Homer Fieldhouse
Encyclopedia
Homer David Fieldhouse was a landscape architect
who is credited with designing and overseeing the creation of almost 60 golf courses across the Midwest. He was close friends with Alex Jordan
, creator of the House on the Rock
.
to Claire J. Fieldhouse and Effie M. Fieldhouse (née Davies). Claire was in the nursery business and one of his clients was Frank Lloyd Wright's
Taliesin Design Studio
, located near Spring Green, Wisconsin
. Homer spent a summer as a teenager working with his father at Taliesin.
After graduating from Dodgeville (WI.) High School in 1946, Homer enlisted in the Marines
. He was stationed at Cherry Point, North Carolina as a mechanic, primarily working on F4U Corsairs.
department at Iowa State College (now Iowa State University
), in Ames, Iowa
. After three years there, he transferred to the University of Southern California
in Los Angeles
to study under noted landscape architect, Garrett Eckbo
. While in Southern California, he helped with landscaping homes for movie stars such as Greer Garson
.
to open a nursery business with his father. The father-son team worked together until Claire died in 1957. Throughout the mid- to late-1950s, Homer worked on landscaping projects for a variety of clients, often traveling to California during the winter months to work. Homer and Lynn Sulis married at the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed First Unitarian Society Meeting House on June 28, 1958.
Homer started doing golf course work in the mid 1950s, with the bulk of his golf course work being done between 1961 and 1972. A partial list from this period includes:
In the mid- to late-1950s, Homer befriended Alex Jordan
, creator of the House on the Rock
. Homer, Alex, friend Edgar Hellum, Homer's brother Roger and members of Roger's work crew traveled to New York in March 1964 to landscape the Wisconsin Pavilion exhibit at the 1964-65 New York World's Fair
. Homer had been hired by Wisconsin's Lieutenant Governor, Jack Olson, to do the outdoor landscaping and to construct an indoor waterfall.
In 1967, Homer prepared a book, Recreation Land Development, for the State of Wisconsin
Department of Resource Development.
In the 1980s, Homer was able to establish contact and exchange correspondence with possible relative
Admiral Sir John Fieldhouse
(later Baron Fieldhouse).
Throughout his career, Homer was also known for his creative deck and patio designs.
Homer's last 18-hole golf course was Lake Breeze Golf Club in Winneconne, Wisconsin, which opened in 1991. Overall, Homer's last golf course project was CNC Links in Newton, Wisconsin, which opened in 2008.
With the help of his son, Architect's Assistant/Presentation Model Craftsman Erik Fieldhouse, Homer was able to stay active in the profession through his final years.
Landscape architect
A landscape architect is a person involved in the planning, design and sometimes direction of a landscape, garden, or distinct space. The professional practice is known as landscape architecture....
who is credited with designing and overseeing the creation of almost 60 golf courses across the Midwest. He was close friends with Alex Jordan
Alex Jordan, Jr.
Alexander John Jordan, Jr. was best known as the creator of the House on the Rock, an eccentric architectural and entertainment attraction in Spring Green, Wisconsin....
, creator of the House on the Rock
House on the Rock
The House on the Rock, originally opened in 1959, is a complex of architecturally unique rooms, streets, gardens and shops designed by Alex Jordan, Jr...
.
Youth
Homer was born in Dodgeville, WisconsinDodgeville, Wisconsin
Dodgeville is the most populous city and county seat of Iowa County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 4,698 at the 2010 census, making it the 9th largest city within the Madison metropolitan area. The Greater Dodgeville Area however had a population of 6,529...
to Claire J. Fieldhouse and Effie M. Fieldhouse (née Davies). Claire was in the nursery business and one of his clients was Frank Lloyd Wright's
Frank Lloyd Wright
Frank Lloyd Wright was an American architect, interior designer, writer and educator, who designed more than 1,000 structures and completed 500 works. Wright believed in designing structures which were in harmony with humanity and its environment, a philosophy he called organic architecture...
