| |
North Berwick's Golfing Pioneers
![[*]](images/clear.gif)
JAMES MILLIGAN (1883-1917)
Wyoming Valley, Pennsylvania, USA
James Milligan born 1883,
in Gullane and learned his club making skills at North Berwick where he was a licensed professional on the West Links. He moved to Markinch
in Fife before emigrating to the USA in 1911. Milligan sailed from Glasgow on the steamer S.S. California arriving in New York on 10th April.
His contact in America was Edmund E. Jones secretary of the Wyoming Valley Country Club (PA) where James Milligan was appointed pro
after being recommended for the position by Ben Sayers. Within a month he had set a new course record 72, and was living at 4, South
Main Street, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
In July, Milligan took the train north to New Jersey to play in the Metropolitan Open, after sending his entry form by 'Marconi'. The
championship was played at Englewood Golf Club, and the field included five other North Berwick golfers, Jack Hobens, Tom Anderson Jnr, Fred
McLeod and James R. Thomson. It was over twelve years since this group played together on the West Links. In 1912, Milligan finished third
in the inaugural Shawnee Country Club Open Championship, and the following year he played in the US Open at Brookline C.C.
He returned to Scotland in 1913, 1914 and 1915 to visit his mother living in the Main Street, Aberlady. In 1915, he returned to the USA on
the Lusitania, taking five days to complete the crossing. This article on James Milligan was published in the top selling magazine 'The
American Golfer' - January 1918.
"...Milligan came to America from North Berwick not ten years ago. He was professional at the Wyoming Valley Country Club, at Wilkes-Barre.
He was a powerful hitter but so quiet and unassuming that his name was little heard outside his club. He was a typical Scot, red-headed and
with the real burr on his tongue. For a few years he worked quietly at his bench in the club-shop or patiently instructing. Only on rare
occasions did he enter the tournaments.
Then came the war and soon after the news of one of his three brothers, every one of whom had joined the colors. Then another gave his life
and after a while the third. Milligan thought of the mother, alone in Scotland, sorrowing bravely in the doing of her bit. He closed the
door of the club-shop and went home, declaring that he must keep out of the trenches for the sake of the mother, who had only himself left.
But word came that he had enlisted in the Highland Light Infantry and shortly afterwards the news of his death at the front. Poor lad, the
last of the family! It was a brave game you played, far bigger than any! And now the men, with whom you played another game, are to know
gloriously you ended your last round......"
James Milligan was killed on 11th April 1917, at Arras, Pas de Calais, France. His name is engraved on the Gullane War Memorial, beside the
Auld Kirk graveyard.
FRED MCLEOD Factfile
ROBERT G. MACDONALD Evanston Country Club,
Illinois, USA
Robert George McDonald, born 1885 in the village of Evelix, a mile
west of Dornoch, son of William McDonald, gamekeeper and his wife Janet Fraser. Bob McDonald had four sisters and three brothers and on leaving
school he was employed as a gardener. It was at this time the family name was spelt 'MacDonald'
In 1900, Bob enlisted in the army and fought in the Boer War before returning to Dornoch. In 1907 he moved to North Berwick and worked with
his brother-in-law Donald Mackay also a club maker and James Watt. Bob MacDonald, 5' 11' tall was granted his professional license at North
Berwick in 1908, and gave his address as 1 Station Hill. ![[R.G.Macdonald]](images/macdonald.jpg) Donald Mackay emigrated to America in 1909 and MacDonald followed a year later.
Bob married Jean 'Marie' Gerald from Verdon in France and they sailed to America from Glasgow on S.S. Furnessia and arrived in New York on 1st.
November 1910. Bob's contact in America was Fred Low a club maker from Carnoustie who arrived in 1906. MacDonald was appointed professional at
Hyde Park Country Club, Cincinnati, Ohio. In 1912 he was joined by Charles Marr, a club maker from North Berwick as his assistant. In 1915 they
moved to Buffalo Country Club, New York State and then to Indian Hill Golf Club, Winnetka, Chicago, Illinois. During this period Charlie Marr
continued his club making and looking after the pro shop while MacDonald entered the tournaments. In 1919 they moved to the new course at
Evanston and then to Bob O'Link Golf Club, Highland Park, Chicago before Charlie Marr set out on this own in 1921.
For many years MacDonald wintered at the Ormond Beach Golf Club in Florida and played in the West Coast Open at Belleair in 1912 along with
Tom Anderson and Fred McLeod from North Berwick. MacDonald was known to bring his bagpipes to the early tournaments and was one of the longest
hitters, using light clubs and a 131/2 ounce driver. He played in ten US Opens and was never out of the top thirty, his best finish was third
in 1915 at Baltusrol, NJ. He won the Metropolitan Championship in 1921 and 1923 and was runner-up in 1915.
In December 1918, Big Bob MacDonald and Jock Hutchison opened Chicago's first indoor golf course in the Spalding building. By 1926 they had
opened a golf school on the sixth floor of the Leiter Building which occupied 20,000 square feet. The school had twelve practice nets, an
18-hole course with some of the holes forty feet in length. Nearly all the holes were bunkered and the course had a regular score card and
the par was 39. The facility attracted over 200 golfers everyday throughout the winter months. By 1927 every city in the US had a indoor
golf centre patterned on MacDonald's school in Chicago.
In 1919, the New York Times listed MacDonald the fourth best tour pro in the USA. In 1921 he became an American citizen and in 1922 he won
the inaugural Texas Open at Brackenridge Park in San Antonio. MacDonald continued to play in tournaments into his mid-fifties and was a popular
figure in the Chicago area.
Bob's brothers Jack and Bill MacDonald followed him to America where Jack was pro at Jacksonville and Bill was pro at Illini Country Club,
Springfield both in Illinois. Their other brother James MacDonald remained in Scotland was clubmaster at Royal Dornoch Golf Club for 20 years.
Bob MacDonald wrote an instruction book called 'Golf' in 1927 which continues to be highly collectable. He was married three times, had two
sons and died 29th March 1960 in Miramar, Florida.
DONALD MACKAY Springfield Country Club,
Ohio, USA
Donald Mackay born 10th September 1880 in Strathnaver, Sutherland was
employed as a gamekeeper and part time golf club maker. He enlisted in the Lovat Scouts raised by Lord Lovat in 1899 for service in South
Africa. The recruits were stalkers, ghilles and shepherds used to scout out vital information on the Boers. On his return to Scotland Dan
was a lodger with the MacDonald family at Evelix two miles west of Dornoch and in 1904 he married their daughter Jessie MacDonald. In 1904,
Dan MacKay moved with Jessie and their one year old son Robert to North Berwick and started a club making business with James Watt in their
rented workshop at 1 Station Hill. Watt apprenticed with Willie Park & Son at 15 Beach Road, North Berwick. In 1907, they were joined by
Dan's brother-in-law from Dornoch, Robert G. MacDonald who would later emigrated to America and have an outstanding career. On 12th November
1908 Jessie had a stillborn child who was buried in the North Berwick cemetery in 6, Tantallon Road.
Dan Mackay was a scratch member of Rhodes Golf Club in North Berwick before he emigrated with his family to the USA on 5th October 1909.
