Tom Bendelow

Tom Bendelow (1868–1936), nicknamed "The Johnny Appleseed of American Golf", was a prolific Scottish American golf course architect during the first half of the twentieth century. He is credited with having designed some 600 courses in a 35-year span.

Born 2 September 1868, in Aberdeen, Scotland, Bendelow was one of nine children. His parents owned a popular pie shop in the city, and were known for their religious piety. His father taught him the game of golf; however he was trained as a typesetter. There were no careers in golf course design in that era. He courted Mary Ann Nicol, daughter of a prominent farmer. They were married in 1892 at Belhelvie. Bendelow immigrated to the United States in 1892. His family followed in 1893; the couple had a daughter, born in December 1892. His first job was at the New York Herald.

Once introduced to A.G. Spalding, the sporting goods manufacturer, Bendelow's career began to take off in earnest. Prior to this, he had been teaching golf in his spare time—most notably to the Pratt family of Standard Oil fame, who also commissioned him to build them a private six-hole course at their Long Island estate, but Spalding hired him to exclusively promote the game in the New York and New Jersey areas. "They were not seeking to design and build championship courses or courses to test the honed skills of the best players, but rather courses that new players could enjoy, courses that would improve player proficiency, courses that would promote participation, and courses that could be maintained at a reasonable expense," according to the American Society of Golf Course Architects.

In 1898, the New York City Park District hired him to redesign and manage the Van Cortlandt Park Golf Course, the country's first 18-hole municipal golf course. Bendelow introduced various innovations to American golfers. These included the use of reserve play (tee) times, course marshals, public player associations, public golf instruction, and training for caddies. He also believed golf should be a sport that the public could play at little to no cost.

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