William Park Jr. (4 February 1864 – 22 May 1925) was a Scottish
professional golfer
A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...
. He won
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 th ...
twice. Park was also a successful golf equipment maker and golf writer. In his later years, Park built a significant career as one of the world's best
golf course architect
A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...
s, with a worldwide business. He was inducted into the
World Golf Hall of Fame
The World Golf Hall of Fame is located at World Golf Village near St. Augustine, Florida, in the United States, and it is unusual among sports halls of fame in that a single site honors both men and women. It is supported by a consortium of 26 go ...
in 2013.
Early years
Park was born in
Musselburgh
Musselburgh (; sco, Musselburrae; gd, Baile nam Feusgan) is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, east of Edinburgh city centre. It has a population of .
History
The name Musselburgh is Ol ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
, on 4 February 1864.
His father,
Willie Park Sr.
William Park Sr. (30 June 1833 – 25 July 1903) was a Scottish professional golfer. He was a 4-time winner of the Open Championship.
Early life
Park was born in Wallyford, East Lothian, Scotland. Like some of the other early professional gol ...
, was one of Scotland's top golfers, winning the first Open Championship in 1860, and three further Open Championship titles. Park Jr. learned golf from childhood. His father also ran a successful golf equipment business, producing clubs and balls to order. Park Sr. also played challenge matches for stakes, and competed in professional tournaments.
The
Musselburgh Links
Musselburgh Links, The Old Golf Course in Musselburgh, East Lothian, Scotland, is generally accepted as being one of the oldest golf courses in the world. The course is not to be confused with The Royal Musselburgh Golf Club or the Levenhall Li ...
course in the family's home town was one of the main centres of golf at the time, and was on the rota for
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 th ...
from 1873 to 1891. In 1892 it was removed from the rota in favor of
Muirfield
Muirfield is a privately owned golf links which is the home of The Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers. Located in Gullane, East Lothian, Scotland, overlooking the Firth of Forth, Muirfield is one of the golf courses used in rotation for The ...
, a new course which became the home of the
Honourable Company of Edinburgh Golfers
''The Honourable'' (British English) or ''The Honorable'' (American English; see spelling differences) (abbreviation: ''Hon.'', ''Hon'ble'', or variations) is an honorific style that is used as a prefix before the names or titles of certain ...
.
Mungo Park, younger brother of Park Sr., also won the Open in 1874. The Park family had a deep and fierce golf rivalry, both in competition and in business, with the Morris family (led by
Old Tom Morris
Thomas Mitchell Morris (16 June 1821 – 24 May 1908), otherwise known as Old Tom Morris, and The Grand Old Man of Golf, was a Scottish golfer. He was born in St Andrews, Fife, the "home of golf" and location of the St Andrews Links, and died t ...
and
Young Tom Morris
Thomas Morris (20 April 1851 – 25 December 1875), known as Tom Morris Junior, Young Tom Morris and also Tommy Morris, was a Scottish professional golfer. He is considered one of the pioneers of professional golf, and was the first young prodig ...
) of
St. Andrews during most of the 19th century.
Open champion
Park caddied and played golf professionally, in stakes matches and tournaments, from his mid-teens. He developed his golf skills and played in his first Open Championship in 1880, at age 16, at which time he was already one of Scotland's best players. He worked in the family golf equipment business. Park won the Open in 1887 and 1889. In the latter year he was taken to a playoff by
Andrew Kirkaldy. During his competitive career, Park placed in the top ten 12 times at the Open, and was out of the top eight only twice between 1881 and 1892. He was notable for his excellent short game, which compensated for a sometimes unreliable long game. He is famous for the saying: "A man who can putt is a match for anyone."
Businessman
At the time, it was very difficult, if not impossible, for a golfer to make a living from prize money alone. Park often played challenge matches. He took over the family ball and club making business, establishing an export business just when golf was beginning to spread internationally. He patented several golf club designs.
Golf writer
Park's ''The Game of Golf'' (1896) was the first book about golf written by a professional golfer. It was well received, and has proven continuously popular since, being available in a modern, unabridged edition from Arcturus Publishers (2010). Park's second book, ''The Art of Putting'', was published in 1920.
Golf course architect
He also worked as a
golf course designer
A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...