On there arrival they resided with Arthur Kendall from North Berwick, pro at Fort Smith Country Club, Arkansas. The club making business in
North Berwick continued under the name Donald Mackay until 1917 when James Watt took over. Dan Mackay settled in Oklahoma in the Black Dog
Township in Osage County where his son Donald was born in 1910.
In 1916, MacKay was appointed golf pro at Springfield Country Club, Ohio where he remained for over fourteen years. In 1930 he looked after
the two courses at Dayton Community Club also in Ohio. His son Robert MacKay (1905-1989) was also a golf professional in the USA.
PHILIP MACKENZIE ROSS (1890-1974) Golf
Course Architect
Philip Mackenzie Ross, born 1890 in Edinburgh son of Alexander
M. Ross who was an outstanding golfer of his generation. Philip Mackenzie Ross became interested in the game while attending Loretto
school he joined Royal Musselburgh. In 1923, playing off scratch he won the Challenge Trophy at Cruden Bay. In 1920 he was hired by Tom
Simpson, considered to be one of the greatest golf architects between the two wars. By the mid-Twenties, Ross was a full partner in the firm
of Simpson & Ross. They worked throughout Europe developing courses in France, Spain, Portugal and Belgium including Malaga (1925),
Chantilly, and Morfontaine (1927).
In the late 1930s Philip Mackenzie Ross began working on his own and developed a fine reputation as a designer in Great Britain and the
Continent. He designed the original nine-hole-course at Furnas on the Atlantic island of Sao Miguel in the Azores archipelago, an autonomous
region of Portugal. He also designed a short 9 hole course at Vidago in Northern Portugal. In 1945 he laid out the Estoril course in Lisbon,
and carried out work on Royal Antwerp, Royal Guernsey and the Hardelot course near Boulogne. During WW2 many courses in the UK were
commandeered by the military and ploughed over for food production. Following the conflict Mackenzie Ross carried out remodelling and
restoration work to reinstate many courses including Castletown, Isle Of Man (1945); Longniddry (1947); Pyle and Kenfig (Wales); North
Berwick (East) (1948); and the Ailsa Course at Turnberry (1949-51).
Frank Hole the managing director of British Transport Hotels who bought the Turnberry Hotel and golf course on behalf of British Rail was
responsible for employing McKenzie Ross and persuading the company to invest in the project. The scale of the task he had undertaken at
Turnberry is hard to imagine. The coastline was relatively untouched but the central ground with the runway foundations four feet deep and
topped with an eight-inch layer of concrete which had to be removed. The excavated rubble was used to fill up the craters and as a base for
the hills and mounds. Thirty thousand cubic yards of topsoil were taken from surrounding fields and mixed with imported peat to make the
beds for the new fairways and greens. Scottish golf had not seen building works of this magnitude for a long time but in just two years the
job was done. In 2006, Turnberry's Ailsa course was voted No.1 in a list of the 'Greatest Golf Courses in Britain and Ireland' published by
Golf World magazine. There is an exhibition of the work carried out by Mackenzie Ross in the Turnberry clubhouse.
In 1949, Mackenzie Ross completed Southerness on the Solway Firth, his fee was £2,000 and the course is probably his most respected work.
His attention to detail was exemplified by his habit of making plasticine models of greens to show machine operators the shape and size and
contours he was looking for on each putting surface. He semi-retired to North Berwick in 1955 and resided at Kaimend, overlooking the famous
'Redan' hole on the West Links. In 1962 he designed La Coruna, in Spain and in 1968 completed the Maspalomas course in Gran Canaria. In
1972, Philip Mackenzie Ross was elected the first president of the British Association of Golf Course Architects. He died in North Berwick
in 1974.
Philip Mackenzie Ross's father Alex M. Ross, better known as 'Sandy' Ross was a member of Edinburgh Burgess and learned to play the game
over Bruntsfield Links. In 1897 he was captain of Luffness (New) and when a group of members broke away to form Kilspindie in 1898, Ross
was invited along with Ben Sayers to lay out their new course at Craigielaw. Ross won many amateur competitions including the Hope Challenge
Medal (1893, 1900) and the first Braid Hills Tournament (1889). At the Braids, over a 100 spectators followed Ross during the latter part of
his round, also watching was Old Tom Morris and Andrew Kirkaldy. His best finish in the Open Championship was 13th place at Musselburgh in
1889. He resided at Rockville, 16 Westgate, North Berwick in 1899 and was captain of Tantallon Golf Club (1900-02). His portrait and golf
medals are now on display in the clubhouse of the Burgess Golfing Society at Barnton. In 1904, Ross built the impressive Hill House situated
on top of Gullane Hill with his initials carved in the stonework above the entrance door and panoramic views over Luffness, Kilspindie and
Gullane links. He died at Hill House in 1915 aged 65 years.
In 2008, the Ailsa course was strengthened before the return of Open Championship in 2009. An extra 227 yards have been added, with 21 new
bunkers deployed, there are now 85, and radical alterations to toughen up the closing stretch from 16 to 18. Only the four par-3s remain from
the McKenzie Ross design.
ALEXANDER and JOHN MCLAREN Royal Melbourne
Golf Club, Victoria, AUS.
Alexander Marshall McLaren and his twin brother John
Marshall McLaren, born 12th February 1882 at 18a Vincent Street, Edinburgh, sons of Alexander McLaren, a slater from St Andrews and his
wife Margaret Marshall. The family moved to North Berwick when the twins were two years old and they lived in Harmony Place where their sister
Janet was born. Alexander apprenticed as a club maker, and John was a joiner to trade.
McLaren was a founder member of the PGA and in 1901 he was appointed pro at the nine-hole course at Hampstead Golf Club. In June 1903, Alex
McLaren played in the Open Championship at Prestwick and later that year he emigrated to Australia and was appointed clubmaker and professional
to the Royal Melbourne Golf Club. At this time the Howden brothers, originally from Highfield Farm, North Berwick were members of Royal Melbourne
Golf Club and both were Australian Amateur Champions. Travelling by road between the major cities was arduous and the journey from Melbourne to
Sydney was by steam-boat. In 1904, Alex McLaren entered the inaugural Australian Open Championship at Royal Sydney Golf Club and he sailed from
Melbourne on the S.S Mararoa with a number of competitors. Alex was defeated in the final by Carnegie Clark from Carnoustie, pro at the host
club Royal Sydney. In 1905 Alex assisted in the extension of the original Sandringham course at Royal Melbourne into the rugged heathland,
opening up the sand belt for the first time.
