Richard Wax – AGW Good Friend Passes Away | Association of Golf Writers

Very sad news with the passing in Paris on the 1st July, 2021 of AGW good friend Richard Wax. He was aged 77.

Though Richard was not a member of the AGW, he was very dear friend to many of the members.

For those who did know Richard he was, as someone once described, a ‘living golf history book’. He was a regular contributor to US based Golf Course Architecture magazine

AGW dear friend, Richard Wax who has passed away aged 77

Born in 1943 in England, he attended the London School of Economics where, in 1964, he attained a degree in Property Development. He was a member of the London University golf team and captain of their football team.

For much of his golfing life he played off a handicap of 3 and even in passing, I understand he was off 9.8

His love of golf and golf architecture blossomed into working with some of the greats of golf course design including Trent Jones and Kyle Phillips.

It was Kyle Phillips, with whom Richard had the pleasure of working on 20 golf course design projects in the firm of Robert Trent Jones 11, that Richard introduced to a parcel of land at Kingsbarns in 1997 and with the stunning Phillips designed course, that played host to the AGW last year, being opened for play in July 2000.

Richard Wax with Arnold Palmer in Rusacks Hotel at Andrews

In 2009, Richard bid for historic Hamilton Hall in St. Andrews that overlooks the Old Course but lost out to Herb Kohler. It had been Richard’s plan to turn the building into a ‘global golf hub’.

Richard’s greatest pride was creating the St. Andrews Golf Festival over five days in 2012.

In 2014, he wrote an ‘opinion’ article in Golf Business News that commenced: “Let’s go straight to the heart of golf. What is its purpose? Is it to return impressive scores and win trophies, or rather can one’s years of golf be assessed by the friends one makes through respecting the rules and etiquette, by competing with honour in events of all nature?

“In my life on the links I have enjoyed over one thousand courses worldwide. But what remains as the main joy are not the silver trophies on the mantelpiece but the friends I have made from Australia to California, from Finland to South Africa, from Shanghai to Brazil.”

Richard’s favourite destination was always France where he lived his French-born wife and family.

Richard was a fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors based in London.

His good friend, Roger MacStravick, and also well known to many AGW members as the St. Andrews based golf historian and award-winning golf author, paid tribute via his Twitter account saying: “Very sad to learn yesterday (July 4th) of the passing of Richard Wax. Kingsbarns and other courses worldwide were helped on their way by Richard. I will miss his humour. Great golfer too …. still single figure handicap at 77. Lotos of love to his wife, Annie, Laura and Adrian x”

RIP Richard

Bernie McGuire, Secretary

Article by Richard Wax – ‘Kingdom’ – Summer 2017 issue, telling the story of how he accidentally got up very close to Arnold Palmer at the 1961 Open – 60 years ago. (Thank you to Robin Barwick)

Click on: http://kingdom.golf/golf/breaking-into-birkdale/