EIGCA pays tribute to Martin Hawtree on his retirement
| Caspar Grauballe, EIGCA, Giulia Ferroni, Guy Hockley, Ken Moodie, Marc Westenborg, Martin Hawtree, Robin Hiseman, Simon Gidman, Steven McFarlane
Estimated reading time 13 min
The European Institute of Golf Course Architects (EIGCA) marks the retirement of Fellow, Martin Hawtree FEIGCA, recognising a career that has spanned more than five decades and a family legacy in golf course architecture extending back over a century.
The Hawtree name has been associated with golf course architecture for over 100 years, when Frederick Hawtree Senior established the family practice in 1912. Working extensively with J.H. Taylor, he helped shape the development of golf courses throughout the United Kingdom during the early years of the profession.
Following the passing of Frederick Hawtree Senior in 1955, Frederick Hawtree Junior assumed responsibility for the practice, closing the construction side and concentrating on golf course design and continuing the Hawtree family’s growing reputation within the industry. Martin joined the business in 1973 and succeeded his father in 1984, becoming the third generation of the Hawtree family to lead one of golf’s most respected architectural firms.
The Hawtree practice has been associated with the building, renovation or remodelling of more than 500 golf courses across four continents. Through this work, the firm has played a significant role in shaping the golfing landscapes enjoyed by millions of golfers worldwide.
Beyond his design work, Martin has made a lasting contribution to the development and representation of the profession itself.
Martin’s father, Frederick Hawtree Junior, was one of the four founders of the British Association of Golf Course Architects, alongside CK Cotton, J Hamilton Stutt and Donald L Harradine. In July 1971 they established the first professional organisation dedicated to representing golf course architects. The Association evolved into the British Institute of Golf Course Architects in the early 1990s and was one of the founding organisations that merged to create EIGCA in July 2000. Martin continued that commitment to professional service through his active involvement in both the British Institute and EIGCA.
Martin has been actively involved with EIGCA and its predecessor organisations since 1985. During his Presidency of the British Institute of Golf Course Architects, the first Protocol Alliance was signed in 1994, laying the foundations for greater international collaboration between golf course architects and helping pave the way for the future creation of EIGCA as a truly European organisation.
His influence can also be seen through the many golf course architects who began or developed their careers within the Hawtree practice. Numerous EIGCA members have worked alongside Martin over the years, benefiting from his knowledge, mentorship and example.
Through the architects he has mentored and influenced, Martin’s impact on the profession will continue for many years to come.
In recognition of his exceptional contribution, Martin was presented with EIGCA’s Outstanding Contribution Award at the Institute’s 2024 Annual Meeting in Copenhagen. The award acknowledged not only his own achievements, but also the remarkable contribution that the Hawtree family has made to golf course architecture over more than a century.
On Martin’s retirement, EIGCA President Gary Johnston said: “Few people have contributed as much to our profession. Through the continuation of one of golf’s most respected architectural practices, his own work, his leadership within the industry, and his support of future generations of architects, Martin has helped shape golf course architecture across the world.”
As Martin retires from professional practice, EIGCA extends its sincere thanks for his friendship, guidance, leadership and service to the Institute and the profession.
We wish Martin and his family good health, happiness and every enjoyment in this next chapter.
Reflections from former colleagues
“I owe a great deal of my career to Martin Hawtree. When I first entered the profession, Martin saw potential in me and gave me an opportunity that would ultimately change the course of my life. My academic and professional background was not in golf, and many would have expected me to pursue a conventional career in building architecture. Instead, Martin believed in me, opened the doors of the golf industry and gave me the chance to discover a profession that I have come to love.
For almost five years, I had the privilege of working alongside him, learning not only the technical aspects of golf course architecture but also the values, discipline and attention to detail that define great design. Martin was far more than an employer. He was a mentor, a teacher and a constant source of encouragement. He had an extraordinary ability to share his knowledge while allowing young designers the freedom to develop their own thinking and creativity.
