The grave of Charles Dundas Lawrie, North Berwick Cemetery

Charles Dundas Lawrie (8 February 1923 – 31 August 1976) was a Scottish amateur golfer, administrator, and golf course architect; described as one of golf architecture's finest representatives.

Personal life

Lawrie was born on 8 February 1923, in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian on the southern shore of t ...

, son of Alfred Lawrie, a stockbroker and president of the Scottish Rugby Union, and Jean Maxwell Lawrie (''née'' Cook). The family lived at 5 Moray Place on the prestigious

Moray Estate The Moray Estate in Edinburgh was an exclusive early 19th century building venture attaching the west side of Edinburgh's New Town. Built on an awkward and steeply sloping site, it has been described as a masterpiece of urban planning. Back ...

in west Edinburgh. His father was partner in Lawrie & Ker of 4 St Andrew Square. He and his family moved to

North Berwick North Berwick (; gd, Bearaig a Tuath) is a seaside town and former royal burgh in East Lothian, Scotland. It is situated on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, approximately east-northeast of Edinburgh. North Berwick became a fashionable ...

where he learned to play

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping ...

, winning the Elco Medal in 1937 at the children's course at

North Berwick Golf Club The North Berwick Golf Club (NBGC), at North Berwick, East Lothian, was founded in 1832. It is the 13th oldest golf club in the world and only St Andrews hosts a club which has played continuously over the same course for longer. Although the NBGC ...

. He won the Gold Medal at a junior tournament at

Carnoustie Carnoustie (; sco, Carnoustie, gd, Càrn Ùstaidh) is a town and former police burgh in the council area of Angus, Scotland. It is at the mouth of the Barry Burn on the North Sea coast. In the 2011 census, Carnoustie had a population of 1 ...

in 1939. He was educated at Fettes and

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

, where 'he was a cricket star'. Whilst at

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to th ...

he gained five "Blues" in different sports. His cousin, James Haldane Lawrie, was a businessman, financier and patron of the arts. James was Chairman of the

English Opera Group The English Opera Group was a small company of British musicians formed in 1947 by the composer Benjamin Britten (along with John Piper, Eric Crozier and Anne Wood) for the purpose of presenting his and other, primarily British, composers' operat ...

, and

Benjamin Britten Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten (22 November 1913 – 4 December 1976, aged 63) was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He was a central figure of 20th-century British music, with a range of works including opera, other ...

dedicated ''The Beggar's Opera'' (1948) to him. Charles fought in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

as a 2nd Lt. in the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...

. As Sheriff of Anglesey, he took part in the

Queen Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

's coronation visit in 1953 in Caernarvon Castle. He died aged only 53 in his birthplace,

. He is buried in

Cemetery. The grave lies near the south-west corner.

Playing and administrative career

Lawrie competed as an amateur in

The Open Championship The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later t ...

in 1955 and 1957. He was the non-playing captain of the Great Britain and Ireland team in the 1960 and 1962

Eisenhower Trophy The Eisenhower Trophy (World Men's Amateur Team Championships) is the biennial World Amateur Team Championship for men organized by the International Golf Federation. Since the tournament was first played in 1958, it is named after Dwight D. Eise ...

, and the non-playing captain of the Great Britain and Ireland

Walker Cup The Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested in odd-numbered years by leading male amateur golfers in two teams: United States, and Great Britain and Ireland. The official name is the Walker Cup Match (not "Matches" as in Ryder Cup Matches). It is ...

team in

1961 Events January * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba (Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015). ** Aero Flight 311 (K ...

and

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Co ...

; teams which included

Michael Bonallack Sir Michael Francis Bonallack, OBE (born 31 December 1934) is an English amateur golfer who was one of the leading administrators in world golf in the late 20th century. Bonallack was born in Chigwell, Essex. He learned the game of golf under ...

and Joe Carr. The 1961 American team included a young Jack Nicklaus, playing well enough to ensure a dominant victory that year. It was much closer the next time the two teams met. In the 1960s and 1970s, Lawrie held various posts with the Royal & Ancient, including Chairman of the Amateur Status Committee, Deputy Chairman and Chairman of the Championship Committee, and Chairman of the Selection Committee. He was president of the National Golf Club's Advisory Association in the mid-1970s. In " Palmer's Open" in 1962, Lawrie was referee for the final round pairing between

Arnold Palmer Arnold Daniel Palmer (September 10, 1929 – September 25, 2016) was an American professional golfer who is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most charismatic players in the sport's history. Dating back to 1955, he won numerous ev ...

and Kel Nagle. James Cusick of ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publish ...

'' reports how the crowd were so fierce that year at

Royal Troon Royal Troon Golf Club is a links golf course in Scotland, located in Troon, South Ayrshire, southwest of Glasgow. Founding and early years The club, which now has a total of 45 holes, was founded in 1878, initially with five holes. It lies adj ...

that at the 15th, Lawrie was 'knocked head-first into a bunker during one of the crowd's surges'.

Golf architecture

Lawrie went on to design

courses as a partner of the golf architecture firm " Cotton Pennink Lawrie & Partners", which designed

courses around the world. He designed the Duke's Course (1976), the location of the

British Masters The Betfred British Masters is a professional golf tournament. It was founded in 1946 as the Dunlop Masters and was held every year up to 2008, except for 1984. Dunlop's sponsorship ended in 1982, and the name sponsor changed frequently therea ...

for 20 years, and the Duchess' course (1978) at

Woburn Golf Club Woburn Golf Club is a golf club in England located in Little Brickhill, near Milton Keynes within the county of Bedfordshire, about northwest of central London. There are three courses at the Woburn property: the "Duke's Course", which op ...

. The Duke's course has been described by '' Today's Golfer'' as a masterpiece, and regularly appears in the top 100 ranked courses in Great Britain and Ireland.

Golf courses designed by C.D. Lawrie

* 'The Old Links' at Ballyliffin Golf Club (also designed by Eddie Hackett and Frank Pennink and Nick Faldo) * Baron Hill, Anglesey * Fleming Park Golf Club * Haverhill Golf Club (also designed by Philip Pilgrey) * Keerbergen Golf Club * Southwick Park Golf Club * Stockwood Park Golf Centre * Westhill Golf Club * Winter Hill Golf Club *

(Duke's & Duchess' courses)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawrie, Charles Dundas Scottish male golfers Amateur golfers Golf administrators Golf course architects Golfers from Edinburgh Scottish sports executives and administrators Architects from Edinburgh High Sheriffs of Anglesey Coldstream Guards officers British Army personnel of World War II People educated at Fettes College Alumni of the University of Oxford Golfers from North Berwick 1923 births 1976 deaths 20th-century Scottish businesspeople