(1916 - 2002)

Born:

Died: Hinsdale, Massachusetts, at age 86

Armacost grew up in Maryland. He was graduated in 1937 from Western Maryland College. He was golf pro and superintendent at courses in Maryland and Virginia until 1941 when he entered the Armed Forces. He flew fighter planes in the Air Transport Command and was stationed in Casablanca.

He moved to the Berkshires in 1947 after a year studying agronomy and turf at North Carolina State College. He also operated a landscape design and construction business between stints as pro at Wahconah Country Club in Dalton, Massachusetts.

His first design project was the second nine at Wahconah Country Club in Dalton in the late 1950%u2019s.

In the early '60s he laid out par 3 course at Rolling Hills in Lenox, which was taken over for condominiums a few years later.

Armacost's only complete 18-hole course is Waubeeka Golf Links in Williamstown, which opened in 1966.

In the early '90s he designed a new nine at Bas-Ridge Country Club in Hinsdale, close to his home. This was a unique project, built in a huge gravel bed, with the surplus gravel sold as Armacost shaped new holes in a far from normal layout.

He did the new nine at Skyline Country Club in Lanesborough, certainly one of his greatest challenges, with most of the holes going up and down steep ridges. Similar problems existed at many original nine-hole courses when a second nine is added. The best and most suitable terrain is taken up by the first holes.

Although weakened from various illnesses, Rowland took part May 18, 2002 in the dedication of the new nine holes he had designed at the Wilbraham Country Club, a project he had worked on for several years. It was a snowy day. He returned home after the ceremony and spent his remaining days there, turning 86 on August. 7th. He passed on September 15, 2002.