![[Alex McLaren]](images/mclaren.jpg)
John M. McLaren, a joiner to trade, joined the professional ranks in 1904 and that year he tied with James Braid after the final round of
the West Middlesex Tournament with Harry Vardon and J.H. Taylor behind him. In the play-off, John was so pumped up he drove the ball so hard
he could not find it and Braid lifted the Tooting Bec Trophy. In 1907, John joined his twin brother in Australia and when Alex moved to Hawaii,
John took over as pro at Royal Melbourne. John 'Jock' McLaren remained in Australia until 1909 when he returned to North Berwick.
Alex moved to Honolulu in the Territory of Hawaii and was the first pro at the nine-hole course at Oahu Country Club, opened in April 1907.
When he left in 1909, Sandy Bell a former clubmaker at North Berwick took over at Oahu Country Club. Alex moved to California and was
appointed pro at Annandale Golf Club, situated one mile from Pasadena, and eight miles from downtown Los Angeles. (Left: Alex McLaren -
LA Times 1910)
Alex's twin brother Jock McLaren followed him to America, sailing from Glasgow on S S Columbia, he arrived in New York on 11th October 1910.
Jock travelled to California and joined Alex as pro at Annandale. In November 1910, the Los Angeles Times reported that the golfers in
Southern California where still talking about Alex McLaren's wonderful round of golf when he set a new course record 68 on the par 74
Annandale course. Alex held the previous record of 70 made a few months earlier. That year Alex's former pupil at Honolulu, Austin White was
a finalist in both the Amateur Championship of the Pacific Coast Golf Association and the prodigious Del Monte Tournament.
The original 18-hole course at Annandale had sand greens and was one of the longest at 6,750 yards with two adjacent Polo fields. The club
was founded by Henry Huntington, the rail-road magnate and George Patton father of the famous American General. The mild climate attracted
many wealthy families to the area including the Gambles, Kellogg's and Weyerhaeuser's who were taught the game at Annandale by the twin
professionals.
During WW1 Alex moved to Canada and was pro in Toronto (1916-1919). He then moved south to a sporting goods outlet in Albuquerque, New Mexico
(1919-1923), and then to Warren District Country Club, Bisbee, Arizona (1924-27). This was a copper mining town and the golf course was
purpose built by the Phelps Dodge Mining Company for their higher ranking employees. In 1928 Alex moved to Coos Country Club, Marshfield,
Oregon and later that year to Enid Country Club, Oklahoma.
Jock McLaren was pro at Castle Hot Springs, the first spa resort in Arizona where many of the wealthy American families had a private
residence including the Rockefellers, Vanderbilt's, Wrigley's and Kennedy's. Jock McLaren was the first golf instructor on the nine-hole
course at the Castle Hot Springs Hotel laid out in 1916. The following year he moved to Colorado where he was the resident pro at Stanley
Hotel in Estes Park, and in 1917 he was appointed to Englewood CC, Bergen NJ. In 1921 Jock McLaren was based at Grand Beach Country Club in
Michigan and in 1930 he was resident pro at a hotel at 94 Broadway in Denver. No more information is available on the career of the McLaren
twins, their parents, Alex and Margaret lived at 46 High Street, North Berwick.
More pro golfers have resided in the stair at 98 High Street than any
other. Ben Sayers (1895); Billy and John Keppie (1924); Willie Anderson (1893); Arthur Fennell (1956) Fred McLeod (1893); and Willie Stuart
(1928).
JOHN C. MORTON (1881-1971) Freeport
Country Club, Illinois, USA
John Crawford Morton, born 1881 in North Berwick,
son of George Morton, Railway Carrier and his wife Jessie Crawford. John 'Jack' Morton was a plumber to trade, and lived with his parents,
two sisters and a brother at 47, Westgate, North Berwick. In 1906, Jack was granted a license as a professional on the West Links. He
emigrated to America in 1908, sailing from Glasgow on S.S. Caledonia he arrived in New York on 30th March. Morton followed Bob Bolton from
North Berwick as golf pro at Rockford Country Club, Illinois.
In 1910, Jack Morton moved to the nine-hole course at the Country Club of Peoria, IL and in 1915 he assisted in extending the course to 18
holes. In 1910, Jack was defeated by Jim Barnes in the final of a matchplay event organised the day before the Western Open at Beverly C. C
in Chicago. The field included Jack Hutchison, Robert Simpson, and Charles Evans.
Jack Morton qualified for the Western Open in 1912 and 1913 when the event was played at Memphis C.C where he met up with George Livingstone
(above). In the winter of 1910 and 1912 he visited North Berwick and in March 1912 he returned to America on the S.S. California, three
weeks before the Titanic disaster.
In 1916, Jack moved to Racine Country Club on the shores of Lake Michigan, south of Milwaukee in Wisconsin and that year he qualified for
the US Open at Minikahda Club, Minnesota. The field included North Berwick boys, Fred McLeod, Jim Ferguson, Jimmy Wilson and George
Turnbull. In 1918, Jack was persuaded by Byron Trueblood to move to Freeport Country Club in northwest Illinois where he remained for over
eleven years. In 1920, he qualified for the Western Open at Olympia Fields and entered the Illinois State Championship in 1923.
Jack moved to Maryland in 1928 with his wife Ann, two daughters and three sons, and was appointed pro at Edgewood Arsenal Golf Club.
Edgewood was the national research centre for chemical and biological weapons. In 1930 he returned to Freeport Country Club where he retired
and died in May 1971.
ROBERT MURRAY (1885-1944) Dresden Golf
Club, GER
Robert Murray born in 1885 in Forth Street, North Berwick, son of
Robert Murray, a tailor and his wife Elizabeth Bertram. At the age of 14 years 'Wee Bob' was a golf caddie and lived with his parents at 13,
Melbourne Place. In 1906, he was a licensed professional on the West Links, North Berwick and played in the Open Championship at Muirfield.
Bob Murray moved to Germany in 1907 and was appointed pro at Dresden Golf Club (1907-1914) where he married a local girl.
![[RMurray]](images/murray_sml.jpg)
In 1910, he laid out the first nine-holes at the newly established Munich Golf Club together with Sir Ralph Paget, a diplomat in the British
Foreign Service. At this time there was only one 18 hole course in Germany at Baden Baden. During WW1 Bob Murray was interned at Ruhleben
Prison, a British civilian detention camp in the Spandau district of Berlin (1915-1918).
Conditions at Ruhleben Camp in the early days were described as intolerable, but things improved with food parcels from home. His internment
was noted in the Scotsman newspaper on 22nd June 1915. The camp contained over 4,500 prisoners and among the inmates where a number of
English professional footballers. In May 1915 an England XI featuring Pentland, Wolstenholme, Brearley and Bloomer played a World XI
captained by Jock Cameron, a Scottish Internationalist. The match was watched by over 1,000 prisoners.
