Willie Park Junior

In the 19th century, Musselburgh, Scotland was a hotbed of golfing genius. The local links produced five Open Champions, and of these golfing greats, Willie Park Junior was undoubtedly more than just a good golfer. Park redefined the image of the golf professional and took the game from being an esoteric pastime, practised in a few favoured localities, to its present status as a worldwide game.

A two-time winner of the Open, Park also played challenge and demonstration matches at home and abroad. Ever the entrepreneur, his workshops turned out golf balls and clubs to his own design, with retail outlets in Edinburgh, Manchester, London, New York and Montreal, and Park was the first golf professional to write a manual - The Game of Golf - which appeared in 1896. His career in golf course design took him from Britain to Western Europe and then North America; in total Park lay out over 160 courses worldwide, over 40 of these in the United States and more than 20 in Canada, many of which are still in use today.

After a century of improved golf technology - better clubs, a larger ball, and more tailored course layouts - what legacy has Willie Park Junior left to the modern golfer? Walter Stephen tours us round some of Park's best-loved courses to see how they have stood the tests of time and tee-off.