Introduction
John W. Dawson (December 20, 1902 – January 6, 1986) was an American amateur golfer and golf course architect.
Dawson was born in Chicago, Illinois. Although he was a lifelong amateur golfer, his amateur status was rescinded by the United States Golf Association (USGA) for a time due to his employment with the Spalding sporting goods company. His amateur status was eventually restored and he competed in several USGA events. He was runner-up (at the age of 44) to Skee Riegel in 1947 U.S. Amateur. He played on the winning 1949 Walker Cup team. He was also runner-up in 1958 U.S. Senior Amateur
As a developer, he designed and built Marrakesh Country Club, the Seven Lakes, Thunderbird, El Dorado, and La Quinta Country Clubs; he lived in Palm Springs.
Dawson won the Southern California Golf Association (SCGA) amateur championship four times between 1942 and 1952, and was inducted into the SCGA Hall of Fame in 2007.
Amateur wins(6)
- 1936 Trans-Mississippi Amateur
- 1942 California State Amateur, Southern California Amateur
- 1944 Southern California Amateur
- 1945 Southern California Amateur
- 1952 Southern California Amateur
Professional wins (3)
Note: all wins were as an amateur
PGA Tour wins (1)
- 1942 Bing Crosby Pro-Am
Other wins (2)
- 1935 Iowa Open
- 1942 California State Open
U.S. national team appearances
Amateur
- Walker Cup: 1949 (winners)