, with 170 designs to his credit in the
British Isles
The British Isles are a group of islands in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-western coast of continental Europe, consisting of the islands of Great Britain, Ireland, the Isle of Man, the Inner and Outer Hebrides, the Northern Isles, ...
, Europe, the US and Canada. Park entered this profession, while winding down his competitive play, in his mid-30s, just as golf was beginning an enormous increase in popularity, in both the British Isles and especially North America. New golfers needed new courses to play, and Park took advantage of the opportunities. His services were much in demand, and he became one of the first people, along with fellow Scot
Donald Ross, to become a full-time golf course architect.
United Kingdom designs
Park's first well-known design was the Old Course of the
Sunningdale Golf Club
Sunningdale Golf Club is a golf club in Sunningdale, Berkshire, England, located approximately west-southwest of London.
Sunningdale Golf Club was founded in 1900 and has two eighteen hole golf courses: the Old Course, designed by Willie Park ...
near London, just at the turn of the 20th century. This club's brilliant success on
heathland
A heath () is a shrubland habitat found mainly on free-draining infertile, acidic soils and characterised by open, low-growing woody vegetation. Moorland is generally related to high-ground heaths with—especially in Great Britain—a cooler ...
property, which earlier had been thought unsuitable for golf, brought him worldwide fame.
Sunningdale Old has frequently been ranked among the world's top courses.
Park designed Temple Links, now
Temple Golf Club
Temple Golf Club is a golf club located in Hurley, Berkshire, England. It is about 2 miles northwest of Maidenhead. It was opened in 1910. The course was designed by Willie Park Jr. It is recognised for its scenic beauty and its emphasis on sus ...
, in
Hurley, Berkshire
Hurley is a small village and large, rural civil parish in Berkshire, England. Its riverside is agricultural, except for Hurley Priory, as are the outskirts of the village. The adjoining inn is believed to date from 1135.
Topography
Hurley is a ...
, in 1909. He routed the course over rolling chalk downs, giving wide views of the surrounding countryside. Donald Steel described it as "challenging enough to keep good players at full stretch without diminishing the enjoyment of the rank and file".
Canadian designs
Park's highly regarded course designs in Canada include
Weston Golf and Country Club in Toronto (host of the 1955 Canadian Open,
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 ...
's first professional victory), the
Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club
The Ottawa Hunt and Golf Club, often referred to as Ottawa Hunt or the Hunt Club, is a private golf and curling club in Canada, located in Ottawa, Ontario. Founded in 1908 as a hunting club, it has hosted many world-class professional and amateur ...
in
Ottawa, Ontario
Ottawa (, ; Canadian French: ) is the capital city of Canada. It is located at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River in the southern portion of the province of Ontario. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the core ...
(host of the 1994, 2008, and 2017
Canadian Women's Open
The CP Women's Open (french: Open féminin du Canada) is a women's professional golf tournament managed by Golf Canada. It has been Canada's national championship tournament since its founding in 1973, and is an official event on the LPGA Tour. ...
s), the Calgary Golf and Country Club in
Calgary
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
, the
Mount Bruno Golf Club in suburban Montreal, and L
Club Laval-sur-le-Lacin
Laval, Quebec
Laval (; ) is a city in Quebec, Canada. It is in the southwest of the province, north of Montreal. It is the largest suburb of Montreal, the third-largest city in the province after Montreal and Quebec City, and the thirteenth largest city in C ...
. Weston G&CC hosts an annual elite amateur men's Willie Park Jr. Memorial tournament, held over 36 holes in one day in late summer; it was started in 1925 to memorialize Park's passing.
United States designs
Park's well-known United States courses include the Hot Springs Country Club in Hot Springs, Arkansas, the
Maidstone Golf Club
The Maidstone Club is a private country club on the Atlantic Ocean in the village of East Hampton, New York. Maidstone has both an 18-hole and nine-hole private golf course.
History
The Club derives its name from the original name for East Ham ...
on
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
, Country Club of New Canaan in New Canaan, Connecticut, Woodway Country Club in Darien, Connecticut, the
New Haven Country Club
New Haven Country Club is a private country club located in Hamden, Connecticut. Founded in 1898 NHCC is one of the oldest golf courses in America. The club was founded as the New Haven Golf Club in downtown New Haven and then moved to newly purc ...
in Hamden, Connecticut, Madison Country Club, Madison, Connecticut, Sylvania Country Club in Sylvania, Ohio Shorehaven Golf Club in Norwalk, Connecticut, TumbleBrook Country Club in Bloomfield, Connecticut, Red Run Golf Club in
Royal Oak, Michigan
Royal Oak is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. An inner-ring suburb of Detroit, Royal Oak is about north of Detroit's city limits. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 57,236.
