Prolific golf course designer and Colorado resident Perry Dye passes away at age 68
By Gary Baines – 7/10/2021
Perry Dye, eldest son of renowned golf course architects Pete and Alice Dye and a prominent and prolific course designer in his own right, passed away on Thursday in Denver. He was 68.
Dye, who began his course design work under his dad at age 12, lived in Colorado for many years and designed (or co-designed) numerous courses in his home state, including Green Valley Ranch Golf Club in northeast Denver, Plum Creek Golf Club in Castle Rock, Riverdale Dunes in Brighton, Glenmoor Country Club in Cherry Hills Village, Broken Tee Golf Course in Englewood, Copper Creek Golf Course in Frisco and Gypsum Creek Golf Course in Gypsum.
All told, Dye and his firm Dye Designs (which was established in 1984) had more than 80 course designs to their credit, including 20-plus in Japan. Dye focused heavily on designing environmentally friendly layouts.
“This is a great loss for golf design, but right now we should all be sending our love and support to the Dye family,” American Society of Golf Course Architects president Forrest Richardson said. “Perry and I shared many good times, and I am so grateful to have spent time with him at the 2020 Golf Industry Show just before the Covid lockdowns began. As usual, he was full of life, smiling and telling stories. We will miss him.”
Dye was born on Sept. 21, 1952 in Indianapolis and attended the University of Denver, where he met his wife-to-be, Ann. They were married in 1974. Ann is among Perry’s survivors.
Dye, a past president of the Golf Course Builders Association of America, received the inaugural Perry O. Dye Service Award in 2004. It honors “exceptional individuals who have unselfishly contributed their influence to foster positive changes for the association and have continually endeavored to make it better.”
Alice Dye passed away in 2019 and Pete in 2020.
It is asked that in lieu of flowers, donations to sent to the Golf Course Builders Association of America Foundation at 6040 South 58th Street Suite D, Lincoln, NE 68516, or The International Circle of Friends, Inc., 12012 South Shore Blvd., Suite 208, Wellington, FL 33414 (www.internationalcircle.org).
A celebration of life for Perry Dye is being planned for the early fall.