John W. Dawson (December 20, 1902 – January 6, 1986) was an American amateur golfer and golf course architect.Dawson was born in Chicago, Illinois. Although he was a lifelong amateur golfer, his amateur status was rescinded by the United States Golf Association (USGA) for a time due to his employment with the Spalding sporting goods company. His amateur status was eventually restored and he competed in several USGA events. He was runner-up (at the age of 44) to Skee Riegel in 1947 U.S. Amateur. He played on the winning 1949 U.S. Walker Cup team. He was also runner-up in 1958 U.S. Senior AmateurAs a developer, he designed and built the Seven Lakes, Thunderbird, El Dorado, and La Quinta Country Clubs; he lived in Palm Springs.Dawson won the Southern California Golf Association (SCGA) amateur championship four times between 1942 and 1952, and was inducted into the SCGA Hall of Fame in 2007.