Golf's designing ace

Southern Living, Mar 1997 by Young, Dianne

To achieve that, he used the earpopping elevation changes to make most of the holes play downhill, and he provided a substantial number of tees for players of all levels. He took advantage of sloping land to forgivingly direct errant balls back into generous fairways. He positioned bunkers not to punish the lesser players but to test the stronger. "What I hope that golfers-high and low handicappers-say after playing this course is that they had such an enjoyable, fun time that they can't wait to play it again, that this is the most magnificent environment of golf they've ever seen or played."

Such praise has been offered plenty of times about his work, and those are, in fact, the very reactions he and his senior designers set out to elicit every time they sketch a course. That level of achievement doesn't come easy, though, for no one concentrates on a single course at a time. At any point over the period of a year, Tom and his crew are actively working on six or seven courses; they're planning the same number on paper; and they're looking for six or seven more to be built a couple of years down the road. "And everyone has to measure up to the highest level of any golf course that has been built or is being built in the country," he says matter-of-factly. "Because that's the reputation. That's the standard we have to beat."

Such high expectations don't faze Tom Fazio in the least. "The excitement of doing this kind of work," he volunteers with a ready smile, "is that it never gets boring; it's never the same."

Ask him if he has a goal, though, and the answer he gives has nothing to do with fairways and greens. -Mere are always new challenges in what we do every day, but my real dream is that every kid who needs help can get help." And as you'd expect of this just-do-it kind of a guy, he's looking for solutions there too. When they moved to Hendersonville, Tom and his family helped found the local Boys and Girls Club and remain deeply involved.

"Once you get to know all these kids-no matter what size, what background, what color-they're all the same, they're wonderful kids. You want to help them all," he says with a very real passion. "And I see it as being a not unsolvable task. It starts with one kid," he concludes, "with one individual."

One individual like Tom Fazio.