David Pfaff, 1938-2013

A short time ago, while on a golf holiday in New Mexico, David Pfaff died. For many years, Pfaff was Pete Dye’s right-hand man, and he later served as the in-house architect for Landmark Land Company. He established his own firm in Carmel, California in the mid 1990s but didn’t really hit big until last year, when his course at Royal Isabela Golf Course in Puerto Rico was unveiled. The track has received nothing but praise. The Golf Channel has called it “possibly the most interesting golf course in the world,” and last week Forbes said “it is impossible not to be moved” by the course, which “offers one jaw-dropping vista after another” and features “one of the greatest holes in golf.” I spoke with Pfaff shortly before Royal Isabela opened, and he was hoping to design the property’s next course. It’s unfortunate that he won’t get the chance. He was 74. More info