Howard Watson

Born in Dresden, Ontario, in 1907, Howard Watson was a renowned golf course architect who designed over 150 courses in Ontario, the United States, Colombia, and Jamaica. However, his greatest contribution were 67 courses in Quebec, Canada, including Carling Lake, Pinegrove, Joliette, Islesmere, Royal Quebec, Hillsdale-Laurentian, Cedarbrook, and Cap-Rouge, to name a few. In 1974, he also oversaw the modifications to the Candiac Golf Club to prepare for the DuMaurier Classic.

After receiving a degree in agriculture from the University of Toronto with a specialty in soil biology, in 1929, he spent the next two years learning, as the principal associate, from Stanley Thompson. His first solo design came in 1933 when he built 9 holes in Seaforth, Ontario. In the 1930s and 40s, he worked closely with Robert Trent Jones, who had also joined Thompson's team and with whom he shared a distinctive course design strategy recognizable for characteristic large greens and bunkers.

Watson was elected to the American Society of Golf Course Architects as a member in 1954 and served as ASGCA President from 1958 to 1959. He was promoted to Fellow status in 1977 and served as a member for 38 years until his death in 1992.