Arthur Vernon Macan Jr. (1882–1964) was an Irish immigrant to

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...

who designed golf courses in western

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, primarily in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

and the

Pacific Northwest The Pacific Northwest (PNW; ) is a geographic region in Western North America bounded by its coastal waters of the Pacific Ocean to the west and, loosely, by the Rocky Mountains to the east. Though no official boundary exists, the most common ...

. 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 is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

by trade, Macan was born in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, the son of Dr. A.V. Macan (1843–1908), a noted

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

who was knighted.

Early years

Macan's mother died in 1886 when he was four; he was raised in

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

. He attended the

Shrewsbury School Shrewsbury School is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in Shrewsbury. Founded in 1552 by Edward VI by royal charter, to replace the town's Saxon collegiate foundations which were disestablished in the sixteenth century, Shrewsb ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

and

Trinity College Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...

. 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

and settled in

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

in 1912.

World War I

In his early 30s, he volunteered for service in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

in 1916 as an officer in the

Canadian Expeditionary Force The Canadian Expeditionary Force (CEF; French: ''Corps expéditionnaire canadien'') was the expeditionary warfare, expeditionary field force of Canada during the First World War. It was formed on August 15, 1914, following United Kingdom declarat ...

of the

Canadian Army The Canadian Army () is the command (military formation), command responsible for the operational readiness of the conventional ground forces of the Canadian Armed Forces. It maintains regular forces units at bases across Canada, and is also re ...

, 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 of ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. 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 A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

(1927),

(1930 & 1955 renovations), 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 *Inglewoo ...

(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 The Olympic Peninsula is a large peninsula in Western Washington that lies across Puget Sound from Seattle, and contains Olympic National Park. It is bounded on the west by the Pacific Ocean, the north by the Strait of Juan de Fuca, and the ...

Sequim, Washington Sequim ( ) is a city in Clallam County, Washington, United States. It is located on the north side of the Olympic Peninsula between the Dungeness River and Sequim Bay. The city is south of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and north of the Olympic Mount ...

; he had a fatal

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when Ischemia, blood flow decreases or stops in one of the coronary arteries of the heart, causing infarction (tissue death) to the heart muscle. The most common symptom ...

while working on site of what was to become the Sunland Golf Club.

Honours

Macan was inducted into the

Canadian Golf Hall of Fame The Canadian Golf Hall of Fame and Museum is a museum and hall of fame covering the history of the game of golf in Canada, and celebrating the careers and accomplishments of the most significant contributors to the game in that country. Operated b ...

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 20th-century Irish lawyers Canadian Expeditionary Force officers Sportspeople from Dublin (city) Sportspeople from Victoria, British Columbia Canadian Anglicans Sportspeople with limb difference Canadian lawyers with disabilities 1882 births 1964 deaths