Willie Dunn (golfer)

Early life

Dunn was born circa 1864 at Blackheath, London, England, the son of Willie Dunn, Sr. At age 13, Dunn learned the art of making golf clubs while apprenticed under his older brother, Tom Dunn, who was the professional at London Scottish Golf Club on Wimbledon Common, where he had his home. By 1871 he had joined his father at Leith Links.

Golf career

Dunn plied his trade while professional at Westward Ho! from 1886–88 before travelling to Biarritz, France, where he instructed wealthy patrons on the fine art of swinging a golf club. It was in Biarritz where Dunn first made the acquaintance of the American millionaire William K. Vanderbilt. After arriving in the United States in 1893—a trip that was sponsored by Vanderbilt—Dunn spent the summer giving golf lessons at the Newport Golf Club in Rhode Island. After spending the winter back in his regular position at Biarritz, he made a return voyage to America. Golf was beginning to gain in popularity at this time and Dunn found ripe pickings in golf-related work and settled in the U.S. permanently.

His first professional position was at the Ardsley Country Club, Ardsley, New York, where he designed the course and settled down to a club-making business in 1896. He was joined by his nephew, John Duncan Dunn, who emigrated from England where he had been engaged with the firm of Dunn Brothers. The clubs the Dunns produced provided an interesting mix of traditional Scottish values and modern ingenuity. Early clubs from the Ardsley days were imported from Scotland and assembled in New York. Some of these irons bear a small eagle mark, a reference to his new home and were possibly forged by Robert Condie. Others were simply marked "Dunn Selected" in either script or block letters and dated from 1897–1903.

Patents and golf club designs

One of Willie's first American patents (though it appears to have been applied for but never finally granted) was his "indestructible driver". Its head was a wood block encased in an aluminium shell, the wood being exposed at the face and on top.

In the early 1900s, Willie experimented with plastic-like substances, finally patenting several types of drivers and putters. The substance was known as pyralin and came in black and white versions. Clubs included standard drivers, duplex drivers and mallet putters and for manufacturing purposes the patents were assigned to the Kempshall Manufacturing Co. in Arlington, New Jersey.

1895 U.S. Open

The 1895 U.S. Open was the first U.S. Open, held on Friday, 4 October, at Newport Golf Club in Newport, Rhode Island. Horace Rawlins won the inaugural U.S. Open title, two strokes ahead of runner-up Willie Dunn. Dunn had rounds of 89-86=175 and won $100.

1897 U.S. Open

Dunn tied for third place in the 1897 U.S. Open, held 17 September at Chicago Golf Club in Wheaton, Illinois. Joe Lloyd won his only major title by one stroke from runner-up Willie Anderson. Dunn carded rounds of 87-81=168 and won $38 as his share of the purse.

1898 U.S. Open

Dunn fired rounds of 85-87-87-85=344 and placed seventh in the 1898 U.S. Open, held at Myopia Hunt Club in South Hamilton, Massachusetts on 17–18 June 1898. He was not awarded any prize money. Scotland's Fred Herd captured his first, and only, U.S. Open title by seven strokes from Alex Smith.

Golf courses designed by Dunn

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Family

Dunn was the son of Willie Dunn, Sr. and the brother of Tom Dunn also known as Thomas Dunn, a well-known golf course architect.

Death and legacy

Dunn died in Putney, London, England, in early August 1952. He is best remembered for achieving four top-10 finishes in major championships and for his golf course design work.

Results in major championships

Note: Dunn played only in the U.S. Open and The Open Championship.

NYF = Tournament not yet founded
DNP = Did not play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10