢💔

A post shared by Gil Hanse (@gil_hanse) on Jun 4, 2019 at 9:29am PDT