He spent much of his working life overseas but Neil Haworth’s heart was always in his home country of Canada. In recent years he was able to return and add his talents to properties here like Royal Ottawa Golf Club, but sadly, an untimely death has stolen him from his family, friends, and those who benefitted from his abiltiies.
Word came this week that Neil Haworth had lost his battle with cancer.
His business partner at Nelson and Haworth Golf Course Architects, Brett Mogg, shared the news online:
“It is with deep regret that I announce the passing of my very good friend & business partner, Neil Haworth who passed away earlier today in Ottawa after a tough battle with cancer.
Neil was a talented golf course architect who lived a rich and interesting life, full of love, laughter and travel. Neil lived in Asia for much of his professional life, designing some of the regions best known golf courses. I had the privilege of working closely with Neil for over 30 years, first as his colleague, then as his partner in business.
More importantly, I enjoyed a long personal friendship with Neil, a friendship that many in the golf design and construction business also enjoyed. Neil was just a good bloke (to put it in Aussie lingo) and was universally well liked by clients and construction workers alike – his essential goodness shone through in almost every situation, from the boardroom to the work site.
Neil was always very humble (despite his talent), honest and forthright – qualities that are not always common in this life. Like many others that Neil knew– I am going to miss him terribly and his absence will leave a void that is hard to fill.
Neil is survived by his wife Masha, and daughters Vivienne and Sophia and my thoughts go out to them at this time.”
Here at Flagstick.com we were able to get to know Neil better through a profile story we did on him and as a podcast guest, as well as many informative message exchanges. When there was a question about golf course architecture, particularly in Australasia, he was a go-to resource.
Largely underknown in Canada, Haworth grew up just outside Montreal and was a talented golfer long before he was a golf architect. He competed at both a provincial and national level in the amateur ranks before turning his eye to crafting golf layouts instead of just playing them.
His profession would take him abroad where he eventually would be part of the design team from approximately 100 golf courses, many would become host sites for top level professional events for both the LPGA, PGA TOUR, and other professional tours. Despite all this he only seemed to exhibit pride in his work and how it contribued to the golf world, rather than being something that made him more important than any other person.
In recent times Neil and retruend to Canada and became the architect of record at the storied Royal Ottawa Golf Club, leading an impressive modernization, including what many consider the best practice facility in the country.
If you’d like to read more about Neil (and you should), here is a Q&A he did with Flagstick in 2016.
We we would like to express our deepest condolences to Neil’s family, and many friends around the world. His legacy will live on, not only in the art he crafted from the ground, but the generosity, empathy. and interest he showed in others during his life.
