Perspective from the 19th Hole is the title I chose for my personal blog, which is meant to give me an outlet for one of my favorite crafts – writing – plus to use an image from my favorite sport, golf. Out of college, my first job was as a reporter for the Daily Astorian in Astoria, Oregon, and I went on from there to practice writing in all my professional positions, including as press secretary in Washington, D.C. for a Democrat Congressman from Oregon (Les AuCoin), as an Oregon state government manager in Salem and Portland, as press secretary for Oregon’s last Republican governor (Vic Atiyeh), and as a private sector lobbyist. This blog also allows me to link another favorite pastime – politics and the art of developing public policy – to what I write. I could have called this blog “Middle Ground,” for that is what I long for in both politics and golf. The middle ground is often where the best public policy decisions lie. And it is where you want to be on a golf course.
Some people know the answer to the question in this blog headline, but it also is not well-known.
The designer, as stated in the headline, was Billy Bell, the son of his father by the same name and they designed many golf courses in the West, including Illahe where the son made one of his marks after his father’s death.
The two were featured in the recent edition of FORE magazine, which is published by the Southern California Golf Association.
William P. “Billy” Bell, Sr. and his son William F. “Billy” Bell, Jr. are the famous “Bells”— Southern California’s first family of golf course architecture — who were inducted into the Southern California Golf Association Hall of Fame as part of the 2017 class.
So, in that sense, they are famous. More so in California than in Oregon.
The senior Bell started as a caddie master, greenskeeper, and construction supervisor. He collaborated heavily with Golden Age architects like George C. Thomas Jr. (on Bel-Air CC, Riviera CC, and Los Angeles CC North) and designed or co-designed more than 70 courses.
He was known for signature lacy-edged bunkers, undulating greens, and natural terrain integration.
His son, Billy, studied at USC and designed or co-designed more than 100 courses, with and beyond his father. For instance, he completed his father’s vision for Torrey Pines after his father’s passing in 1953.
Here is a list of notable courses designed or co-designed by the Bells:
| Bel-Air Country Club | Los Angeles |
| Torrey Pines Golf Course (North & South) | San Diego |
| Industry Hills Golf Club (Ike & Babe) | Industry, CA |
| Sandpiper Golf Club | Goleta/Santa Barbara |
| Bermuda Dunes Country Club | Bermuda Dunes |
| Brookside Golf Club | Pasadena |
According to Google, add Illahe Hills to the list. It ranks up there with some other Bells’ designs.
“Illahe opened in 1961 and stands as a premier example of the Bells’ Pacific Northwest portfolio, showcasing how the family’s design philosophy adapted beautifully to the dense trees and rolling landscape of the Willamette Valley.
“Built as a traditional 18-hole, par-72 championship course, it features a highly walkable layout that naturally leverages the local countryside terrain rather than fighting it.
“True to the Bell style, it uses strategic bunkering and raised, undulating greens to challenge golfers of all skill levels.
“While Bell Jr. drafted the original 1961 footprint, other acclaimed architects have touched the course since then. Robert Muir Graves completed a re-design in 1981, followed later by renovations from John Harbottle III and contemporary updates by Northwest designer Dan Hixson.
“Heavily regarded as one of the purest tests of golf in Oregon, it was named the 2023 Oregon Golf Association Facility of the Year and has hosted numerous USGA Championship qualifiers.”
I know about the latter because on many occasions I have served as a tournament starter at my home track.
I also met Harbottle before his passing and, more recently, have had discussions with current course architect advisor, Hixon. He has advised about removing trees from the golf course and an entirely new approach to bunkers.
For those tasks, he deserves credit. And so does Illahe, a solid golf track worthy of being grouped into the list of courses due to the Bells.
I have been fortunate to play Illahe for more than 40 years. And I hope more to come.
