Architect Robert Von Hagge passed away Sunday, Oct. 16., according to a release sent out by his design firm partners Rick Baril and Mike Smelek. Von Hagge, the release said, died peacefully as the result of complications from a head injury with his wife Greta by his side.
Born Robert Bernhardt Hagge, he spent time on the PGA Tour before becoming a club pro. He then traveled to Hollywood to dabble in acting, during which time he was married in succession to golfing sisters Alice and Marlene Bauer.
In 1957, he joined the golf architecture firm of Dick Wilson. He established his own firm in 1963 and became known as a showman, at which time he changed his surname to von Hagge, making site visits while wearing a gold cape.
Von Hagge journeyed to Australia in the mid 1960s to work on The Lakes Golf Course, thanks to a recommendation of professional golfer Bruce Devlin. They soon formed a design partnership that lasted 20 years. It was based in the United States.
In 1987, Devlin left the firm to join the Senior PGA Tour and and von Hagge formed his own design firm with associates including Kelly Blake Moran, Baril and Smelek.
Von Hagge, either with Wilson, Devlin or his own firm, has hundreds of courses across the U.S. and the world including such locations as the Bahamas, France, Japan, Spain, Mexico and Tahiti.
More information on his career can be found here.
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