Michael John Hurdzan (born September 11, 1943) is an American golf course architect, author, and a retired United States Army colonel, who served with the United States Army Special Forces (Green Berets). He is a member and past president of the American Society of Golf Course Architects (ASGCA), who is noted for designing and renovating many golf courses and clubs, including U.S. Open golf courses.
Hurdzan is a recipient of the Old Tom Morris Award, the Donald Ross Award and the Don A. Rossi Award, the "triple crown" of his profession and an honor he shares only with Jack Nicklaus, Arnold Palmer, Byron Nelson, Robert Trent Jones Sr., Rees Jones and, as of 2015, Pete Dye.
Background
Hurdzan was born on September 11, 1943. He studied Turfgrass Management at the Ohio State University, earning a Bachelor of Science in 1966, and earned a master's degree in Plant and Soil Science in 1969 and a Ph.D. in Environmental Plant Physiology in 1974 at the University of Vermont. He later returned to the Ohio State University to study Landscape Architecture, and completed 3 of the 4 years program in 1978. While he was still an undergraduate at Ohio State University, Hurdzan was an Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) student. He later became a commander in the United States Army Special Forces (Green Berets). His unit was prepared to fight in the Vietnam War, but had their orders canceled twice. He received his Certificate of Retirement from the United States Army in 1996; he retired with the rank of a Colonel.
Hurdzan's father was a caddie who taught himself how to play golf, and tried unsuccessfully to play on the PGA Tour before becoming a golf instructor; he taught at Beacon Light Golf Course in Columbus, which was owned then by golf course architect Jack Kidwell who later became Hurdzan's influence, a past president of the ASGCA and an inductee of the Ohio Historical Society. Like his father, during his elementary school years, Hurdzan started as a caddie; he later became Kidwell's greenskeeper at the age of 13.
His son Christopher Hurdzan is his business partner at Hurdzan Golf. In his spare time, Hurdzan likes to do superkart motor racing; sometimes, he races tracks at Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course, Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, Road America, Virginia International Raceway and has attained 147 miles per hour at Daytona International Speedway.
Career
Military
Hurdzan was commissioned ROTC Second Lieutenant into the United States Army in 1966, and was serving in the Chemical Corps until 1967 when he had a break from active duty to attend graduate school at University of Vermont. On his return to active duty, Hurdzan completed the Chemical Officer Basic Course in 1972 and continued to serve with the Chemical Corps until it was disbanded in 1973. He then selects to serve with the Special Forces, and subsequently completed – within the same year, 1973 – the Reserve Component Special Forces Qualification Course, Basic Airborne Course and Infantry Officer Basic Course. He was promoted to Captain in 1974, and completed the Psychological Officer Basic Course in 1975. Hurdzan continued to serve with the United States Special Forces, and held many commands before retiring in 1996 at the rank of a Colonel.