Taliesin Design Studio
Taliesin (studio)
Taliesin , near Spring Green, Wisconsin, was the summer home of American architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Wright began the building in 1911 after leaving his first wife, Catherine Tobin, and his Oak Park, Illinois, home and studio in 1909. The impetus behind Wright's departure was his affair with...
, located near Spring Green, Wisconsin
Spring Green, Wisconsin
Spring Green is a village in Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 1,444 at the 2000 census. The village is located within the Town of Spring Green.-Geography:Spring Green is located at ....
. Homer spent a summer as a teenager working with his father at Taliesin.
After graduating from Dodgeville (WI.) High School in 1946, Homer enlisted in the Marines
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
. He was stationed at Cherry Point, North Carolina as a mechanic, primarily working on F4U Corsairs.
College
After his discharge from the Marines, Homer enrolled in the landscape architectureLandscape architecture
Landscape architecture is the design of outdoor and public spaces to achieve environmental, socio-behavioral, or aesthetic outcomes. It involves the systematic investigation of existing social, ecological, and geological conditions and processes in the landscape, and the design of interventions...
department at Iowa State College (now Iowa State University
Iowa State University
Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University , is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of...
), in Ames, Iowa
Ames, Iowa
Ames is a city located in the central part of the U.S. state of Iowa in Story County, and approximately north of Des Moines. The U.S. Census Bureau designates that Ames, Iowa metropolitan statistical area as encompassing all of Story County, and which, when combined with the Boone, Iowa...
. After three years there, he transferred to the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
to study under noted landscape architect, Garrett Eckbo
Garrett Eckbo
Garrett Eckbo was an American landscape architect notable for his seminal 1950 book Landscape for Living.-Youth:...
. While in Southern California, he helped with landscaping homes for movie stars such as Greer Garson
Greer Garson
Greer Garson, CBE was a British-born actress who was very popular during World War II, being listed by the Motion Picture Herald as one of America's top ten box office draws in 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, and 1946. As one of MGM's major stars of the 1940s, Garson received seven Academy Award...
.
Career
In 1953, Homer moved to Madison, WisconsinMadison, Wisconsin
Madison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison....
to open a nursery business with his father. The father-son team worked together until Claire died in 1957. Throughout the mid- to late-1950s, Homer worked on landscaping projects for a variety of clients, often traveling to California during the winter months to work. Homer and Lynn Sulis married at the Frank Lloyd Wright-designed First Unitarian Society Meeting House on June 28, 1958.
Homer started doing golf course work in the mid 1950s, with the bulk of his golf course work being done between 1961 and 1972. A partial list from this period includes:
- Sun Prairie Golf Course, Sun Prairie, WI - Opened 1961
- Pigeon Run/Berms at Sheboygan Town & Country Golf Club, Sheboygan, WI - Opened 1962
- Braidwood Recreation Club (2nd 9), Braidwood, IL - 1965
- Camelot Country Club, Lomira, WI - Opened 1966
- Gibson Woods Golf Course, Monmouth, IL - Opened 1966
- (course record held by 2004 British OpenThe Open ChampionshipThe Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
champion Todd HamiltonTodd HamiltonWilliam Todd Hamilton is an American professional golfer.Hamilton was born in the small west-central Illinois city of Galesburg. He grew up in an even smaller Henderson County town on the Mississippi called Oquawka. He attended Union High School in Biggsville, Illinois and played golf regularly on...
.)
