Willie Park Jr, “golf’s first true entrepreneur”, was born in Musselburgh, Scotland February 2, 1864. Willie was the son of three time Open Champion Willie Park Sr. The Park family’s golfing prowess directly rivaled that of Tom Morris Sr. (Old Tom) and his son Tom Morris Jr. (Young Tom) in Scotland.
The competition between these two families was intense for what was then called the Challenge Belt. The belt, which preceded the Claret Jug we know today, was kept by the champion for the year. Unlike the Claret Jug, the Challenge Belt became the property of any champion should they succeed in winning the Open Championship three years in a row. The belt itself was wide red Moroccan leather embellished with silver and a large silver buckle. *58
Willie Park Sr. won the inaugural event in 1860 with three more wins in 1863, 1866 & 1875. Old Tom Morris won the Open Championship four times as well - in 1861, 1862, 1864 & 1867. In addition, Willie Sr. finished runner up four times and Old Tom Morris was runner up twice. *52
Young Tom also won four times dominating the competition by winning four out of five years 1868, 1869, 1870, & 1872. His three wins in succession made him the owner of the belt and left the championship without a trophy. The Champion’s belt remained in the possession of the Morris family until the death of Old Tom in 1908. The family then donated it to the Royal & Ancient where it is now proudly on display in their clubhouse alongside the original Claret Jug.
Willie Sr’s brother Mungo Park became a part of the family rivalry when he won in the Open in 1874. Subsequently, Willie Park Jr. added two more Open titles for the Park family by winning in 1887 and 1889. He narrowly missed winning a third Championship by missing a short putt then losing to Harry Vardon in a playoff.
It is truly remarkable that these two families combined to win more than half of the Open Championships (15) in the tournament’s first twenty nine years! Old Tom and Young Tom Morris, Willie Park Sr., his brother Mungo and Willie Jr. are all in the World Golf Hall of Fame.
Willie Park Jr. was appointed greenskeeper and golf professional at the Ryton Golf Club in northwest England at the young age of sixteen. He played his first Open Championship at that same age, but it took him seven years before he won his first title at Prestwick in 1887. Two years later the Open returned to his home course in Musselburgh where he won for a second time in 1889. By all accounts he had outstanding focus and was an exceptional putter. He honed his fine putting skills by practicing putting marbles on the brick floor of his father’s workshop! *53 It is worth noting that Willie would have won both of these Open Championships using a feathery golf ball.
Willie narrowly missed winning for a third time in 1898, after leading the tournament throughout, when he uncharacteristically missed a three foot putt on the final green. Rumor has it that someone in the gallery mistakenly (or purposely) told Willie that all he needed was two putts on the final green to win the Championship. There was a weed in his line to the hole on the green which disturbed him and Willie chose not to be aggressive with his first putt. Instead he purposely two putted. He learned immediately that his missed putt had in fact put him into a tie for the Championship with Harry Vardon!
He subsequently lost to Vardon in a playoff by a single stroke! In his book My Golfing Life, Vardon labeled this Open victory “the best match I ever played against anyone”.
Following that competition, a heated debate occurred between the two men as to who the better golfer was and a “Vardon - Park challenge match” was proposed. The players then bickered over which golf courses they should play. Each player lobbied for the match to be played on their respective home course. Park insisted on Musselburgh and Vardon on Ganton. Vardon steadfastly refused to play Musselburgh because of the rowdy crowds.
The debate over the venue continued long enough for Vardon to win his second Open in 1899. Eventually Park conceded, agreeing to play North Berwick instead. Vardon had a two hole lead after thirty six holes at North Berwick and was confident of victory. Vardon’s high ball flight was an advantage at Ganton which had several holes where tee shots required a long carry. Park’s low hook tee shots cost him and Willie lost that challenge 11 and 10. That match drew one of the largest crowds ever seen at that time - estimated at over 10,000 spectators. *54
Frequently described as a gentleman at a time when competitive golfers were a rather rowdy drunken bunch, Willie Park Jr. is often pictured playing in a white suit. He was highly competitive and never backed down from a big money match. In 1888 Willie Jr. issued a 100 Pound challenge to the world and over the next decade he played every great golfer of his era with varying degrees of success. *54
Willie’s first attempt at course design occurred in 1886 at Innerleithen, at the age of 22, where he was sent as a substitute for his father. He continued to play “money golf” and his career as a golf course architect did not begin in earnest until the late 1890’s. Between 1892 and 1899 Willie Park Jr. designed at least eight golf courses in England and Scotland. *54 Most of these courses followed the traditional design models of his contemporaries on seaside terrain with nothing particular to distinguish his early efforts during this timeframe.
In addition to his excellent golfing skills, Willie Sr. had developed a successful business enterprise hand making custom clubs and golf balls. Willie Jr. learned the trade at his father’s side. A true Renaissance man, Willie Jr. expanded his father’s business as his father’s health began to fade. He opened additional shops in London, Edinburgh and Manchester using his fame as an Open Champion to market the company’s products. Their combined innovations in golf club and ball design made the business quite successful before the introduction of the wound Haskell ball in 1898.