The POW's laid out a 12 hole golf course in the Ruhleben Camp and organised a professional golf tournament in 1915. The professionals
included R. Murray (Dresden); J. B. Holt (Hamburg); W. Jackson (Cologne); E. Warburton (Kiel); F. Richardson (Bremen); C. Culling
(Darmstadt); J. Brown (Assist. Berlin) and A. Andrews (Hannover). The competition was 36 holes medal play with four prizes donated by the
members of the Ruhleben Golf Club. During the final round Murray had a ten foot putt on the last green to win the tournament but missed and
finished tied for the led with J. B. Holt. The Camp magazine described the play-off over 12 holes as a 'ding-dong battle' which the little
Scotsman won by three strokes.
On his release Murray moved to Holland on 22nd March 1918 and then to Scotland where in April 1919 he was given his professional license at
North Berwick. His wife could not settle in the UK and the follow year they moved to Denmark where he was appointed pro at Copenhagen Golf
Club (1920-1928). In 1925 he won the Scandinavian Open playing faultless golf he lowered the course record and finished sixteen stokes ahead
of the runner-up. A Danish newspaper article described him as a quiet, honest and stable man although he did not play as well as
'Turnbull' his predecessor, (Robert Turnbull from Musselburgh), Murray was a better teacher and took more care of his pupils (without
making bets with them). An iron club stamped with the name Robert Murray is on display in the Danish Golf Museum.
In December 1928 Murray and his wife returned to Germany and he was appointed to Lubeck-Travemunder Golf Club on the shores of the Baltic
Sea (1928 - 1939). In 1930 Bob Murray won the German Professional Golfers Championship, he was runner-up in this event in 1911, 3rd in
1928 and 4th in both 1931 and 1932. In September 1939 he returned to Denmark where he worked for a short period at Aalborg Golf Club. In 1940,
he was arrested by German troops in Denmark and put into a POW camp until his release in 1941. The appalling conditions which prevailed in
war-time Germany, coupled with the fact he refused to become a German citizen, and therefore did not qualify for food rations, Robert Murray
died of starvation in November 1944 in Dresden.
WILLIAM NICHOLS (1882-1972) Muskogee
Country Club, Oklahoma, USA
William 'Bill' Nichols Jnr, born 26th April 1882
at 1 Rothesay Mews, Edinburgh, son of William Nichols, coachman and his wife Christina Nichols. Willie moved with his parents and two sisters
to North Berwick where his father was coachman at Redholm. Willie was a member of Bass Rock Golf Club and worked as a law clerk in Edinburgh.
In 1902 he was a founder member of Corstorphine G.C and won their scratch medal in 1902, 1903 and 1905.
Bill Nichols was just under 5 feet 11 inches tall, with fair hair, and blue eyes. At the age of 26 years he sailed to America from Glasgow
on the SS Caledonia and arrived in New York on May 24th 1908. He was appointed golf instructor at Muskogee C.C, Oklahoma after being
recommended for the position by Leslie Brownlee from North Berwick. Brownlee was pro at Lakeview Country Club, Belle Isle Lake, Oklahoma
City in 1907 and the following year he laid out the nine-hole-course at Muskogee C.C with sand greens. Bill Nichols took over as the club's
first pro in the spring of 1908. Six months earlier Oklahoma had joined with Indian Territories to form the 46th State of America.
By 1911, more ground was acquired and the Muskogee golf course was extended to 18 holes. Nichols coached club member Harry G. Gwinnup who
won the State Amateur Championship three times. In 1912 and 1914 Nichols entered the Western Open and in 1914 qualified for the US Open at
Midlothian C.C. In 1915, he moved to Lakewood Country Club in Dallas, and then in 1916 to Dallas Country Club. He retired from pro golf in
1917, was re-instated as an amateur and won the Oklahoma State Championship several times. He went into real estate and insurance business
until his retirement in 1963. Nichols was president of Muskogee Country Club and secretary there for many years.
He was a great supporter of the Muskogee Roughers, the high school football team and the 'Bill Nichols' award for Rougher team leader has
been given annually since 1947. The team got their name 'Roughers' because many of the players performed without helmets, due to lack of
funding, and for their rough play. Nichols was president of the Muskogee Quarterback Club for several years and in 1930 was appointed
President of the Oklahoma State Golf Association.
Bill's wife Margaret was from Texas and they lived with their two sons and a daughter at 411 North 12th Street, Muskogee City. Bill Nichols
died in February 1972 at Broadway Manor, Muskogee, aged 89 years. As a teenager in North Berwick his golfing highlight was being selected to
represent the Bass Rock Golf Club in the four-man team to play in the Wemyss County Cup, now the oldest foursome tournament in the world.
His regular partner in the Bass Rock competitions was Fred McLeod, US Open champion in 1908. Nichols was a founder member of Corstorphine
Golf Club in Edinburgh which became Ratho Park Golf Club. An interclub match between Bass Rock and Ratho continues to be played annually for
the Fred McLeod Trophy. A friendship between golf clubs started by Bill Nichols in 1902 and has now lasted over a century.
GEORGE PEACOCK Knole Park Golf Club,
Kent, UK
George Peacock born in Kelso moved to North Berwick and was one of ten
licensed professionals working on the West Links. In 1924 he was the first pro at the newly opened Knole Park Golf Club, Sevenoaks. The following
year George set a new course record 68 and a week later his brother Andrew Peacock went round in 67. Sam King, the local boy who was George
Peacock's assistant at Knole Park, played in the Ryder Cup team in 1937 and 1947. King was appointed head pro when George Peacock retired in 1955.
PETER PURVES (1884-1930) Essex Fells Golf Club,
NJ
Peter Alison Purves born 17th November 1884 at 3, Divine Cottages,
opposite Harmony Place in Forth Street, North Berwick, son of Robert Purves, a joiner and his wife Marion Divine. In 1898, Peter was an
apprentice draper living with his mother and father, then described as a clubmaker, two sisters and two brothers at 10 High Street. In 1902,
Peter was a licensed caddie on the West Links and in 1906 he became a member of the Rhodes Golf Club playing off a handicap of three.
In 1912 he was appointed pro at Strathpeffer Golf Club in Ross and Cromarty and in March 1915 during WW1 he enlisted in the 3rd Seaforth
Highlanders. In 1917 he was transferred to the 51st Division of the Gordon Highlanders and was wounded three times, gassed and shell
shocked in the trenches. Peter reached the rank of sergeant while part of the Army of Occupation in Germany and was not discharged
until January 1920 at the Barry Camp, Carnoustie.
Peter emigrated to America, sailing from Glasgow with the Anchor Line on S.S. Columbia he arrived in New York on 9th April 1920. His contact
in the USA was Harry Hall a clubmaker from Carnoustie who was living in New York. Peter was appointed to West Orange Country Club and
then to Essex Fells Country Club, both in New Jersey. In May 1922, Peter played in the New Jersey State Open and again the following
year at Englewood. In July 1923 he entered the Metropolitan Open won by Bob Macdonald who left North Berwick in 1910.