- (course record held by 2004 British Open
- Candywood Golf Club, Vienna, OH - 1966
- Ponderosa Country Club, Warren, OH - 1966
- Eagle Bluff Golf Club, Hurley, WI - Opened 1967
- High Cliff Golf Course, - Sherwood, WI - Opened 1968
- Valley High Golf Club, - Houston, MN - Built 1968
- Coachman’s Golf Resort, Edgerton, WI - Built in 3 stages: 1968, 1970, & 1991
- Westhaven Golf Club, Oshkosh, WI - Opened 1969
- Sugar Hills Golf Club (2nd 9), Goodland, KS - 1969
- Golden Sands Golf Community, Cecil, WI - Opened 1971
- Lake Creek Country Club, Storm Lake, IA - Opened 1972
- (Homer's "absolute favorite")
- Hillcrest Golf & Country Club (2nd 9), Yankton, SD - Built 1972
In the mid- to late-1950s, Homer befriended Alex Jordan
Alex Jordan, Jr.
Alexander John Jordan, Jr. was best known as the creator of the House on the Rock, an eccentric architectural and entertainment attraction in Spring Green, Wisconsin....
, creator of the House on the Rock
House on the Rock
The House on the Rock, originally opened in 1959, is a complex of architecturally unique rooms, streets, gardens and shops designed by Alex Jordan, Jr...
. Homer, Alex, friend Edgar Hellum, Homer's brother Roger and members of Roger's work crew traveled to New York in March 1964 to landscape the Wisconsin Pavilion exhibit at the 1964-65 New York World's Fair
1964 New York World's Fair
The 1964/1965 New York World's Fair was the third major world's fair to be held in New York City. Hailing itself as a "universal and international" exposition, the fair's theme was "Peace Through Understanding," dedicated to "Man's Achievement on a Shrinking Globe in an Expanding Universe";...
. Homer had been hired by Wisconsin's Lieutenant Governor, Jack Olson, to do the outdoor landscaping and to construct an indoor waterfall.
In 1967, Homer prepared a book, Recreation Land Development, for the State of Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
Department of Resource Development.
In the 1980s, Homer was able to establish contact and exchange correspondence with possible relative
Admiral Sir John Fieldhouse
John Fieldhouse, Baron Fieldhouse
Admiral of the Fleet John David Elliott Fieldhouse, Baron Fieldhouse GCB, GBE was a high ranking officer in the Royal Navy...
(later Baron Fieldhouse).
Throughout his career, Homer was also known for his creative deck and patio designs.
Homer's last 18-hole golf course was Lake Breeze Golf Club in Winneconne, Wisconsin, which opened in 1991. Overall, Homer's last golf course project was CNC Links in Newton, Wisconsin, which opened in 2008.
With the help of his son, Architect's Assistant/Presentation Model Craftsman Erik Fieldhouse, Homer was able to stay active in the profession through his final years.
Selected golf course projects
- Camelot Country Club - Lomira, WI
- Coachman's Golf Resort - Edgerton WI
- Gibson Woods Golf Course - Monmouth, IL
- High Cliff Golf Course - Sherwood, WI
- Idlewild Golf Course - Sturgeon Bay, WI
- Lake Breeze Golf Club - Winneconne, WI
- Lake Creek Country Club - Storm Lake, IA
- Rock River Hills Golf Club (1st 9) - Horicon, WI
- Valley High Country Club - Houston, MN
- Westhaven Golf Club - Oshkosh, WI
Expert witness
- "Tripoli Golf Club" vs Milwaukee County Highway Commission
- "Leathem Smith Lodge" vs Wisconsin Highway Commission
- "Odebolt Golf Club" vs Iowa Highway Commission
- La Verne Olson vs Wisconsin Highway Commission ("Lake Breeze Golf Club")
- "Waunakee Golf Club" vs Northwestern Railroad
External links
- WorldGolf.com, partial list of golf courses for Homer Fieldhouse.
- Lodi Golf Course (Lodi, WI) documentation posted on Flickr.
- Two photos of the Wisconsin Pavilion at the New York 1964-1965 World's Fair.
- Wisconsin Golfer Magazine- State Amateur qualifying sites (see District 5: The GC at Camelot, Lomira)
- Madison.com obituaries, 07/06/2008