William Herbert "Bert" Way (23 August 1873 – 11 August 1963) was an English

professional golfer A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...

and

golf course designer A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

. Way tied for second place in the 1899 U.S. Open, held 14–15 September 1899, at

Baltimore Country Club Baltimore Country Club is a private club in Baltimore, Maryland, with two campuses, one in the city's Roland Park neighborhood and the other in the north suburb of Lutherville. It is one of only twelve clubs nationwide to operate two campuses. T ...

Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...

. Way designed a number of golf courses, the best known being the South Course at

Firestone Country Club Firestone Country Club is a private golf club in the United States, located in Akron, Ohio. It was a regular stop on the PGA Tour and has hosted the PGA Championship three times. It is the current home of the Bridgestone Senior Players Championsh ...

Akron, Ohio Akron () is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Summit County. It is located on the western edge of the Glaciated Allegheny Plateau, about south of downtown Cleveland. As of the 2020 Census, the city ...

Early life

Way was born in

Bideford Bideford ( ) is a historic port town on the estuary of the River Torridge in north Devon, south-west England. It is the main town of the Torridge local government district. Toponymy In ancient records Bideford is recorded as ''Bedeford'', ' ...

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devon is ...

, England, to Richard Way (1839–1923) and Frances Mary Way née Henderson (1844–1926). He had four brothers and two sisters. Way was Willie Dunn, Jr.'s apprentice at

North Devon North Devon is a local government district in Devon, England. North Devon Council is based in Barnstaple. Other towns and villages in the North Devon District include Braunton, Fremington, Ilfracombe, Instow, South Molton, Lynton and ...

and when Dunn left

Shinnecock Hills Golf Club Shinnecock Hills Golf Club is a links-style golf club located in an unincorporated area of the Town of Southampton on Long Island, New York, situated between the Peconic Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Shinnecock Hills is believed to be the oldest ...

, Dunn recommended Way as his replacement. Way and his wife Caroline emigrated to the United States in 1896 and both became naturalized American citizens.

Golf career

1899 U.S. Open

In the 1899 U.S. Open, held 14–15 September 1899 at Baltimore Country Club, Way played excellent golf, carding rounds of 80-85-80-81=326. He finished in a tie for second place with

George Low George Michael Low (born Georg Michael Löw, June 10, 1926 – July 17, 1984) was an administrator at NASA and the 14th president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Low was one of the senior NASA officials who made numerous decisions as m ...

and

Val Fitzjohn Valentine F. Fitzjohn (2 June 1878 – 1934) was a Scottish professional golfer. He finished tied for second in the 1899 U.S. Open and finished tenth in 1900. Early life Fitzjohn was born on 2 June 1878 in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was the son ...

and took home $125 as his share of the purse.

Euclid Golf Club

Way designed the Euclid Golf Club in

Cleveland Heights, Ohio Cleveland Heights is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States, and one of Cleveland's historical streetcar suburbs. The city's population was 45,312 at the 2020 census. As of the 2010 census, Cleveland Heights was ranked the 8th largest ...

, in 1901, and would go on to design many more in his career. The

Euclid Golf Allotment The Euclid Golf Allotment, also known as the Euclid Golf Historic District, is a historic district located in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, in the United States. Roughly bounded by Cedar Road, Coventry Road, West St. James Parkway, and Ardleigh Drive, ...

, also known as the Euclid Golf Historic District, is a

historic district A historic district or heritage district is a section of a city which contains older buildings considered valuable for historical or architectural reasons. In some countries or jurisdictions, historic districts receive legal protection from ce ...

. Roughly bounded by Cedar Road, Coventry Road, West Street, James Parkway, and Ardleigh Drive, the 142-acre (0.57 km2) site contains primarily residential homes built between 1913 and 1929. The historic district is built on land formerly owned by

John D. Rockefeller John Davison Rockefeller Sr. (July 8, 1839 – May 23, 1937) was an American business magnate and philanthropist. He has been widely considered the wealthiest American of all time and the richest person in modern history. Rockefeller was ...

and at one time leased to the Euclid Golf Club for its back nine holes.

Golf courses designed by Way

:''Note: This list may be incomplete.'' * Euclid Golf Club – Cleveland Heights, Ohio * Aurora Golf Club – Public in Aurora, Ohio * Th
Black Brook Golf Course & Practice Center
– Public in Mentor, Ohio * Chardon Lakes Golf Course – Public in Chardon, Ohio * J. E. Good Park Golf Course – Public in Akron, Ohio * The Mayfield Country Club – Private in Cleveland, Ohio * South Course at Firestone Country Club – Private in Akron, Ohio *

Detroit Golf Club The Detroit Golf Club (abbreviated to DGC) is a private golf club located in Detroit, Wayne County, Michigan in the middle of a neighborhood area on north side of the city near the University of Detroit Mercy and Palmer Woods Historic District. ...

– Private in Detroit, Michigan * The Country Club of Detroit – Private in Detroit, Michigan * Cleveland Heights Golf Corse in Lakeland, Florida – The Ledger

Death and legacy

Way died on 11 August 1963 in

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a coastal metropolis and the county seat of Miami-Dade County in South Florida, United States. With a population of 442,241 at th ...

. In 1978, he was inducted into the Greater Cleveland Sports Hall of Fame.

References

Sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Way, Bert English male golfers Golf course architects Sportspeople from Bideford English emigrants to the United States 1873 births 1963 deaths