Demand for hand made golf balls all but disappeared once the much less expensive gutta percha golf ball was invented. It’s mass production made golf more affordable for the average person by eliminating the fear and cost of losing handmade golf balls like the early “featherie golf balls ”. Golfing interest really expanded as a direct result of the Haskell golf ball innovation once golf was no longer a game restricted to the wealthy. *53 Willie Jr. began playing less competitive golf in the late 1800’s and reinvented himself as a businessman. He soon took advantage of the expansion of the game of golf and began promoting himself as a “golf course architect”.
Unlike his Scottish counterpart Donald Ross, whose course design work was primarily done in America once he left Scotland, Willie Park Jr’s course design legacy had much more of an international bent to it. He is credited with designing or being involved in golf course designs in Scotland, England, Wales, Belgium, France, Monte Carlo, Ireland, Switzerland, Canada and the United States according to a list compiled by his grand nephew Mungo Park. *59
Willie Park Jr. developed his own style of golf course design, advocating for the use of natural hazards and more variation to the holes rather than the early traditional model of courses designed with a straight “Out & In” nine hole routing. Initially links golf courses in Scotland were designed along the sea coast where the natural environment and interesting topography yielded better results. Willie Jr. often returned to his home course in Musselburgh during his later years, looking for inspiration when designing golf new courses.
When he undertook a project at the former Sunningdale Estate, a property acquired by a wealthy Londoner named Tom Roberts in 1899, Willie revolutionized golf course design. The soil for the the Old Course at Sunningdale was primarily sandy and overgrown with heather which was considered substandard for golf course construction at that time.*60 Willie Park Jr’s innovation in golf course design for Sunningdale was the creation of the first golf course totally sown from seed! *54
In addition to Sunningdale, Willie Jr. worked on another large inland project simultaneously. It was there at Huntercombe where he began to employ strategically placed man made hazards. *54 Strategic placement of hazards was yet another Willie Park Jr. innovation in golf course design.
Huntercombe was intended to be the first modern residential resort golf community. Unfortunately, the location of the course was ultimately considered too far away - both from London by car and from the nearest train station which was six miles away. As a result, the real estate did not sell as planned. Willie had invested heavily into this project using his own personal fortune and it subsequently became a financial disaster for him.
Nonetheless, with these two projects Willie Park “had reversed a terrible trend and showed the world that it was possible to build an inland golf course comparable to the great seaside links.” He had introduced “qualities which had been exclusive to golf by the sea - variety, strategic thought and the use of natural features”. He had established “a new standard in the way of inland golf”. The breakthrough innovations he utilized for these two heathland golf courses created a huge demand for Park’s design talents. *60
Seizing on the growing expansion of the game of golf, Willie began to play less “money” golf and took his skills across the Atlantic during the late 1800’s. He was hired in 1895 as the golf professional at Shinnecock Hills in New York. After accepting the position Willie traveled back to Scotland and was ultimately delayed in returning to New York the following Spring. *54
Shinnecock was forced to hire someone else to replace him and as a result of this somewhat accidental event, Willie turned his full attention to golf course design. *53 Reinventing himself once again during the 1890’s, he played little competitive golf and focused his talents instead on golf course design. With his design business booming, he began promoting himself as a “golf course architect” and coined the phrase. Despite his lack of playing time during this phase of his life, Willie Jr. nearly won that third Open championship in 1898.
When Willie Park Jr. first came to America in 1895 he laid out just a few golf courses between exhibition matches. He set up a business office in New York and brought along his brother Mungo to manage the store. There Mungo helped Willie Jr. promote both his golf ball and club manufacturing business and his developing golf course design business. A second branch office was soon established in Toronto.
Willie Park Jr. came back to the US to stay in 1916 but began taking short annual trips back to Scotland during the winter months beginning in 1919. *57 Willie’s career evolved once again and his business became dedicated primarily to golf course design. With the war raging in Europe, Willie marketed himself as a “golf course architect” in both America and Canada.
It has been reported that Willie Park Jr is credited with laying out approximately forty golf courses in seventeen states in the US and twenty more in Canada. Maidstone Golf Club on Long Island, New Haven Country Club in Connecticut and the North Course of Olympia Fields near Chicago are some of his finest course designs in the US.
Olympia Fields North outside Chicago has been the site of several major championships. Weston Golf Club outside of Toronto, Canada which he also designed hosted the 1955 Canadian Open - the site of Arnold Palmer’s first championship.
Maidstone Golf Club, on Long Island, is considered one of Willie Park Jr’s design masterpieces. David Goddard’s book called Maidstone Links is one of the most informative works on Willie Park Jr’s life and his architectural style. It was published by the Maidstone Club in East Hampton, New York (Long Island).*55
In 1896, Willie Park Jr. penned his own book, the first ever written by a professional golfer, titled "The Game of Golf”. This book was the first to look at the game of golf in a theoretical manner. It was applauded as being a triumph of simple language”. *53 “The Game of Golf” and his second book titled “The Art of Putting”, published in 1920. Both books remain in print today and were rather surprising accomplishments for a man who was not formally educated beyond the age of 15!