Peter Purves married Elizabeth 'Bessie' Denholm from Whittingham who was living at 46 High Street, North Berwick. She joined him in
America in 1921 and they lived at 60 Pillott Place, West Orange, New Jersey where their son George and daughter Helen were born. In
1924 they moved to Kirkside Estate in Roxbury, New York as private instructor to Helen Gould Shephard, daughter of the railroad
magnate Jay Gould. The land is now owned by Shephard Golf Club. In 1926 he was pro at Pakatakan Country Club, Arkville, NY and three
years later was appointed to the nine-hole course at Windham Country Club, two-and-a-half hours drive from New York. At this time his
older brother James Divine Purves was professional at Garden City on Long Island. Probably at Salisbury Country Club, which in the 1920s
came to be known as the 'Sports Center of America' and featured five courses all within the confines of today's Eisenhower Park.
Peter Purves died at Windham on 26th May 1930, aged 46 years following an operation at Kingston City Hospital. Peter as a war veteran was
given a military funeral. His wife returned to live in Roxbury and in June 1931 she placed and advert in the Catskill Mountain News -
'Housekeeper with two children wishes situation. Good house preferred to big wages.' By 1936 Bessie and her children were living in the
picturesque village of Walton in Delaware County, New York.
CHARLES RAMAGE Brighton and Hove Golf Club,
East Sussex
Charles Ramage born 1856 in North Berwick, son of William Ramage,
quarryman and his wife Ann Greig. Charles Ramage was a plasterer to trade and lived with his mother, sister Ellen, brother Henry and
step-brother Andrew Denholm at 42 Westgate, North Berwick. Ellen married the lodger Charles Gibson a clubmaker with Tom Dunn and in 1887
they moved to North Devon Golf Club.
Charles Ramage and his brother Henry were licensed caddie's on the West Links before Charles was appointed the first pro at the nine-hole
course at Brighton and Hove Golf Club in 1888. At the inaugural meeting an exhibition match was played between Tom Dunn and Charles Gibson.
Ramage was a fine 'bulgar' maker (a driving club with a convex face) and he stayed with the club until 1902, when his step-brother Andrew
Denholm took over as pro. Denholm was an original member of the PGA and played regularly in the Open Championship. He remained at Brighton
and Hove until 1924.
HARRY REDDIE Misquamicut Golf Club, Rhode
Island, USA
Henry Govan Reddie born 7th June 1878 in North Berwick, son of
David Reddie, a porter and his wife Georgina Thomson. They lived in the staff quarters in the Wall Tower at The Lodge in Quality Street
which was the residence of Sir Walter Hamilton-Dalrymple, 8th Baronet of North Berwick. Harry and his brother George Reddie were caddies on
the West Links in 1891. Harry was also a school friend of Willie Anderson and a member of Bass Rock Golf Club. He was selected to play in the
first inter-club match between Bass Rock and Dirleton Castle over the links at Gullane.
Harry emigrated to America, sailing from Glasgow on SS Ethiopia he arrived in New York on 6th March 1897. Harry was accompanied on the
journey by Willie Anderson who was returning after the winter to his position as pro at Misquamicut Golf Club, Watch Hill, Rhode Island.
Harry Reddie played in a pro tournament at Ocean County Hunt and Country Club, Lakewood, NY on New Years Day 1898. Reddie was representing
St Andrews Golf Club, Yonkers, NY. According to the New York Times the field also included North Berwick pros, Harry Gullane, Robert
M. Thomson, Willie Anderson, Jamie Campbell and Tom Harley from Aberlady. The Fitzjohn brothers originally from Musselburgh but also pros at
North Berwick played-off for the first prize.
When Anderson moved to Baltusrol, Reddie replaced him at Watch Hill and when the new 18 hole course at Misquamicut was opened on 4th July
1898, Harry Reddie set a new course record 70. He wintered with Anderson in Florida and played in the Palm Beach Open in 1901. By 1909 Harry
was a club maker living with his German wife Madeline and son Henry in N. Cortlandt Street, Belleville, Essex County, New Jersey. In 1916 Harry
was working in the sports equipment store of Harry C. Lee & Company in New York. They specialised in importing good quality golf clubs and Harry
was engaged in demonstrating the clubs and giving lessons. In 1919 he was listed as a club maker living at East 123rd Street in Manhattan and by
1930 the family resided at 611 East, 139 Street, Bronx, New York where they remained until the 1960s.
JOHN RICHARDSON (1891-1968)
Upper Montclair Golf Club, New Jersey, USA
John Richardson,
born 1891, brother of Harry and James Richardson (listed below), son of John Richardson, gardener and his wife Isabella Davidson. James was
member of Bass Rock Golf Club and winner of the Tait Medal at the Autumn Meeting in 1903. That year John and Harry were licensed caddies on
the West Links. John married Adeline Spalding from Edinburgh and they lived at 8 Clifford Road, North Berwick with their son John. John
Richardson was a club maker with Ben Sayers & Son for sixteen years. At a golf club exhibition at Weybridge during the 1920 Open
Championship, Richardson took nine prizes out of a possible twelve for his club making. John and his family emigrated to the USA in 1922
when he was appointed assistant pro to William Braid at Upper Montclair Golf Club (NJ) . He was appointed head-pro at Upper Montclair
(1924-26) where his son Roe Richardson was born.
John Snr. returned to Scotland in the winter of 1926 and sailed back to the USA with James Souter before taking up a position at Essex Fells
G.C, Caldwell, NJ, in February 1927. He was appointed golf instructor at Trenton Country Club, NJ in 1930 and remained there until his
retirement. John Richardson died in October 1968 at Trenton City, New Jersey.
BUD RUSSELL (1909-1997) Barwon Heads Golf
Club, Victoria, AUS
William James Russell, born 1909 in Gullane, son of
Alexander Russell the starter at Gullane No.1 course, and his wife Agnes Vert. W. J. 'Bud' Russell was educated at North Berwick High School and
trained as a club maker with Jack White in his two storey workshop in Goose Green Mews, Gullane. Jack White won the Open Championship in
1904 and returned to Gullane in 1927 after being pro at Sunningdale for twenty five years. White also had a successful golf equipment shop
at 2 Rosebery Place, Gullane.
Bud Russell had a brother and two sisters and lived with his parents in Middleshot Road, Gullane. Bud was a member of Dirleton Castle Golf
Club and playing off a handicap of two, won the Austin Trophy in 1930. At school his nickname was 'Boy' and, when he started his
apprenticeship with Jack White, it was Mrs White who suggested that young Russell had outgrown his nickname and should be called 'Bud'.
In June 1930, Bud Russell answered an advertisement in the Journal of the Professional Golfers' Association, which read: Professional
required for Barwon Heads Golf Club, Geelong, Victoria, Australia. Scotsman preferred, £150 per annum, house workshop rent free, passage
paid to £40. Two years engagement, extending if suitable, if terminated within twelve months passage money to be repaid. Main qualification
coach of outstanding ability, age limit 35.