Looking back, I often reflect on how different my life might have been had Martin not taken that chance on me. He saved me from what would probably have been a far less exciting and fulfilling career path, and for that I will always be grateful. His influence on my career has been profound, and his contribution to our profession is truly immeasurable.”
“I may have been the first assistant to have been employed by Martin when he took over the company from his father in 1984. There followed many others and it is a tribute to him that he has brought so many budding architects into the profession.
His talent for golf design, his advancement of education and general professionalism are widely recognised attributes within the industry. He realised very early on that there was no natural progression into golf course architecture and so with his father undertook the first student programme at the offices of the STRI in the mid 80’s. He was then heavily involved with subsequent educational programmes both with British Institute, Merrist Wood College and at Herriot Watt University.
As president of the BAGCA, he transformed the Association from a casual collective to a professional Institute with Articles of Association, Conditions of Engagement, Codes of Conduct etc., which then acted as a template for the merger between the British and European Architects.
All these activities should not detract from Martin’s natural flair for design as his work on many of the best golf courses in the world illustrate. Courses such as Royal Birkdale, Royal Aberdeen, Lahinch and of course at Donald Trump’s course in Aberdeen. Testify to his standing in the industry.”
— Simon Gidman MEIGCA, Past President of EIGCA
“My first acquaintance with Martin Hawtree was in 1997 when I interned at the office in Woodstock between my academic degrees and I joined the office full-time a few years later. Being in the office in the early days was almost like being in the family, Fred Hawtree and his wife Mary, Martin’s parents, lived in the apartment above the office and the place was embedded with golf course architecture and his family’s involvement.
While Martin has always said that he was not good at teaching golf course architecture I believe that the number of highly competent architects coming out of the Hawtree office is testament to the contrary. At least I know that I gained invaluable knowledge and experience working with Martin over the years for which I shall always be grateful.”
I wish Martin all the best for his retirement.
— Caspar Grauballe MEIGCA, Past President of EIGCA
Finding a way into golf architecture is difficult for those without connections. Martin gave me a way in and I shall always be grateful to him for the employment he offered me in the autumn of 1991. That first working day at the rustic Hawtree design office in Woodstock is seared into my memory. I was so excited.
Hawtree had an architectural dream team, who have gone onto forge long and successful careers. Steve McFarlane, Ken Moodie, Guy Hockley and Mike Cox were my new colleagues. My first year was spent in the 90’s equivalent of the CAD draftsman role, drawing up Steve’s green sketches. Inking up countless contour plans was a valuable grounding, forging a skill used to this day.
Martin’s quiet, authoritative leadership was respected by us all and I feel privileged to have designed for him at the vanguard of British golf architecture. The skills I learnt under his tutelage have served me well throughout my career and my respect for him shall never wane.
I wish Martin a long, happy and healthy retirement. Golf architecture is better now because of Martin’s talent and dedication. We, as a profession, owe him a considerable debt of gratitude.
Martin was supremely generous in sharing his vast knowledge and experience of golf course architecture with so many young architects at Hawtree – ten of whom became EIGCA members!
He was justifiably confident enough in his own gifts of design and ability to disseminate design skills that he encouraged his assistants to take lead design roles early in their careers. His advice and approval would be readily given and warmly received. Professionalism and integrity were bywords for all in the practice.
His erudition and application of a wide ranging education was inspirational. Technical excellence in spatial planning, practicality of course maintenance and logistics of facility management were instilled in his disciples, as were the fundamentals of agronomy and soil sciences. Everyone in the Hawtree practice was given freedom to develop their own preferred artistry within the company ethos of design principles. Discussions of adopting painterly methods of manipulating perspective in design were fascinating and memorable. So were his father Fred’s pithy perceptions – his reply to an ecologist’s request for advice on placing bird nesting boxes on golf courses was the enigmatic “always ensure the entry aperture of a box is less than 1.62 inches diameter.” For over a century, the Hawtree family has been a historic and deep well of golfing knowledge and intelligence – from which many of us were privileged to drink copiously.
