ABERDEEN PRINTER
WHO DESIGNED
600 to 1,000
COURSES IN
NORTH AMERICA

By COLIN FARQUHARSON

Very few people in Scotland – not even those steeped in golf – have heard of Tom Bendelow, the Aberdeen printer who emigrated to the United States in the 1890s and became the most prolific golf-course designer in North America.
He is credited with having laid out at least 600 courses; perhaps 1,000 is a more accurate figure. We shall never know.
Stuart Bendelow, after much research, produced last year a biography of his grandfather: “Thomas ‘Tom’ Bendelow: The Johnny Appleseed of American Golf.”
Those who loved to read accounts of Scottish life the way it was more than 100 years ago will find the early chapters in particular a fascinating read. The Bendelow Pie Shop, next door to Aberdeen's Causeway School, was run by Tom's parents.
That book is now more readily available in Scotland since Stuart put it on http://www.half.com/, an offshoot of Ebay. It costs $24.95.
If you want to buy it, here’s the direct link to the half.com page the book is on:
http://product.half.ebay.com/_W0QQprZ57201645QQcpidZ1377453947

Here are some comments about the book:

“Finally, a definitive biography of America’s first – and most prolific – golf course architect, painstakingly researched and passionately written” – Tim Cronin, The Daily Southtown, Chicago.

“Tom Bendelow is one of the unsung heroes of American golf, a pioneer in the field of golf course design. This book fills a void in golf history.” – Len Ziehm, Chicago Sun-Times.

“Stuart Bendelow’s biography of his grandfather Tom is a tribute to a Scottish immigrant who was a pioneer of American golf, not just in the field of golf course design, but also in the development of instruction, equipment, competition and … the notion that the game should be available to the common man.” - Ron Whitten, Senior Editor, Golf Digest.

“Stuart Bendelow’s book ensures that this important golf architect will be forgotten no more.” – Art McCafferty, Publisher, The Michigan Golfer.


"Without Tom Bendelow, golf would have lingered in the (United States) metropolitan areas of the East Coast. Instead, with his knowledge and perseverance, it was carried to 30 states in every quadrant of America, as well as five Canadian provinces. Bendelow was exactly what American sportsmen needed at the time ... Tom not only had the expertise to plot a golf course but he was also backed by a sporting goods company that had the resources to send him throughout the country in its name." - Bob Labbance, Golf Editor, Turf Magazine.