Cynthia Dye McGarey talks about her career and her first solo design in the U.S. with Kingston’s White Horse
This is probably a stupid question but how did you get into course design?
I grew up four houses down the street from my grandfather, P.F. Dye, who was the first in the family to build a course – the nine-hole Urbana GC in Ohio. My father (Roy) and uncle (Pete) grew up taking care of the course. After beginning their careers in chemical engineering and insurance, respectively, they got into course design and set up an office in Urbana. I would stop by after school to trace and color the day’s routing plans and grading maps. I then went to Arizona State University and majored in Landscape Architecture and after graduating in 1979, I drew the routing plans for my father and uncle.
At what age did you start developing an interest?
I was probably 13 or 14 when I really started to get interested.
How did you learn the business and how long did it take?
While working on those plans, I was taught to discern the underlying topography and site features which lead to an understanding of how to grade a site to minimize earthworks and create a strategy for each hole. Over the years, I’d say my biggest asset has been the ability to look at a site map and picture a 3-D model of the future layout. We call that the ‘Dye Eye.’ My knowledge and experience of course design continues to evolve and expand. I will never finish learning.
Was your uncle a tough man to work with?
Sometimes I think you should never work with family, but really I’ve gotten on great with all the family members and have always enjoyed working with my uncle. I think there is a certain respect between us that allows the design and construction process to flow quite easily. My uncle has very high expectations and I’ve always worked very hard to meet them and I think he appreciates that.
Which countries have you worked in and which was your favorite?
USA, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Thailand, China, Singapore, Taiwan, Canada, Mexico, Austria, Italy, Portugal. And I know it sounds cliché, but I truly had great experiences in all of them.
Are you working alone now or will you continue to work with other family members?
I’ve been on my own since 2002 but I still provide consulting services (layouts and routings) to my brothers, Andy and Matt, who are also golf course architects. I also consult with my cousin Perry. We often discuss opportunities for the family to work together.
How does White Horse compare with some of the other sites you’ve worked at?
It is definitely one of the best I’ve ever seen, maybe the best. It really was a case of just finding the holes. They had been waiting a long time for someone to find them. And it was a great surprise to find the land was sand-based. Obviously, the sand helps so much with drainage, so to have it lying there naturally saved us a lot of money.
Where do you think your uncle’s influence is most conspicuous?
There are very few places, I think, where anyone would recognize his influence. In fact, if he saw the course, my uncle would probably say “I wouldn’t have done that.” But I think the biggest lesson I ever learned from him was how to design a green.
What do you like specifically about WH?
There’s so much to like; it’s got a lot of character, it’s built on sand, the topography is naturally undulating, there’s old and new growth forests, the views of the Olympics are fantastic and I didn’t have to plant 3,000 trees. Mind you, I didn’t like having to knock a few down.
This is your first solo project in the U.S. (Dye McGarey designed courses on Jeju Island in South Korea and Haikou in China just prior to working at White Horse) and it’s likely to enhance your reputation substantially. What does this mean for your future?
Well, I’m certainly not going to try to fit as many courses in as possible. Two of my four sisters are artists and, like them, I’d rather spend a lot of time getting one project right than having several on the go at once. And though I enjoy traveling, I hope it will allow me to stay in the U.S. a bit more so I can spend more time with my children (Charlie, 26, Matthew, 24, Sam, 23, Annie Bliss, 21, Corrine, 19).
Which is your favorite hole?
I’m going to sound terribly clichéd again, but they’re all my favorites. I know a lot of people will probably like 18 the best, but if I had to choose I would probably pick the holes deep in the woods which, I suppose, is most of them.