Vicki Martz, ASGCA Fellow, dies at 72

Vicki Martz, a Fellow of the American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA), died April 13. She was 72.

Martz was president of Victoria Martz Golf Design in Jacksonville, Fla.

After studying Landscape Architecture at the University of Kentucky, Martz began her golf course design career when she was hired for a drafting position with McCumber Golf in 1981 by Mark McCumber, ASGCA. She later took a similar position with Arnold Palmer Course Design Company, where she would work for 25 years.

Growing under the tutelage of Palmer, ASGCA, and ASGCA Past President Ed Seay, ASGCA, Martz would become Senior Golf Course Architect, Vice President, and the Director of Environmental Design. In 2010, she began Victoria Martz Golf Design.

“I think Ed (Seay) and Mr. Palmer were both gender blind,” Martz told Golf Digest in 2005. “I think Ed thought I would have some difficulty when I went out into the field, that people might intimidate me or not listen to me. And I found almost exactly the opposite to be true.”

In that same article, Palmer said, “She designs really good golf holes. In many instances, people are requesting her to do the work, which is about as great a compliment as you can get. When she works somewhere, they want her back.”

“Always ready with a smile, Vicki was gracious, encouraging and thoughtful,” ASGCA President Greg Martin said. “She made everyone feel like a friend. Vicki was a soft-spoken, pure-hearted pioneer. The twinkle in her eye and the smile on her face cannot be extinguished because we have been graced with her light. We will miss our friend, Vicki.”

“Vicki was always kind to everyone. This was her charm, and a key in her ability to get along well in what is mainly a man’s field (both other designers and clients),” said ASGCA Past President Bill Amick. “She was always thinking about the golfers she was designing courses for, both women and men. Most of us have not always been so gender equal in our design efforts.”

With more than 35 years as a golf course architect, Martz’s course list included: The Legacy Course at Lakewood Ranch, Bradenton, Florida; King’s North at Myrtle Beach National, Conway, South Carolina; Bay Creek Golf Club, Cape Charles, Virginia; Eagle Ranch Golf Course, Eagle, Colorado; and TPC of the Twin Cities, Blaine, Minnesota.

Martz became an ASGCA member in 2000.

She is survived by her husband, Gary, and their two children, Christopher and Heidi.

Services will be held Saturday, April 29 at the Episcopal Church of Our Saviour, Jacksonville, Florida.

Photo: ASGCA