![[Bud Russell]](images/bud_sm.jpg)
The advert attracted dozens of applications from England, Scotland, France, Sweden and India, The club secretary at Barwon Heads, Harry Hay
enlisted the help of Stanley Melbourne Bruce, who was in London with his family's importing business after completing seven years as Prime
Minister of Australia. Bruce asked James Braid's advice and the shortlist was reduced to two, Bud Russell and a young lad from Troon.
On 27th July, Russell was brought to London for an interview and the following day Stanley Bruce (Later Viscount Bruce) cabled Hay with the
news: Have selected Professional-Scotch-single-twenty-two. Hay wired approval, cabled £40 passage money and 'Desire early departure'. Bud
sailed on 5th September on the Royal Mail steamer Mongolia, arriving at Port Melbourne on 13 October 1930 with 25 shillings in his pocket and
he retired a millionaire.
Russell set about increasing the turnover of the pro shop with shrewd merchandising. He took a huge risk ordering £1,000 worth of Scottish
knitwear and according to George Gibson, the manager of the George Nicoll foundry at Leven, Fife, in Scotland, Bud's orders of 1,000 heads
at a time was unique. Large crates of Nicoll and Brodie Graves clubs came to Barwon Heads for resale to other professionals as well as to
his own customers. In 1937, Bud lived with his wife Edith Rita May Russell at 31 Glenleith Avenue Geelong West, Victoria and that year he
returned to Scotland to played in the Open Championship at Carnoustie.
He served in the RAAF in the South Pacific during WW2, reaching the rank of sergeant. In the 1960s he was granted permission to enter the
members' clubhouse for the first time; an old fashioned rule today, but a significant gesture by the committee a decade before other
Australian golf clubs. Jean Donald from North Berwick (listed below) visted Victoria in the 1960s. She was the first lady professional in
Scotland and played an exhibition match at Barwon Heads. In 1966 Bud helped to re-design the course at St Leonards Golf Club, and extend
it to eighteen holes. In 1977, he was conferred Honorary Life Member of Barwon Heads Golf Club and was acknowledged among the Queen's
Honours with a B.E.M. in 1982 for services to golf and his community. Bud retired after 57 years with the club and lived in a bungalow
called 'Gullane' a three wood distance from the pros shop. He died in 1997, aged 88 years, at Geelong, Victoria.
BEN SAYERS Factfile
GEORGE SAYERS (1887-1977) Merion Cricket
Club, Pennsylvania, USA
George Thomson Sayers the youngest son of Ben Sayers
was born 19th October 1887 in Musselburgh. He worked in the family business at North Berwick and taught the game on the West Links to the
rich and famous including Lord Kitchener in 1910. At the age of 25, George emigrated with his wife Agnes to the USA.
![[High
Street]](images/geo_sayers.jpg)
They sailed from Liverpool on the S.S. Baltic arriving in New York on 10th May 1913. George Sayers contact in America was Rodman E Griscom
of Berton, Griscom & Co. Stockbrokers, 40 Wall Street, New York. Rodman Griscom was a founder member of Merion Cricket Club in Philadelphia
and his sister Francis C. Griscom was US Woman's Amateur Champion in 1900. Francis came to Scotland in 1902 and was tutored all summer
at North Berwick by Ben Sayers Snr. Rodman and Francis visited North Berwick again in 1906 and 1911 and were both under the supervision
of Old Ben.
George and his family lived at 321 Walnut Street, in the historic district of Philadelphia. Within days 19 year old James Kelly
Thomson from North Berwick arrived to take up the position of assistant pro. He was followed in 1914 by James Gullane. In 1921 George
Sayers sponsored the passage of Jimmy Richardson a clubmaker with Ben Sayers & Sons, who arrived in New York on 19th February and was
employed at Merion. Richardson was followed in 1929 by another Sayers apprentice George Izett who remained at Merion until 1932. He
started the Izett Custom Golf Club Company which is still in business in Haverford, Philadelphia. George Sayers became a US citizen
on 22nd. September 1922 at Philadelphia District Court. He died January 1977 at Montgomery, PA.
In 1931, Jimmy Richardson was golf instructor at Sunnybrook G.C, Flourton (PA) and lived with his wife Florence Stokes and daughters Mary
and Alice in Philadelphia. His brother John Richardson (above) also emigrated to the USA.
North Berwick golfers have had a long association with Merion Golf and Cricket Club. Robert M Thomson (1898-1904) was followed as pro by his
brother James R Thomson (1905-1909), before George Sayers arrived in 1913 and a long line of clubmakers sent out from Ben Sayers & Son
passed through the club. Merion Golf and Cricket Club was listed as a National Historic Landmark in 1992.
WILLIAM AND JAMES SMALL Hay Harbor (NY) and
Beacon Hill (NJ), USA
![[Bill Small]](images/small.jpg)
William Small, born November 1889 at Kay's Wynd, North Berwick, son of James 'Alfred' Small,
a footman and valet, and his wife Elizabeth Millar. Bill Small moved with his parents and brother James to the Harbour Terrace where their
brother Cyril was born. In 1903, Bill joined the General Post Office following a vacancy when postman Fred McLeod left for America. McLeod
won the US Open in 1908.
Bill had to wait until the joining age of eighteen before he could become a member of Bass Rock Golf Club. By 1914, he was playing
off a handicap of scratch and living in Melbourne Place.
During WW1, a postman was deemed a reserved occupation and as such Bill was exempt from serving in the armed forces. Following the armistice in 1919
he married Mary Jane 'Jean' Davidson McCulloch from Crieff, Perthshire and that year they visited Jean's brother Tom McCulloch in America. Tom was butler
to Henry P. McKean Jr. at Pine Run Farms Estate, Penllyn, 29 miles north of Philadelphia. Bill gained employment for the summer season as golf pro and
greenkeeper at the Hay Harbor Golf Club on Fishers Island. The following year, Bill and Jean emigrated permanently to America sailing from Southampton
on S.S Lapland they arrived in New York on 19th February 1920, In April, Bill started the new season at Hay Harbor Golf Club while his wife helped in
the office and they lived at 132 Heathulie Avenue, Southold, Fishers Island.
Above: Bill and Jean Small in 1927, Copyright © Henry L. Ferguson Museum Collection
Fishers Island in New York State where Bill Small worked throughout his professional career, lies to the east of Long Island Sound and can only
be accessed by plane or ferry crossing from Connecticut. The island is nine miles long, one mile wide and has the most idyllic setting for a golf
course. The nine hole course at Hay Harbor was operated in connection with the Mansion House Hotel. The 2nd hole, a 390 yard, par 4 is the most
picturesque on the island with the ocean on the right, running the length of the hole.
In 1925, a new 18 hole course designed by Seth Raynor was laid out on the eastern portion of the island for the Fishers Island Club. Raynor was
well known for reproducing a 'Redan' or an 'Alps' or a 'Biarritz' on most of his courses. The 5th hole, a 229 yard, par 3, is a fine example of
a Biarritz which has its origin at North Berwick.
