Mayfield Dies At 85
Shelley Mayfield, 85, a four-time winner on the PGA Tour who finished sixth in the 1954 U.S. Open, died Monday in San Antonio, Texas. He was the longtime head professional at Brook Hollow Golf Club in Dallas, as well as a noted instructor and golf course designer.
Mayfield was born in Liberty Hill, Texas, on June 19, 1924, and grew up in Seguin as the youngest of three children. When he won the Laredo City Championship and reached the semifinals of the Mexican Amateur, friends and supporters urged him to turn pro. After turning professional in 1948, he was immediately hired by noted teacher and club professional Claude Harmon as Harmon’s assistant at two famed clubs, Winged Foot Golf Club in New York and Seminole Golf Club in Florida.
Mayfield joined the PGA Tour in 1953 and won the St. Paul Open in his rookie year. He also won the 1954 San Francisco Open, the 1955 Thunderbird Invitational and the 1956 Baton Rouge Open. His playing career also included a run to the semifinals of match play in the 1955 PGA Championship, where he lost to eventual champion Doug Ford, and an eighth-place finish at the 1956 Masters. He was elected to the PGA Tournament Committee in 1954.
When not competing, Mayfield was head professional at two Long Island clubs. He began working at Rockaway Hunt Club in 1952 and moved to the Meadow Brook Club in 1955. Upon the advice of his friend Ben Hogan, Mayfield applied for and won the head professional’s post at Brook Hollow in 1963. He was later named as one of the nation’s top 12 golf instructors by Town and Country magazine and was featured with several other golf professionals on the cover of Sports Illustrated.
During winter months in the 1950s and ‘60s, Mayfield was a designer for golf course architect Dick Wilson on some of Wilson’s most famous designs, including Doral, La Costa, Bay Hill and Pine Tree.
He remained at Brook Hollow Golf Club until he retired in 1982. Skilled in every segment of his profession, Mayfield was widely respected as a consummate gentleman who was modest about his many achievements. In 1992 he was elected to the Texas Golf Hall of Fame. Services will be held on March 26 in Dallas.
Rhonda Glenn is a Manager of Communications for the USGA. E-mail her with questions or comments at rglenn@usga.org.