William Park Bell (April 19, 1886 – June 21, 1953) was a noted golf course architect, active from the 1920s into the early 1950s.^[1]

Biography

Born in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania, Billy Bell studied agriculture at Duff's Business Institute in Pittsburgh. He moved west to California at age 25 in 1911, and held a series of golf jobs at the Pasadena Country Club, including caddymaster and course superintendent. Bell worked on golf course construction for architect Willie Watson, including serving as Watson's superintendent, before going into golf course design and development on his own in 1920.^[2]

Most of Bell's courses were designed and built in southern California. He is considered one of the most important golf course architects in the state, with more than fifty courses credited to his work and design, and he designed and built courses in other western states as well, including Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Oregon, and Hawaii.

Early in his design career, Bell worked closely with famous designer and fellow Pennsylvanian George C. Thomas Jr., on courses which included the Riviera Country Club, often cited as one of the world's best courses. Although Thomas is listed as architect of record, Bell made significant contributions to many of the designs. Bell's son William F. Bell (1918–1984) trained with him, joined him in partnership after World War II, and later became an important golf course architect in his own right. Bell Sr. served as a turf consultant to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers during the war, and was awarded a commendation by the Southern California chapter of the PGA, in honor of his work creating golf courses for wounded servicemen. Bell Sr. was a founding member of the American Society of Golf Course Architects, and served as ASGCA President in 1952.^[3]

Bell died in Pasadena at age 67 in 1953 and is buried at Mountain View Cemetery and Mausoleum in Altadena.

Courses

Golf courses designed and built by William P. Bell:

• OD denotes courses for which Bell is the original designer
• R denotes courses reconstructed by Bell
• A denotes courses for which Bell made substantial additions
• E denotes courses that Bell examined and on the construction of which he consulted

Name	Contribution	Year Built	City / Town	State / Province	Country	Comments
Adobe Course at Arizona Biltmore Hotel	OD		Phoenix	Arizona	United States	Resort
Encanto Park GC	OD		Phoenix	Arizona	United States	Public course
Mesa CC	OD		Mesa[4]	Arizona	United States	Private course
Tucson CC	OD		Tucson	California	United States	Private course; with William Francis Bell
Bakersfield CC	OD		Bakersfield	California	United States	Private course
Balboa Park Municipal GC	OD		San Diego	California	United States	Public course
Bel-Air CC	OD		Bel Air	California	United States	Private course
Brookside GC	OD		Pasadena	California	United States	Public course; 36 holes
Chevy Chase CC	OD		Glendale	California	United States	Private course; with William Francis Bell[5]
David L Baker GC	OD		Fountain Valley	California	United States	Public course
Girard CC	OD		Woodland Hills[6]	California	United States	Private course; now Woodland Hills CC;
Hacienda GC	OD		La Habra Heights	California	United States	Private course
La Jolla CC	OD		La Jolla	California	United States	Private course
Marine Memorial Golf Course	OD		Camp Pendleton	California	United States	Military course that allows Public play
Meadowlark GC	OD		Huntington Beach	California	United States	Public course
Mesa Verde CC	OD		Costa Mesa	California	United States	Private course
Rancho Park GC	OD		Los Angeles	California	United States	Public course
Red Hill CC	OD		Alta Loma	California	United States	Private course; with George C. Thomas Jr.
San Diego CC	OD		San Diego	California	United States	Private course
Stanford University GC	OD		Palo Alto	California	United States	Private course; with George C. Thomas Jr.
Sunnyside CC	OD		Fresno	California	United States	Private course
Torrey Pines GC (North course, South course)	OD		San Diego	California	United States	Municipal courses; 36 holes
Tilden Park GC	OD		Berkeley	California	United States	Public course
Virginia CC	OD		Long Beach	California	United States	Private course; with A.W. Tillinghast
Woodland Hills CC	OD		Woodland Hills	California	United States	Private course
Valley CC	OD		Englewood	Colorado	United States	Private course
Kaneohe Klipper GC	OD		Kaneohe	Hawaii	United States	Military course
The Legacy GC	OD		Henderson	Nevada	United States
Forest Hills GC	OD		Cornelius	Oregon	United States	Public course; with William Francis Bell
Tijuana CC	OD		Tijuana	Baja California	Mexico	Public course

Source:^[7]