Shelley Mayfield (June 19, 1924 – March 22, 2010) was an American

golf course architect 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 ...

and

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 ...

who played on the

PGA Tour The PGA Tour (stylized in all capital letters as PGA TOUR by its officials) is the organizer of professional golf tours in the United States and North America. It organizes most of the events on the flagship annual series of tournaments also k ...

in the 1950s.

Early life

Mayfield was born in

Liberty Hill, Texas Liberty Hill is a city in Williamson County, Texas, United States. The population was 3,646 at the 2020 census. Liberty Hill is part of the metropolitan area. Geography Liberty Hill is located at (30.664219, –97.911261), about 29 miles nor ...

near Austin and grew up in Seguin near

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

. He was a star athlete in several sports at Seguin High School including

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...

, which he began playing at age 14. His team won several state championships under coach W.A. "Lefty" Stackhouse.

Professional career

Mayfield became a golf professional at the age of 24. Like most professional golfers of his generation, he earned his living primarily as a club pro. His first job was as an assistant for

Claude Harmon Eugene Claude Harmon Sr. (July 14, 1916 – July 23, 1989) was an American professional golfer and golf instructor. Born in Savannah, Georgia, Harmon spent much of his boyhood in Florida, in the Orlando area. A youthful prodigy, he qualified for ...

Winged Foot Golf Club Winged Foot Golf Club is a private golf club in the northeastern United States, located in Mamaroneck, New York, a suburb northeast of New York City. The club was founded in 1921, by a group largely made up of members of The New York Athletic Cl ...

Mamaroneck, New York Mamaroneck ( ) is a town in Westchester County, New York, United States. The population was 31,758 at the 2020 United States census over 29,156 at the 2010 census. There are two villages contained within the town: Larchmont and the Village of ...

, a position he held for two years. The two later worked together at Seminole Golf Club in Florida for one year. He served as the head professional at Rockaway Hunting Club in

Cedarhurst, New York Cedarhurst is a village in the Town of Hempstead in Nassau County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 6,592 at the 2010 census. The Incorporated Village of Cedarhurst is located in the region o ...

from 1950 to 1952. In 1955, Mayfield went to work at the exclusive Meadowbrook Golf and Polo Club on Long Island, where he stayed until 1963. He then became the head club pro at Brook Hollow Country Club in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

until 1982 when he retired. Mayfield won three PGA Tour events during his career. He had two top-10 finishes in major championships, T-6 at the 1954 U.S.Open and T-8 at the

1956 Masters Tournament The 1956 Masters Tournament was the 20th Masters Tournament, held April 5–8 at Augusta National Golf Club in Augusta, Georgia. Jack Burke Jr. won his first major championship and only Masters, one stroke ahead of amateur Ken Venturi. It was the ...

. He also reached the semi-final of the

1955 PGA Championship The 1955 PGA Championship was the 37th PGA Championship, held July 20–26 in Michigan at Meadowbrook Country Club in Northville Township, northwest of nearby Detroit. Doug Ford won the match play championship, 4 & 3 over Cary Middlecoff in th ...

, having reached the quarter-final the previous year. Courses that Mayfield helped design, most as a partner with famed course architect Dick Wilson, included the

Doral Country Club Trump National Doral Miami is a golf resort in Doral, Florida, Doral in South Florida in the United States. It was founded by real estate pioneer Alfred Kaskel in 1962, with the name "Doral" coming from an amalgamation of the first names of Kaske ...

and Pine Tree Golf Club in Florida and California's Bay Hill Golf Club and La Costa Country Club. Giving back to the town where he learned to play the game, he designed the back-nine added to the course at Max Starcke Park in Seguin, Texas. In 1992 Mayfield was elected to the Texas Golf Hall of Fame.

Personal life

Mayfield retired to his ranch in

Carrizo Springs, Texas Carrizo Springs is the largest city in and the county seat of Dimmit County, Texas, United States. The population was 5,368 at the 2010 census. (2018 estimate 5,470). The name of the town is derived from the local springs, which were named by th ...

. He died in

San Antonio, Texas ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , subdivision_t ...

at the age of 85.

Professional wins (5)

PGA Tour wins (3)

PGA Tour playoff record (1–1)

Other wins (2)

''this list is probably incomplete'' *1954

San Francisco Open The San Francisco Open was a golf tournament played in the San Francisco area. It was played at a number of different courses in the December to February period. From 1930 to 1941 it was a match-play event before becoming a 72-hole stroke play even ...

*1957

Long Island Open The Long Island Open is a professional golf tournament played on Long Island, New York. It is sponsored by the Long Island Golf Association and was first held in 1922 at the Cherry Valley Club in Garden City, New York. History The Long Island ...

Results in major championships

''Note: Mayfield never played in

The Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later t ...

.''
WD = withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = round in which player lost in PGA Championship match play
"T" indicates a tie for a place

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mayfield, Shelley American male golfers PGA Tour golfers Golf course architects Golfers from Texas People from Liberty Hill, Texas People from Seguin, Texas People from Carrizo Springs, Texas 1924 births 2010 deaths