Famous Golf Course Architects:

Jim Fazio

Jim Fazio

At 58 years old, Jim Fazio has never been hotter as a golf-course architect. He is emerging from the shadows of his younger but more famous brother, Tom, and late uncle, George, thanks in part to the strong reviews for Trump International.

Fazio has luck, as much as his obvious talent, to thank for his partnership with Donald Trump, who could have hired any of a dozen more acclaimed architects -- including Tom Fazio, who has nine courses on GOLF MAGAZINE's Top 100 Courses in the U.S. list, and 19 on the Top 100 You Can Play list (Jim has none). But Trump knew he wanted Jim before they had met face to face.

It was Jim who, in his hometown of Norristown, Pennsylvania, first ran the design business for his uncle George (a former Tour pro who lost to Ben Hogan in the 1950 U.S. Open at Merion), while George served as the front man and played golf every day. Tom worked under them. Then in 1964, Jim enlisted in the Naval Reserve rather than be drafted. He married after being discharged and didn't want to return to the hectic life of the family business. He took a job building Hidden Springs Golf Club in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania, and stayed on to manage the club.

Tom and George became famous designers, and though Jim re-joined them in the 1970s, he worked mostly behind the scenes before striking out on his own in the early 1980s. He did so with his brother's blessing. Though Jim admits he wonders if he made the right decision leaving Tom, he says he enjoyed a smaller business where he could work closely in the field with his sons, Jim, 34, and Tom, 33. He typically takes one or two projects a year.

Read the rest of the article at Golf Architect Bios: Jim Fazio at GolfOnline.com.