Arthur Vernon Macan, Jr. (1882–1964) was an Irish immigrant to Canada who designed golf courses in western

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...

, primarily in British Columbia and the Pacific Northwest. He won the

Pacific Northwest Amateur The Pacific Northwest Amateur is an annual amateur golf tournament. It is one of the oldest amateur tournaments in the United States having first been played in 1899. It is organized by the Pacific Northwest Golf Association (PNGA) and the tournam ...

in 1913. A

lawyer A lawyer is a person who practices law. The role of a lawyer varies greatly across different legal jurisdictions. A lawyer can be classified as an advocate, attorney, barrister, canon lawyer, civil law notary, counsel, counselor, solic ...

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

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. 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.

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 The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF) was the expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed following Britain’s declaration of war on Germany on 15 August 1914, with an initial strength of one infantry division ...

of the Canadian Army, and was wounded by a shell casing fragment in 1917 at the

Battle of Vimy Ridge The Battle of Vimy Ridge was part of the Battle of Arras, in the Pas-de-Calais department of France, during the First World War. The main combatants were the four divisions of the Canadian Corps in the First Army, against three divisions o ...

in France. Blood poisoning in his left foot resulted in the amputation of his lower left leg. 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), Manito Country Club (1935), 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 Inglewood may refer to: Places Australia *Inglewood, Queensland * Shire of Inglewood, Queensland, a former local government area *Inglewood, South Australia *Inglewood, Victoria * Inglewood, Western Australia Canada * Inglewood, Ontario *Inglewo ...

(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)

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.

Honours

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

References

External links

World Golf: Courses built
– Vernon Macan
Cybergolf
– Shaughnessy – Arthur Vernon Macan's crowning achievement
Inside Golf (Canada)
– A.V. Macan's and Royal Colwood's place in course architecture on the Pacific Coast {{DEFAULTSORT:Macan, A. V. Amateur golfers Golf course architects Alumni of Trinity College Dublin People educated at Shrewsbury School Irish emigrants to Canada (before 1923) 20th-century Irish lawyers Canadian Expeditionary Force officers Sportspeople from Dublin (city) Sportspeople from Victoria, British Columbia Canadian Anglicans Sportspeople with limb difference 1882 births 1964 deaths