Biography
Arthur Hills cemented his legacy as one of the most accomplished modern architects, designing approximately 300 golf courses over a 50-year career. Hills, who held an undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and a landscape architecture degree from Michigan State, began his career in 1967 with his design of the nearby Brandywine Country Club. His firm was based in his hometown in Toledo, Ohio, and he quickly became a remarkable architect in the Midwest. His designs evolved over time and began to feature significant earth-moving, bold fairway contouring, flat-bottomed bunkers of varying sizes, and undulating greens. Some compared his style to that of his fellow Midwestern architect, Pete Dye.
Ohio provided vast opportunities for Hills's designs, including the celebrated Longaberger Golf Club—renamed Virtues Golf Club—that steered the world’s attention to Ohio. It hosted an episode of Shell's Wonderful World of Golf and was recognized as one of the best public courses in the Midwest. A few more of Hills's notable golf courses in Ohio include the public Maumee Bay State Park course and the private Catawba Island Club.
Hills's influence is as extensive in the Midwest, as in many high-profile courses in Michigan. Among them are the 27-hole Bay Harbor Golf Club in Harbor Springs and the Hills Course at Boyne Highlands Resort. His excellence extended to Illinois, where his Stonewall Orchard gave tough competition to the top public courses in the Chicago area. The Chaska Town Course he designed in the Twin Cities hosted the 2006 US Amateur and the 2020 US Junior Amateur at Hazeltine National Golf Club. His golf course, the Links at Lighthouse Sound, became a popular stop among golfers in Ocean City, Maryland. The scenic beauty of his Ocean Course at Half Moon Bay south of San Francisco is irresistible to players, with its stunning Pacific panorama.
Partnering with Steve Forrest in 1999, Hills significantly contributed to the golf boom in Florida especially in Naples. They designed renowned golf clubs such as the Collier's Reserve Country Club, Quail Creek Country Club, and three out of the five courses at Bonita Bay Club. They also redesigned Miami Beach Golf Club and Normandy