The Johnson City Country Club recently secured ownership of a beautiful A. W. Tillinghast sculpture depicting the golf architect who designed the JCCC course and over 144 courses nationally. The purchase of the sculpture coincides with this year’s election of A. W. Tillinghast into the prestigious Golf Hall of Fame in St. Augustine, Fla.
Acclaimed sculptor, the late Ron Tunison, captured the brilliant architect, also known as, “Tilly” by his contemporaries, in the bronze sculpture. The piece shows incredible attention to detail. Standing 16.5” tall on a 6.5” x 6.5” marble base, the sculpture honors the skill and grace of A.W. Tillinghast.
Tillinghast, who is known today as the ‘Dean of American Golf Course Architects’, designed many U.S. Open and PGA Championship courses such as Pine Valley, Oak Hills, Inverness, Baltusrol, Bethpage Black and Winged Foot. “Tilly” designed the JCCC course in 1913.
Club Golf Professional, Mike Crowe, was contacted by Connecticut golf art collector and dealer, Skip Rooney, who has done business with many Tillinghast Courses over a 25-year period. The sculpture is a rare find since only a few of them were made and only a handful was made of 100 percent bronze. Winged Foot Golf Club, Baltusrol Golf Club, Indian Hills (Kansas), St Joseph (Missouri), Somerset Hills (New Jersey), are a few of the Clubs that have acquired editions of this fabulous sculpture.
This prestigious list will now include the Johnson City Country Club.
Tunison, a New York-based sculptor, passed away in 2011. He is best-known for his work involving the Civil War. Four of his pieces are prominently featured at Gettysburg, including The General Samuel W. Crawford Monument, the Friend-to-Friend Masonic Memorial, Irish Brigade Monument and The Delaware State Monument.
Tunison is known as a storyteller with a rare ability to capture emotion in the faces and body language of his figures. His works have been hailed for their historical authenticity and meticulous attention to detail.
The sculpture will be on display in the foyer of the main clubhouse for a short period of time, then on permanent display in the club’s golf pro shop.
