Willie Dunn Jr.

Willie Dunn Jr. (c.1864/1865–1952) was a pivotal figure in golf’s early transatlantic expansion. Born in Blackheath, London, into a family of clubmakers and course designers, he apprenticed under his father and elder brother before establishing his own legacy. Notable for extending the original Shinnecock Hills Golf Club to 18 holes in the 1890s, Dunn was also involved in shaping Biarritz Golf Club and the Maidstone Club. His career blended competitive success—he finished runner-up at the inaugural U.S. Open in 1895—with significant influence as a clubmaker and equipment innovator, including pioneering steel-shafted clubs and the use of tee pegs. Dunn operated the first indoor golf center in America, and his teaching and course designs left a lasting mark on American golf. Willie Dunn Jr. is celebrated for helping to popularize and shape golf in the United States during its formative years.