THE GOLF COURSE
THE GENIUS OF THE SCOTSMAN AND A STUDENT OF OLD TOM MORRIS
Born in 1860, just eight miles from St. Andrews, William Watson was immersed in golf from an early age. He studied at the University of St. Andrews, competed successfully in local tournaments, and formed a close relationship with four-time Open Champion Old Tom Morris, whose influence helped shape Watson’s architectural philosophy.
In 1898, Watson emigrated to the United States, designing his first course at Minikahda Club in Minneapolis before relocating to California during golf’s rapid West Coast expansion. He also spent summers in Charlevoix, Michigan, serving as a golf professional at Charlevoix Golf Club for the Chicago Club.
By the mid-1920s, Watson was nationally recognized as one of America’s leading architects, alongside Donald Ross and George C. Thomas. Over his career, he designed more than 100 courses, including Olympic Club, Olympia Fields, and Harding Park.
“I love that country up there. We’d go for two weeks, then three, and then a month. I went up every summer through college.”
—Eight-time major champion, Tom Watson
LOST TREASURE AND A RESTORATION
In the summer of 2016, The demolishment of an old building in Charlevoix led to the discovery of famous golf architect William Watson’s original drawings of the historic course. While aerial photos existed from the late 1930’s, there was no actual documentation of the original parkland design with its classic flowing fairways, strategic bunkers and subtle greens.
After 95 years, with the genius of William Watson having resurfaced, the decision was quickly made to begin a restoration that would restore much of what had been lost over the decades. Under the watchful eyes of golf architect Bruce Hepner and former long-time course superintendent Rick Grunch, the restoration project was a huge success. Hepner, a former Tom Doak disciple, is highly regarded in the industry as a specialist when it comes to classic course restorations by legendary designers such as Ross, Tillinghast, MacKenzie and now Watson to name a few.
WALK THE SAME FAIRWAYS THAT HAVE TESTED CHAMPIONS FOR NEARLY A CENTURY
