RTJ designed or redesigned over 500 golf courses across 45 U.S. states and many countries. Notable courses include Spyglass Hill (Pebble Beach), Valderrama (Spain), Hazeltine National, and Firestone. His guiding philosophy, “Hard par, easy bogey,” meant a par-shot was challenging but bogey attainable. He died 6/14/2000, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, his home course is here.

7 reprobates board the plane
Packed the Advil for the pain
To play some golf at RTJ
At Lake Manassas in VA

We’ll shout and curse and celebrate
Each and every shot we make
A little friendly competition
$100 will cover admission

We thrashed about during the day
To keep the other team at bay
So that you could capture glory
And later liquored tell the story

The course it was simply spectacular
The rough was shit to use vernacular
The pars were scarce the bogeys plenty
I had at least more than twenty

At night we had a drink or two
Then we had another few
Wound each other up in jest
With each other’s heads we messed

The games were played and won and lost
We all received a hat embossed
With just three letters RTJ
To prove that we can really play.

So 7 reprobates hit the road
Back to all our own abodes
Tired, sore but always grinning
Being together was the winning.

(*RTJ – Robert Trent Jones. P.s there was another 9 of us, some came from other parts.)

Thank you most sincerely FG!