Raised on a Texan golf course, Robert von Hagge was first taken by Hollywood, becoming the ‘Marlboro Man’, but he was forever destined to build a life in the game. And build he literally did, crafting over 250 courses in 23 countries across the world, from the flawless Caribbean shoreline to serene French countryside.

He was adopted by an agronomist. Ben Hagge, who started his career developing Bentgrass before transitioning into course landscaping (once working alongside Donald Ross), was an inspiration to a young Robert. Naturally, his childhood revolved around the golf course – he worked as a caddie, caddie master, member of the maintenance crew and assistant golf pro. All before he turned 17.

Hollywood came calling. After briefly working as a club pro in the Catskill Mountains in the early 1950s, von Hagge travelled to Hollywood seeking fame and fortune, and for a brief time worked as the ‘Marlboro Man’ in television commercials. With movie-star good looks came the lifestyle too, famously being involved in unsuccessful marriages with two sisters who played on the LPGA, Alice and Marlene Bauer (there was about a year between the two marriages). Von Hagge, however, failed to shine in the spotlight, and after trying his hand as a commercial artist, turned back to his first love and earned a degree in agricultural engineering. 

He cut his teeth under Dick Wilson. The great contemporary of Robert Trent Jones Sr, who matched each other course for course throughout the 1950s, Wilson took von Hagge under his wing in 1957. Over the next six years he worked on over 40 projects, mainly in the US, including the likes of Royal Montreal and the Blue Monster at Doral. 

He started his own practice in 1963. With Wilson’s alcohol abuse leading to a falling out between the two men, Von Hagge went his own way in Florida, driven by a philosophy of demanding layouts, tight fairways and precise shot making. His work soon became more international; after Bruce Devlin, former pro turned course designer, recommended von Hagge to revamp The Lakes in Sydney, he would later expand to Mexico, the Caribbean (Cinnamon Hill still rated among the best) and then into Europe, the latter of which became the home of his very best courses. 

Les Bordes is considered his masterpiece. Deep in the tranquil Sologne Forest in the heart of the Loire Valley, von Hagge was the man entrusted with bringing the brainchild of Bic billionaire Baron Marcel Bich to life. Blending the course with the woodland, he raised the fairways above the natural wetlands with links-like mounding, creating a course that presents a supreme golfing challenge. It has been famed for its difficulty since opening in 1986, demonstrated by the course record of one-under 71 held for many years by Jean Van Der Velde, and the members honours board for anyone who broke 80 in competition. With water on almost every hole, a par-three 16th that cost over a $1 million to create and moat-like bunkers that hug greens as if they’re the chateaux that once stood in this ancient hunting ground of French nobility, its status as one of the best in continental Europe is well deserved.

Ryder Cup repute. After the success of Les Bordes, von Hagge became prolific in France, his follow-up design, The Albatros at Le Golf National, becoming the new home of French golf and, in 2018, the host of just the second-ever Ryder Cup in continental Europe. It was there that the home side regained the Ryder Cup trophy with a 17 1/2 - 10 1/2 victory, but the best had been welcomed there since its opening in 1991 for the French Open, winners including Sam Torrance, Colin Montgomerie, José María Olazábal and Tommy Fleetwood. Built to the TPC model, it has an air of Florida throughout despite the unremarkable tract of land upon which it was built, with every fairway perfectly cut and every green demanding precision. Von Hagge’s French work can also be seen at Seignosse, Royal Mougins and the 36-hole complex at Courson.

Continental European legacy. While less prolific, his work across elsewhere in Europe was no less spectacular. In Italy, Is Arenas, a colourful course on the west coast of Sardinia, is the standout, while in Spain, the North course at Real Sociedad Hípica Española is among the country’s top ten tracks. Benefitting from a redesign in 1997, it now stretches to 7,162 yards from the back tees, with no fewer than seven left dog legged holes. The par-four 13th is considered the best of them, the creek that runs diagonally across the fairway to a pond in front of the green providing ample defence to any wayward approach shots – as with everything von Hagge touched, it’s always dramatic. 

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