A. V. Macan Explained

A.V. Macan
Birth Date:1882
Birth Place:Dublin, Ireland
Death Date:August 1964 (aged 82)
Death Place:Sequim, Washington, U.S.[1]
Alma Mater:Trinity College Dublin
Occupation:Attorney,
Golf course architect
Spouse:Juliet Adelaide Richards Macan[2]
Children:2
Known For:golf course design
Parents:A.V. Macan, Sr.
(1843–1908)
Mary A. Wanklyn Macan
(18xx–1886)[3] .[4]
Module:
Embed:yes
Allegiance: Canada
Branch: Canadian Army, (CEF)
Rank:Lieutenant
Serviceyears:1916–1918
Battles:World War I


Battle of Vimy Ridge

Arthur Vernon Macan Jr. (1882–1964) was an Irish immigrant to Canada who designed golf courses in western North America, primarily in British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest.[5] [6] [7] He won the Pacific Northwest Amateur in 1913.

A lawyer by trade, Macan was born in Ireland, the son of Dr. A.V. Macan (1843–1908), a noted physician who was knighted.[3] [8]

Early years

Macan's mother died in 1886 when he was four; he was raised in Dublin. He attended the Shrewsbury School in England and Trinity College Dublin.[8] Introduced to golf around age nine, he became one of the top players in Ireland, and quickly tired of the legal profession. He moved his family to western Canada and settled in British Columbia at Victoria in 1912.[7]

World War I

In his early 30s, he volunteered for service in World War I in 1916 as an officer in the Canadian Expeditionary Force of the Canadian Army,[9] [10] and was wounded by a shell casing fragment in 1917 at the Battle of Vimy Ridge in France.[11] Blood poisoning in his left foot resulted in the amputation of his lower left leg.[12] [13] After the war, he returned to Canada and continued to play competitive golf and design courses.

Courses designed

Canada

British Columbia

Qualicum (1913), Royal Colwood (1913; 1921–1922 renovation), Cowichan (1922), Marine Drive (1923), Gleneagles (1927), Gorge Vale (1920 & 1930), Langara Golf Course (1926), old Shaughnessy Heights (1927; 1940 renovation), Stanley Park Par-3 (1927), University (1927), Victoria (1930 & 1955 renovations), Cowichan (1947), Kelowna (1949 & 1959 renovations), Nanaimo (1953 & 1961), McCleery (1956), Richmond (1959), new Shaughnessy (1959), Capilano (1960 renovation), Penticton (1961 renovation), and Queen Elizabeth Park (1961).

United States

Washington

Inglewood (1920, 1928 renovation), Chehalis (1922), Waverly (1922 – 1950s renovation), Rainier (1923 – front nine), Glen Acres (1924), Fircrest (1924), Broadmoor (1925), Seattle (1950 renovation), Overlake (1953), Sun Willows (1954), Yakima (1956 back nine), Everett (1962 renovation), Lake Spanaway Municipal (1964), and Sunland (1964).

Oregon

Columbia-Edgewater (1924), Alderwood (1924; 1949 renovation), Astoria (1924), Illahe Hills (1928), Colwood National (1928), Lloyds (1930), Gearhart (1932 renovation)

Idaho

Hillcrest (1940; 1957 & 1961 renovations), Purple Sage Municipal (1963)

California

California Golf Club (1925), Contra Costa (1925), San Geronimo (1961)[7]

Death

Macan died at age 82 in August 1964 on the Olympic Peninsula in Sequim, Washington; he had a fatal heart attack while working on site of what was to become the Sunland Golf Club.[1]

Honours

Macan was inducted into the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame in 2018.[14]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: Olson, Arv . Backspin: 120 Years of Golf in British Columbia . Heritage House Publishing Co. Ltd. . 2012 . 34–36. 9781927051412 .
  2. https://books.google.com/books?id=MRyvpKPoiQkC&q=juliet+richards+macan&pg=PA35 Golf Architecture
  3. Web site: Dublin and Co. Dublin. Contemporary Biographies: Sir A.V. Macan . W.T. Pike & Co. . Cosgrave . Ephraim MacDowel . 1908 . 190 .
  4. Macan, Arthur Vernon . 2 . 498-499 . Rowlette . Robert . Robert Rowlette . 1.
  5. Book: Daley, P. . Golf Architecture, Vol V: A Worldwide Perspective . Pelican Pub. . 2003 . 978-1-4556-1591-9 . 35-46 . The resurrection of A.V. Macan in the Pacific Northwest.
  6. Web site: AV Macan: Canada's democrat of golf . Mingay . Jeff . Golf Course Architecture . February 10, 2010 . October 3, 2015.
  7. Web site: A.V. Macan: Golf Course Architect for the Pacific Northwest . Nanaimo Golf Club . December 11, 2015.
  8. Web site: Arthur Vernon Macan, Inducted 1989 . Pacific Northwest Golf Hall of Fame . https://web.archive.org/web/20140502091307/http://thepnga.org/wp-content/themes/abelltheme/halloffamemembers/arthurvernonmacan.html . 2014-05-02 . dead .
  9. Web site: Researching Canadian golf architects: AV Macan and Stanley Thompson . Great War Forum . Stephenson . Paul . October 16, 2007 . October 4, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304113203/http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=84083 . March 4, 2016 . dead .
  10. News: Golf child's play to patrol's duty . Spokane Daily Chronicle . Washington . November 27, 1916 . 16 .
  11. News: Macan, golf champ, wounded at Vimy . Spokane Daily Chronicle . Washington . May 10, 1917 . 20 .
  12. News: Macan, golf champ, wounded . Spokane Daily Chronicle . Washington . August 22, 1917 . 14 .
  13. Web site: Vernon Macan (long article) . Golf Club Atlas . Sheehan . John . July 18, 2002 . October 3, 2015 .
  14. Web site: A.V. Macan – Canadian Golf Hall of Fame . Golf Canada.