Royal Oak is located along th ...
, Shuttle Meadow Country Club in Kensington, Connecticut, the North Course of the
Olympia Fields Country Club
Olympia Fields Country Club is a private golf club in the central United States, located in Olympia Fields, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, about south of The Loop. It contains two eighteen-hole courses, North and South. The North Course is co ...
near
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
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(host of two
U.S. Open (golf)
The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open national championship of golf in the United States. It is the third of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA ...
events (1928 and 2003), as well as the 1961 PGA Championship), Berkshire Country Club in
Reading, Pennsylvania
Reading ( ; Pennsylvania Dutch: ''Reddin'') is a city in and the county seat of Berks County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city had a population of 95,112 as of the 2020 census and is the fourth-largest city in Pennsylvania after Philade ...
and Glen Ridge Country Club in
Glen Ridge, New Jersey. Massachusetts
The Milton Hoosic Club Bellefonte Country Club in Ashland, Kentucky (Home of the longest continuously played AJGA event). Battle Creek Country Club (Battle Creek, Michigan) holds an annual Symetra Tour event, and Dustin Johnson qualified for his first US Open there. He also laid out the original six holes of The Sadaquada Club (1895) in Whitestown, NY, which were later improved to a full nine by
Horace Rawlins
Horace Thomas Rawlins (5 August 1874 – 22 January 1935) was an English professional golfer who won the first U.S. Open Championship in 1895.
Early life
Rawlins was born at Shanklin on the Isle of Wight, England, the son of Thomas Horatio and ...
, the first winner of the U.S. Open. He also made a stop in
State College, Pennsylvania
State College is a home rule municipality in Centre County in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. It is a college town, dominated economically, culturally and demographically by the presence of the University Park campus of the Pennsylvania Sta ...
in 1922 laying out plans for the schools White Course which reopened in 1926. The only remaining holes are 6-14. Six was originally a par3 now plays as a dog leg par-5.
Park designed Moonbrook Country Club in Jamestown NY as well as the Castine Golf Club in Castine, Maine in 1921. However, his final design would be a nine-hole course, St. Johnsbury Country Club in 1923 located in St. Johnsbury Vermont. His brother Mungo Park had to go to Vermont to finish the construction after Willie Park Jr. became ill and returned to Scotland.
Family
Park's daughter,
Doris Park
Doris may refer to:
People Given name
*Doris (mythology) of Greek mythology, daughter of Oceanus and Tethys
* Doris, fictional character in the Canadian television series ''Caillou'' and the mother of the titular character
*Doris (singer) (born ...
, was runner-up in the 1937
British Ladies Amateur Championship
The Women's Amateur Championship, previously known as the Ladies' British Open Amateur Championship, was founded in 1893 by the Ladies' Golf Union. It is organised by The R&A, which merged with the Ladies' Golf Union in 2017. Until the dawn of the ...
.
Death
Overwork on his design business led to a decline in health and his eventual death, at age 61 on 22 May 1925.
His health had been in decline for some time; Park knew he was dying, and traveled home from the United States to Scotland, in order to die in his home country.
[ He died in Edinburgh, although his "usual residence" was given as Musselburgh.]
Major championships
Wins (2)
1 Park defeated Kirkaldy by five strokes in a 36-hole playoff.
Results timeline
''Note: Park only played in The Open Championship and the U.S. Open.''
NT = No tournament
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Team appearances
*England–Scotland Professional Match
The England–Scotland Professional Match was an annual men's professional golf competition between teams representing England and Scotland. It was played from 1903 to the start of World War I and was then revived in 1932 and played until the star ...
(representing Scotland): 1903 (winners), 1904 (tie), 1905 (tie), 1907, 1910
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Park, Willie 02
Scottish male golfers
Winners of men's major golf championships
World Golf Hall of Fame inductees
Golf course architects
Golf writers and broadcasters
Golfers from Musselburgh
1864 births
1925 deaths