Alice Dye facts for kids

Alice Dye (born February 19, 1927 – died February 1, 2019) was an American golfer and a very important golf course designer. She was often called the "First Lady" of golf course design in the United States.

Alice Dye's Life and Golf Career

Alice Dye was born Alice Holliday O'Neal in Indianapolis, Indiana. She started playing golf when she was young, inspired by her father. She won many local golf titles, including eleven Indianapolis Women's City championships.

After finishing Shortridge High School, she won her first Indiana Women's Golf Association Amateur Championship in 1946. She went on to win this championship nine times! While studying at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, she was the captain of the golf team. At college, she met Paul "Pete" Dye, Jr., who would later become her husband. She earned her degree in 1948.

In 1950, Alice and Pete Dye got married. They worked together to create a company called Dye Designs. This company became very successful, designing over 100 golf courses around the world. They had two sons, Perry and P.B. (Paul Burke).

Alice and Pete became one of the best golf course design teams in America. They were famous for designing the TPC at Sawgrass course. Alice had the brilliant idea for the "Island Green," which is the famous 17th hole at Sawgrass' Stadium Course. They were also the first company in America to use design ideas from Scottish golf courses.

Alice Dye made history in other ways too. She was the first woman to become president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects. She was also the first woman to serve as an independent director for the Professional Golfers' Association of America (PGA). A big contribution from Alice was making golf courses shorter for women players. This made the game more fun and accessible for them.

Major Golf Wins

Alice Dye was a very skilled golfer. She won the 1968 North and South Women's Amateur tournament. She was also part of the United States team that won the Curtis Cup in 1970. Later, she won the U.S. Senior Women's Amateur twice, in 1978 and 1979. She also won the Canadian Women's Senior Championship two times.

Contributions to Golf

Alice Dye was a member of important golf groups, like the USGA Women's Committee and the LPGA Advisory Council. She also served on the Board of Directors for the Women's Western Amateur, which gave her a special "Woman of Distinction Award."

Alice and her husband, Pete, started a golf training program at Purdue University. In 1976, Alice Dye was added to the Indiana Golf Hall of Fame. In 2004, she received the PGA's First Lady of Golf Award. She also helped write a book called "From Birdies to Bunkers" in 2004.

Alice Dye passed away in Gulf Stream, Florida, when she was 91 years old.

Golf Courses Designed by Alice Dye

Here are some of the famous golf courses Alice Dye helped design:

• TPC at Sawgrass – Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida
• Crooked Stick Golf Club – Indianapolis, Indiana
• Whistling Straits – Kohler, Wisconsin
• PGA West – Palm Springs (La Quinta), California
• Kiawah Island Golf Resort (Ocean Course) – Kiawah Island, South Carolina

Tournament Wins

• 1968 North and South Women's Amateur
• 1978 U.S. Senior Women's Amateur
• 1979 U.S. Senior Women's Amateur
• 1983 Canadian Women's Senior Championship
• 1984 Canadian Women's Senior Championship

Team Appearances

Amateur

• Curtis Cup (representing the United States): 1970 (winners)