The 16th hole on the West Links at North Berwick has the most unique green in Scotland with a deep swale bisecting the middle. Tom Dunn former
club-maker and greenkeeper at North Berwick used this design in 1887 on several of the greens at Biarritz in France. The design is now called a
'Biarritz Green', but the original can still be played at North Berwick.
Bill Small was appointed pro at both Fishers Island Country Club and Hay Harbor Golf Club in 1933 and wintered with his wife in Florida. He
continued in this dual roll until 1958 when the members at Hay Harbor celebrated his 40th year with the club. Today the course at Fishers Island
Country Club is rated 29th in the top 100 courses in the US, complied by Golf Magazine.
Bill Small died on his birthday, 3rd November 1958 and The Hartford Courant reported that 'The ashes of golf professional William Small were strew
over two courses with which he was identified for many years. The ashes drifted down from a light plane flying over the Fishers Island Country Club
and the Hay Harbor Golf Club courses. Small, served both island courses as professional'.
A colleague of Bill Small at North Berwick Post Office was Jack Forrester who was also a fine golfer. He emigrated to America in 1920 four weeks
after Bill Small and his career is listed above. In 1921, Bill returned to North Berwick to visit his family at 40 Forth Street, and in March the
following year he sailed back to America with his brother James A. Small (b. 24th November 1895) who was appointed pro and manager at the nine-hole
course at Beacon Hill C.C, Atlantic Highlands (NJ). In 1929 James and his wife Margaret moved to Middletown in New Jersey where he was appointed
manager of the Vanderbilt Golf Course. James retired to Polk, Florida where he died in 1983. The Small family continue to reside in North Berwick.
JAMES SOUTER Tuxedo Country Club, New
York, USA
James Souter, born in the Harbour Terrace, North Berwick in 1879,
son of George Souter, fisherman and lamplighter, and his wife Harriot Marr. James Souter was a journeyman joiner and Bass Rock Golf Club
champion in 1901. He was a licensed professional on the West Links, and in 1909 he entered the Open Championship at Royal Cinque Ports G.C.
from North Berwick. He was appointed pro at West Hill G.C. Brookwood in Surrey (1909-1914) and apparently spent most of his time making golf
clubs in an outbuilding known as the 'factory'. The building remains and is currently occupied by the Artisans' Clubhouse. In 1914, Souter
entered the Open Championship at Prestwick from West Hill.
James Souter returned to Scotland when war was declared in August 1914 and was living at 11 Lorne Lane. Private No.1245 James Souter enlisted
in the 7th Battalion Royal Scots on 22nd September 1914 and was transferred to the 2/5 Gordon Highlanders in December 1916. Following his army
service, he worked as a golf pro at Kingsknowe G.C in Edinburgh while living at 1 West Richmond Street. Souter, aged 42 years sailed for the
USA from Glasgow on the S.S. Cameronia, arriving in New York on 3rd April 1922. He stayed with Wilfred Thomson in Richmond until he found work
as assistant pro at Philadelphia Country Club and then to Green Valley C.C, Roxborough, PA. It was there that his wife Mary Muir and their
daughter also called Mary, joined him. In 1922 Souter played in the regional qualifying section of the PGA of America. He also entered the
Overbrook Invitational and a tournament at Tedyffrin G.C. In 1924 he was appointed pro at the Tuxedo Country Club (NY), and in 1926-27 he
moved to Claremont C.C (NH). In 1928 he returned to Tuxedo Park where he was joined by John McLean a club maker from Troon, Scotland. Souter
became an American citizen in 1931 at Newburgh Supreme Court (NY) and remained at Tuxedo until his retirement in 1947.
DAVID STEPHENSON San Francisco Golf Club,
California, USA
David Stephenson, born 1878 at 11 Lorne Lane, North Berwick,
son of David Stephenson, a shoemaker and his wife Elizabeth Walker. David was granted a licensed as a caddie on the West Links on 29th
April 1891, and on leaving school he apprenticed as a clubmaker.
According to the 1892 Caddie Master's records, 14 year old David Stephenson was caught chasing sheep on the Ladies Links and following a
visit to his house by Tom Anderson the head greenkeeper, Stephenson was suspended for a year and following his reinstatement in August 1893,
he joined a group of ten licensed professional on the West Links. In 1898, Stephenson briefly worked as a ball and clubmaker at Dunbar
Golf Club before emigrating to America. He sailed from Liverpool on the White Star liner Cymric, which arrived in New York on 19th May
1899.
Stephenson made the four-day rail trip from New York to San Francisco where he was appointed professional and greenkeeper at San Francisco
Golf Club and was allowed to carry on his trade as a ball and clubmaker. During this period John Lawson from Scotland was a member of
Burlingame Country Club and the leading player in San Francisco. He was born in the village of Kingskettle near Ladybank in Fife, and was
tutored in the game at St Andrews and North Berwick. Lawson brought Stephenson to California to take charge at San Francisco Golf Club which
leased ground inside the Presidio military base, adjacent to the famous Golden Gate Bridge.
San Francisco Golf Club was the first golf course to be laid out on the west coast of America. The course had to close when the army used
the land as a drill field during the Spanish-American War. The course was also used as a temporary camp for refugees following the 1906
earthquake. The nine-hole course at Presidio Golf Club shared the same ground and Stephenson recommended Robert Johnstone (listed above)
from North Berwick as Presidio's professional in 1900.
In December 1899, Willie Anderson played in the Pacific Coast Championship at the Presidio Golf Club. According to the New York Times an
exhibition match was arranged between Willie Anderson and Dave Stephenson at San Francisco Golf Club. Anderson was in the class below
Stephenson at North Berwick Public School and they both apprenticed as clubmakers.
In 1900, Stephenson set a new course record of 34 strokes at San Francisco Golf Club and laid out the nine-hole course for the Sausalito
Golf Club on the Fort Baker reservation. In November that year Stephenson returned to Scotland and was appointed pro and clubmaker at Dumfries
and Galloway Golf Club with a salary of 30/- per month and was allowed to charge 2/- per hour teaching. He lived at Essex Park Cottages,
Dumfries and in January 1901 he married Agnes Mack from Gladsmuir in East Lothian. That year he agreed to take on the additional duties of
Greenkeeper and Club House Manager, assisted by his wife. In April 1902 they moved to Huntercombe Golf Club, Oxfordshire and in 1903 he became
a PGA member. In 1906, Dave was appointed to the Prince's course at Sandwich where he remained until 1917.
Dave Stephenson played in the 1901 Open at Muirfield, and again each Open from 1903-07. His final appearance was in 1911 when the
Championship was staged at the neighbouring Royal St George's Golf Club, Sandwich in Kent. This was the end of an era for the North Berwick
golfers. Never again would so many men from the West Links qualify for the Open Championship. The field included, Jim Johnstone, Jimmy Souter,
Robert Thomson, Andrew Grant, Philip Wynne, Patrick Wynne, Charles Gibson, and Willie Watt. North Berwick's adopted son, Frenchman Arnaud
Massy came so close to winning his second Open that year but was defeated in a play-off by Harry Vardon.