Willie Park Jr’s best work in golf course design occurred during the early 1900’s. He began practicing strategic design concepts during the 1916 -1923 timeframe and built some of his finest golf courses in Canada and the US. “Willie was a master at creating wonderfully undulating strategic greens which emphasized the ground game and proper attacking angles. Proper approach angles were enhanced with strategic fairway bunkers.” *57
He employed high quality construction professionals and greens shapers, designed courses by celebrating the natural topography of the site and often added some artifice to make his hole design more challenging. He frequently included only three par three holes in his eighteen-hole course designs and he often utilized transverse or diagonal hazards to distract the player on these shorter holes. *53
In addition to the Country Club of New Bedford there are many other golf courses attributed to Willie Park Jr. in New England including the nine hole Milton-Hoosic Club in Canton, MA. In Rhode Island his work includes Pawtucket Golf Club and Agawam Hunt Club. Both Misquamicut and Metacomet golf courses were initially designed by Willie Park Jr and some of his holes remain but both courses were later remodeled by Donald Ross.
Multiple courses in Connecticut are Park designs as well. The best examples of his work there are New Haven Country Club and Shuttle Meadow outside of Hartford. Castine Golf Club, a delightful nine hole design in Castine, ME was one of Wille Park Jr’s final designs and very likely coincided with his work at the Country Club of New Bedford. Vermont has two of his courses - Shelburne Falls Links and St. Johnsburry Country Club which may possibly have been his final design project.
While researching Willie Park Jr., I came across an article written by the present day Mungo Park in Golf Course Architect 2008. In it he states that his grandfather, also named Mungo, traveled to New York at Willie’s request when he fell ill. Mungo, Willie Park Jr’s younger brother, came specifically to help Willie close out still open design contracts and to shut down his New York design business office. Mungo Park is documented via a signed receipt as having made the final inspection of Castine GC in Maine in late 1923 on behalf of his brother.
It should be noted that despite reports of Willie Park Jr.’s declining mental health during the 1922-1923 time period, he remained at the peak of his designing capabilities. The March 28, 1922 Evening Standard displayed his design for the new layout of eighteen holes at the Country Club of New Bedford and announced him as “one of the foremost in planning golf course designs in the country” in the caption below.
The caption casually noted that “Mr. Park is currently in Chicago, but is expected here soon”. During the same timeframe in which he designed and oversaw the expansion of the Country Club of New Bedford, Willie Park Jr. was also at work on what would be one his most significant course designs in North America - Olympia Fields North. Designed in 1922 and opened in 1923 this magnificent course still ranks as one of the top one hundred golf course in the world. It has hosted two U.S. Opens (1928, 2003) and two PGA Championships (1925, 1961). It has also been the site of the U.S. Senior Open (1997), the U.S. Amateur (2015) and the Women's PGA Championship.
Willie’s fame and skills as a golf course designer were such that prior to being hired to design the North Course (IV) Willie was consulted to review the work done by two other Scotsmen who built the three previous golf courses at Olympia Fields - (I) designed in 1916 by Tom Bendelow, (II) designed in 1918 by William Watson and (III) a collaborative design by Bendelow and Watson at Olympia Fields. Following Willie’s evaluations of these golf courses, he was asked to modify all three golf courses prior to undertaking the North Course project! *77
“The North Course (IV) remains steadfastly faithful to Park's original design, with precious few changes over the decades other than deepened bunkers and additional length.” *76
On the Olympia Fields website, Willie himself is quoted as saying "I have examined thousands of places adaptable for the ideal golf course, both in Europe and America, but I have never seen a more natural setting for a championship course. I am satisfied now that your number IV course is the equal of any golf course I have ever seen and I know of none that is superior, either in beauty or natural terrain."
Some travel dates for Willie’s voyages between Scotland and New York have been revised since his grandnephew Mungo wrote an article published in Golf Course Atlas. He emailed me his most current information. His grandfather (Willie’s brother Mungo) traveled to New York from Argentina on February 20, 1923. In Argentina he had been a successful golfer himself - winning the Argentine Open three times. In addition he was a club designer, a head professional and had also been employed as a golf course architect.
Both Willie and later Mungo were in America on dates consistent with the expansion of the Country Club of New Bedford from nine holes to eighteen. There was adequate time for them to oversee both the construction and completion of the project prior to the final voyage back to Scotland for Willie.
Willie Jr’s youngest brother John was the head professional at Maidstone Country Club on Long Island in the early 1920’s. By the time Mungo traveled from Argentina, Willie was not doing well and as a result sometime in 1923 he was being cared for by John at Maidstone. In the end it has been documented that Mungo made site visits to close out projects which Willie Jr. had begun.
I mention all of this here because, although Willie Park Jr. may not have made the final visits to the Country Club of New Bedford himself, his brother Mungo would have been capable of doing it on his behalf. He was present in America at the correct time for a final inspection at CCNB before the course was in play as an eighteen hole facility in September 1923.
Willie’s brother Mungo took him home to Scotland for the final time on October 29, 1923. They met Willie’s wife in Southampton, England and all three then traveled together by train to Edinburgh, Scotland where Willie was hospitalized at Craigshouse Hospital. He died there two years later on May 22, 1925.