Martin is widely liked, hugely admired and enormously respected throughout the world of golf course design. He is modesty personified and I think everyone who worked for him is quietly proud and very grateful that the Hawtree touch has benefitted their lives and careers, long after beginning to pursue their own paths. I, for one, still often find myself having an imaginary conversation with Martin as to how he would consider and solve a design issue.
Martin has always been unfailingly polite and gentlemanly, even when provoked! Incidentally, I would love to hear if there has ever been a more “chalk and cheese” architect/client pairing than Martin G Hawtree, President of BIGCA (the forerunner of EIGCA) and Donald J Trump, President of USA?
I hope Martin has a long, happy and interest-filled retirement. He will always be safe in the knowledge that somewhere in the world at any hour of the day or night there will be golfers enjoying playing on a course created by at least one of three great golf course architects named Hawtree.
Thank you Martin.
I will be forever grateful for Martin Hawtree’s generous leap of faith when in 1987 he offered me an apprenticeship in golf course architecture. I was a graduate in Engineering from Glasgow University with a passion for golf but not roads. Martin gave me the opportunity to be gainfully employed in the design of golf courses.
Back then, Martin had fairly recently taken over the reins from his illustrious father and was growing the Hawtree school of design with the engagement of a number of enthusiastic young recruits who would later become prominent designers and EIGCA Presidents.
When I arrived at Martin’s Woodstock office, his father, Fred Hawtree Jr. who had officially retired, took me to the side and whispered in my ear “I’m still the boss”. A few years later when Martin had made a speech at Wentworth GC, Fred asked me how the speech went and I told him it was remarkable from all others. Fred replied…of course it was.
Martin is the consummate professional, a true gentleman with a quiet demeanour and a steadfast appreciation of the historical significance of the art and science of golf course architecture. He is a natural educator and mentor, in another life a professor of history or philosophy. His lifelong dedication to the game of golf and his commitment to the EIGCA and in particular the education programme has benefitted many aspiring golf course architects.
It has been my privilege to work with and to be a friend of Martin Hawtree.
“Martin Hawtree was my boss and mentor for around 10 years (from 1989) which was a great privilege for an aspiring golf course architect who had just completed his Landscape Architecture degree. In addition to learning from his great golf course design skills, I was able to absorb some of his very deep technical knowledge on areas such as soil science and agronomy. At that time, Martin had created a very fertile work environment at Hawtrees, since he had employed a few other young architects to help with the strong growth of golf development around Europe during the late 1980’s and early 90’s.
I was fortunate to work with Martin Hawtree on some fascinating golf projects around Europe, including the development of Simon’s Golf Club, in Denmark, the new Millennium Golf Course in Vilamoura, Portugal, and the remodelling of Royal Birkdale in the lead-up to the 1998 Open Championship. During his time as President of the EIGCA, we worked very closely together on the creation of a Diploma in Golf Course Architecture; one of his great achievements which has benefited many aspiring golf architects around the world.
I will always be very grateful to Martin for the wonderful opportunities he gave me.”
— Ken Moodie MEIGCA, Past President of EIGCA
“Martin took a chance on me when he hired me at Hawtree in 1999. In fact, he did not interview me himself; instead, he placed his trust entirely in the judgement of John Bridges and Steve Macfarlane, who conducted the interview.
In many ways, this reflected how Martin developed me as a golf course architect throughout my career. He trusted me, regularly throwing me in at the deep end, while always keeping a close eye on my work, guiding and teaching me in his own quiet, patient, yet firm manner.
Working for Martin has had a profound influence on where I am today. He taught me the intricacies of golf course design and instilled in me a deep appreciation for its history. He also worked patiently to improve my written English, which, having grown up in South Africa, was admittedly rather poor. For a man who wrote in the Queen’s English with such clarity, eloquence and impeccable grammar, I know my shortcomings in that regard must have been a constant source of frustration.
I am immensely grateful to Martin for everything he has done for me over the years, and I wish him every happiness in his retirement. Although, somehow, I doubt he will ever truly retire.”