Former ASGCA president Packard dies

Brookfield, WI (Sports Network) - Former president and fellow of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, Larry Packard, has died.

Packard, who was also known as the "Father of the modern ASGCA", was 101 years old.

He started his career as a golf course architect in the 1940s with Robert Bruce Harris, who was one of the founders of the ASGCA, before starting his own firm in 1954.

Packard was president of the ASGCA from 1970-71 and was one of the first architects to address environmental concerns for golf courses, advocating the use of effluent for course irrigation.

"Larry Packard was a pioneer in the game of golf," ASGCA president Rick Robbins said. "Those who influenced his work date back to the 1800s, and the courses Larry designed still stand today and will for decades. Those who play the game will be positively impacted by Larry Packard for generations to come."

Packard had worked on more than 600 golf courses in North America, including Innisbrook Golf and Country Club in Palm Harbor, Fla., Turnberry Country Club in Crystal Lake, Ill., Lake Barrington Shores in Barrington, Ill. and Countryside Country Club in Clearwater, Fla.

He also designed and renovated golf courses in Egypt, Guatemala, South Korea and Venezuela.

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Former ASGCA president Packard dies