People & the land Architect
Architect
Willie Watson
Willie Watson designed the Olympic Club’s first Ocean and Lake courses at Lakeside, built in 1924 by superintendent Sam Whiting. The club’s history separates Watson’s design role from Whiting’s construction work.1
In the archive 4 Courses at 4 ClubsDated work 1910
Course work
Published course connections in the archive.
- Original designOriginal Interlachen course
- Co-design
- Co-design
- Original designOriginal Lake Course design
The First Lakeside Layouts
Severe winter storms in 1925–26 prompted another stage of work. Whiting designed the replacement Ocean and Lake courses, which opened in 1927. Watson’s original layout is therefore one stage in the history of the Lake Course that later hosted U.S. Opens.1
Sources and record notes5 references
Sources for this history
- History: golf at Lakeside
The Olympic Club
Primary page paragraphs describing the named architect and project, reviewed in the retained original.
Consulted 2026-11-14
Architect record sources
- Minnesota Golf Course Superintendents Association / Hole Notes (opens in a new tab)Architect identity · Course design
- TPC Harding Park / PGA TOUR (opens in a new tab)Course design
- Interlachen Country Club history (opens in a new tab)Course design
- The Olympic Club: History (opens in a new tab)Course design