Ted Robinson Jr.

Ted Robinson Jr. grew up around his father’s practice but did not enter architecture immediately. At the University of Southern California he earned an undergraduate degree in 1975 and an MBA in 1977. He then spent fourteen years in real-estate construction finance, including senior management with Wells Fargo in Los Angeles. The experience provided detailed understanding of budgets, risk, developers and the economics determining resort feasibility. In 1991 he left finance to join Ted Robinson Sr. in the family firm. For nearly two decades they collaborated in the United States and internationally. Robinson Ranch was conceived as a direct tribute to his father, while Rancamaya in Indonesia, Pinx in Korea, Marriott Los Sueños in Costa Rica and projects in Hawaii and the western states demonstrated international reach. Following Ted Sr.’s death in 2008, Robinson Jr. continued independently. Whistling Rock near Seoul is among his most recognised works. He also designed or renovated Arrowood, Tuscany Hills, Pelican Lakes, Riverwalk and King Kamehameha on Maui. His architecture retains elements of the family language: visible water, resort landscapes and holes legible from the tee. He also seeks a wider range of playing lengths. The practice advocates courses capable of championship challenge while offering versions around 4,500 yards without abandoning strategy. This responds to ageing players, time constraints and the need for greater accessibility. Robinson Jr.’s financial education strongly influences his method. He understands the relationship among course, property, construction cost and return. A living architect, he represents continuation of a dynasty while adapting the planned-community model to Asian and contemporary markets. Projects from 1991 to 2008 should retain joint father-and-son attribution.