Willie Watson, anyone have a pic?

[David Stamm]

I'm wondering if anyone, as of late, has turned up a pic of the mystery man. I just find it amazing that no pic has ever been found of WW, one of the most prolific architects of the GA. Considering his resume, his inclusion in both Thomas' book as well as Hunter's, I find it very curious our crack resident researchers have never turned up even so much as a mug shot of the man.

[Chris_Blakely]

David,

There was a picture produced of him a year or so ago and not the one in C & W.  I saved on a CD somewhere, but will be away for a week or so.  If no one posts the picture, I am sure that I have it.

Chris

[Tom Naccarato]

David, You need to answer the phone once in a while so I can tell you that there is indeed a photo thanks to Tully.

Also, an evidence trail of a life in Los Angeles past 1930.

[Allan Long]

David,

In 1999, the SCGA did a five-part series on the 100th Anniversary of the organization, and the first two editions chronicled 1899-1919 and 1920-1939. If you don't have those, I'll check to see if there may have been a picture of Watson. Also, have you tried the former contents of the Ralph Miller library?

The picture Tommy posted looks nothing like the picture of Watson in C&W. Am I seeing things, or is the picture in C&W not Watson?

[Tom Naccarato]

It had been determined sometime ago that the picture in C&W wasn't Willie Watson. (I think)

[TEPaul]

If you ask me the guy in the photo above and the guy in the photo in C&W sure is the same guy. It just looks like he lost quite a bit of weight in the one above.

[Tom Naccarato]

Tom, I disagree.

While my disagreement is speculative--the man in the C&W picture seems to be a very social looking fellow. William K. Watson on the other hand, given the amount of information on him and the fact that there just is so little information on him seems to have been very media shy. It is my opinion that there is just so much stuff on Watson that we haven't found out--but the stuff I have, it would seem that he was much like John Duncan Dunn--a Johnny Appleseed of golf course architecture so-to-speak.

[Forrest Richardson]

Ron Whitten, indeed, has it incorrect in The Architects of Golf. Sean Tully came across the image last year while Mark Fine and I were researching Mira Vista, the only Hunter course ever encountered. Willie had been engaged to place his name on Mira Vista, distancing Hunter from having to admit being the designer.

[David Stamm]

David, You need to answer the phone once in a while so I can tell you that there is indeed a photo thanks to Tully.

 

VM, bubba, VM. Or text.


Thanks for the photo. Sean, are you pretty certain that this is he?

[Sean_Tully]

David

yep that is the man, I have an earlier photo of him at the turn of the century and it is pretty spot on.

As to the photo of Watson in C&W, I do not think that is Watson at all. I have other photos of Watson's brother James Martin also called Jaime and they are both thin.

Would like to track down some family at some point. I know that JM Watson was a pro all over the Western states and that he had a son that was a good golfer. I need to go over my notes to remind myself of his name. You never know what you will find.

Of all my research. one of the more interesting things that I came across was that Harold Sampson may be the man responsible for the 17th at Pebble. The records that would verify this burned in a fire furing the research for a book, arrrgggghhhhh. I found this out after I tracked down Sampson's relatives in Oregon and talked with his daughter.

I believe that JM Watson may have died in LA. If I can track down the info can you dig through the local papers to find the obit for all the surviving family member names. I think that he may have died in 1963. I will get back to you.

Tully

[JC Jones]

There is one hanging on the wall at Belvedere Golf Club in Charlevoix Michigan.

It just amazes me how little we know about this guy considering how prevalent he was.