Rocky Roquemore
William "Rocky" Roquemore, born August 10, 1948, is an international golf course designer. He runs a small Summerton, South Carolina United States based design company that has designed a number of popular courses in Portugal, Scotland, France, Venezuela, Columbia and the Caribbean, as well as numerous American links. He was owner and operator of Canongate Golf Clubs, a set of private golf courses in the Atlanta area, known for quality golf at an affordable price, before being bought by Sequoia Golf LLC. and later ClubCorp.
History
Roquemore grew up in Lakeland, Georgia. He graduated from Lanier County High School in 1966 where he was an honor student, outstanding athlete, and president of the student body. His great grandfather Robert L. Patten founded Patten Seed Company in 1901. In the 1950s, the company became the first commercial producer of turf quality hybrid Bermuda grasses. The first users were golf courses in the Deep South. Roquemore was appointed to the U S Air Force and served (by his own admission) as a very undistinguished cadet, and leaving after only two years. He then attended the Georgia Institute of Technology, preparing himself for a career in golf design. He was hired in 1969 as an associate of Joe Lee. Roquemore's first assignment under Lee, was onsite supervisor for the construction of the first three golf courses at Walt Disney World. In 1974 Lee Made him a partner in the firm. During the partnership, the two designed and renovated over 100 golf courses. Two of those were chosen as best new course by Golf Digest Magazine, and several other were in the top ten. Other courses have been highly ranked in the US and abroad.
Canongate Golf Clubs
Roquemore's great grandfather Robert L. Patten founded Patten Seed Company in 1901, and in the 1950s, the company became the first commercial producer of turf quality hybrid Bermuda grasses. Golf courses in the south became interested in the product, and the demand for the hybrid grass skyrocketed. Bill Roquemore, Rocky' father, changed the name of the Patten Seed Co. to Canongate Golf Clubs, a name people would associate better with the golf business. Golf courses were being built all over the south, and the demand for them was through the roof. The Roquemore family, including Rocky have designed approximately 174 courses, and have operated around 20 of them in the Atlanta area, under the Canongate Golf Clubs name. Canongate proved to be one of the more profitable multi course companies and was sold to larger operator Sequoia Golf, who was bought in 2014 by larger company ClubCorp. His family built their first course, Canongate 1 Golf Club in 1965, which was designed by Dick Wilson and Joseph L. Lee, which he would later intern with a few years later. In 1999, Roquemore, along with Jeff Burton, designed and added 18 more holes to the course, making it a 36-hole golf course. The course is now owned and operated by ClubCorp, the world's leader private clubs. After Completing Canongate 1, Roquemore began to build his private club empire buy purchasing White Oak Golf Club in Newnan, Georgia, and by opening several courses in the Peachtree City, Georgia area, as well as in Atlanta, Georgia.
Awards and Accomplishments
The Roquemores were chosen by the National Golf Foundation as the Jack Nicklaus Golf Family of the year in 1995, and Patten Seed Company, the Georgia Family Business of the Century in 2005.
Roquemore was a director of The Georgia State Golf Association and was instrumental in bringing daily fees, municipal courses, and for bringing women into the association. His sister, Lee Burton Roquemore, followed as the first female director of the association.
Roquemore has served on the boards of directors of several organizations with a focus on not for profit. He has also designed and donated to public parks in Lakeland, Ga.
List of Courses Designed
The Roquemore family together had designed and built over 174 courses across the world, and has owned and operated about 23 of them.
Canongate 1 Golf Club, Sharpsburg, Georgia. - Roquemore's father, Bill Roquemore started Canongate Golf Clubs as a membership golfers in the Atlanta area could join, and play at multiple courses all tied to one membership for an affordable price.
Magnolia Palm and Buena Vista Courses, Walt Disney World, Kissime, Florida
La Costa, Carlsbad, California - Long time home of The Tournament of Champions
Pine Meadow, Chicago - Best new course 1986
Stonehenge, Crossville, Tennessee - Best new course 1987
Dubsdread, Cog Hill, Illinois - Long time home of the Western Open.
San Lorenco, Portugal - best new course in Europe, ranked as high as #2 in Europe.
Sources
http://www.worldgolf.com/golf-architects/rocky-roquemore.html http://www.planetgolf.com.au/index.php?id=154 http://www.clubcorp.com/Clubs/White-Oak-Canongate/Our-Story/General-Information