Biography of William F. Gordon
William F. Gordon was born in 1893 in Rhode Island. Gordon was a Charter Member of the
American Society of Golf Course Architects. In this view of the Charter Members of the ASGCA, Gordon is fourth from right. Other Charter Members shown (l-r): William P. Bell, Robert White,
William Langford, Honorary President Donald Ross, President Robert Bruce Harris, Vice-President Stanley Thompson, Gordon, Secretary-Treasurer Robert Trent Jones, William Diddle, and
James B. McGovern. Founding members not shown: Jack Daray, Sr., Robert "Red" Lawrence, and Perry Maxwell. Gordon
served as President of the ASGCA in 1953 and again in 1967 and also served as Chairman of its first
Historical Committee.
Gordon was an outstanding athlete in his youth and served as athletic instructor with the U.S. Navy during World War I. Upon discharge he took a job as salesman with the Peterson Seed Company and in 1920 joined the Carter's Tested Seed Company as superintendent of its golf course construction division. In this capacity he constructed courses for such well-known golf architects as Willie Park, Jr., Leonard Macomber, Donald Ross and Devereux Emmet.
In 1923 Gordon joined the firm of Toomey and Flynn, where he remained until 1941. During the Depression, he was also part owner and manager of Marble Hall GC in Philadelphia. Gordon founded the Pennsylvania Public Golfers association and served as its first president from 1936 until 1940 and was also a member and president of the Philadelphia Public Golfers Association.
In 1941 Gordon formed his own corporation, which was involved until 1945 in the seeding of military installations. For the next five years the firm constructed golf courses for Donald Ross and J. B. McGovern. From 1950 to 1973 Gordon designed and built courses on his own under the incorporated name of William F. Gordon Co. Most of his courses planned after 1953 were done in collaboration with his son David. He died in 1974 at his home in Abington, Pennsylvania.