About
Fred Hawtree founded the Golf Greenkeepers’ Association, which ultimately evolved into the British & International Golf Greenkeepers' Association, a major organization for golf course professionals in the UK.
Frederick George Hawtree (1883–1955) was born on January 8, 1883, in Acton, London, was a pioneering figure in golf course architecture and the founder of the longest continuously operating golf course design and construction firm, established in 1912. After serving as a soldier in World War I, he returned to golf and began working closely with legendary designers such as James Braid and J.H. Taylor. Hawtree was extensively involved in course design and remodeling throughout Britain and Ireland and was jointly responsible for founding the Golf Greenkeepers’ Association in 1912, which evolved into the British & International Golf Greenkeepers’ Association (BIGGA).
Upon his death in 1955, his son Frederick William Hawtree took over the firm and expanded its reach internationally, contributing to the design and renovation of hundreds of courses on four continents. Fred Jr., who was born in 1916, was a founding member and later president of the British Association of Golf Course Architects. He continued the legacy of innovation and excellence in golf course design, with notable renovations of prestigious courses such as Royal Liverpool and Royal Birkdale. Frederick William Hawtree also earned recognition for his contributions to the turfgrass industry and was a prolific writer on golf architecture. He passed away in 2000 in Woodstock, Oxford.