Dave's brother Thomas Stephenson was also a fine golfer and was granted a professional license on the West Links in 1903. Thomas was
appointed pro at Erskine Golf Club, Renfrewshire in 1907-1910.
The course at San Francisco Golf Club was extended to 18 holes and moved twice before settling on its present site to the south of the city. Dave
Stephenson played his part in the phenomenal increase in the popularity of golf on the west coast of America and in particular the history
of San Francisco Golf Club, but his contribution goes unrecognised.
ALEXANDER STUART Caernarvonshire Golf Club
Alex Stuart was pro at Caernarvonshire Golf Club (1895-97) and extended
the course to 18 holes in 1895.
WILLIAM STUART Paisley Golf Club
Willie Stuart apprenticed as a club maker with Ben Sayers & Son and lived at 98
High Street, North Berwick. He was golf pro at Paisley G.C (1902-1917); Ralston G.C (1920-26); Elderslie G.C (1922-29).
ELSIE GRANT SUTTIE (1879-1954) Ladies' British
Open Champion
Elsie Grant Suttie born 1879 in London, daughter of Captain Francis
Grant Suttie, R.N. and his wife Elizabeth MacIntryre. Her father was the second son of Sir George Grant Suttie of Balgone and Elsie lived
with her parents at Hyndford House,
![[Grant-Suttie]](images/suttie.jpg)
Fidra Road, North Berwick. She was a member of North Berwick Ladies Golf Club but played most of her early golf in the company of men over the
full course at North Berwick, and many think this is why she did so well in national competitions. Her father was captain of the North Berwick
New Club 1882-1883.
Elsie was selected to represent Scotland in the Home Internationals in 1908-10-11-14-22-23. Her cousin R. Grant Suttie was also a talented golfer
and represented Scotland in 1914.
In 1910, Elsie Grant Suttie won the British Ladies Amateur Championship after defeating Lily Moore 6 & 4 in the final at Westward Ho! (Royal
North Devon Golf Club). The following year Elsie was beaten by Dorothy Campbell in the final of the British Ladies at Portrush. In 1911 she won
the Scottish Ladies Amateur Championship defeating Ida Kyle from St Andrews by one hole over her own course. During this period Robert Maxwell,
John E. Laidlay, and Leslie Balfour Melville acted as referees and officials for the Ladies Championships.
In 1924, Elsie was still competing at the highest level with a handicap of plus one. In July 1925, she won the Scottish Ladies Amateur Championship
after defeating Miss C. P. R. Montgomery in the final at Gullane. In the 1950s Elsie moved to the Garage House at Marly Knowe in Windygates Road
where she was found dead on 4th January 1954 aged 74 years.
FRANCES TEACHER Scottish Ladies Champion
Frances S. Teacher born 1886 in Edinburgh, daughter of Charles C. Teacher, Medical
Doctor and his wife Frances S. Teacher. In 1900 Frances lived with her parents at 16 Newington Road, Edinburgh. She attended St Andrews School
for Girls in Bishop Hall, St Andrews and in 1907 she won the Scottish Ladies Amateur Championship. Frances was a member of North Berwick Ladies
Golf Club and was selected to play for Scotland in the Home Internationals in 1908-09-11-12-13. She played in the US Amateur Championship in 1909
and while in America she played a number of courses in the Boston area and visited the Niagara Falls along with Stella Temple, Joyce Spurling,
Mrs. C. Gray and Dorothy Campbell.
GEORGE THOMSON (1881-1976)
Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania, USA
George Thomson born
4th June 1881 at 81 Westgate, North Berwick, son of William Thomson, fisherman and his wife Isabella Thorburn. George apprenticed as a
clubmaker with Ben Sayers before he emigrated at the age of 19 years to the USA in June 1900 and joined Jack Hobens at Yountakah Country
Club, nine miles from New York. When Hobens moved on the following year to the neighbouring Glen Ridge G.C, Thomson was appointed pro at
Yountakah. In 1902 George Thomson was golf instructor at Huntingdon Valley G.C. (PA). and then to Lenox G.C in (MA), 1902-04. Within
months of his arrival at Lenox, George Thomson hosted an Open competition which included all the leading professionals. Willie Anderson
travelled the thirty miles from Pittsfield to support his old school friend and lifted the winning prize of $100. Thomson returned to
Scotland in 1903 and sailed back to the USA with James Hutchison, William Hobens and Fred McLeod. In March 1904 he moved to the Pine
Forest Country Club of Lakewood (NJ) and finished in 15th place in the US Open.
In 1905, George Thomson was pro at Waterbury Golf Association, in Connecticut and in November he attended a meeting in Astor House, New
York for the purpose of forming the Eastern Professional Golfers Association. In 1905, Thomson wintered in Florida and came third in the
West Coast of Florida Open Championship. In March 1906 he moved to Roseville Golf Club, (NJ) and played in the 1906 Metropolitan Open at
Hollywood G.C. Later that year he came third in the first championship of the Eastern PGA played at Forrest Hill Field Club, (NJ). He was
also pro at Wee Burn C.C, Noroton, Connecticut where he met his wife Teresa Henry in 1907. He moved to Mt Vernon (NY) 1918-23, then
Scarsdale C.C Hartsdale, (NY) 1924-30.
In 1918, George Thomson moved south in the winter months and was pro at Bellaire in Florida and played in the West Coast Open. In 1920 he
qualified for the PGA championship at Flossmoor in Chicago and reached the last sixteen. George also played in exhibition matches to raise
money for the United War Work Fund in 1918 and played in an open tournament at Pinehurst in 1923. He became an American citizen in November
1919 and the following year he took his wife Teresa to meet his family in North Berwick for the first time. George Thomson died March 1976
in Sheffield Township, Berkshire, Massachusetts.
GEORGE THOMSON Peterhead Golf Club, USA
George Thomson, born 1881 at 7 Market Place, North Berwick, son of George
Thomson, fisherman and his wife Helen Conolly. His grandfather George was part of the Thomson golfing dynasty. His sister Catherine married
Ben Sayers, Isabella married Davie Grant, and his brother was Wilfred Thomson. The youngest sister Emily Thomson married James White and
their son Jack White won the 1904 Open Championship. George Thomson was a licensed professional on the West Links and played in the
professional tournament to celibrate the opening of the Burgh golf course in 1909. George Thomson was golf professional at Peterhead Golf
Club (1919-1921). He married Jessie McMaster and their son Archie Thomson was green keeper on the West Links. George Thomson was appointed
starter at North Berwick and died in 1947 aged 65 years.
JAMES K. THOMSON (1894-1980) Mohawk Golf
Club, New York, USA
James Kelly Thomson, born at 2 Russell Square (now Creel
Court) in 1894, son of David Thomson, a fisherman and his wife Janet Kelly. James served an apprenticeship as a club maker with Ben Sayers
Ltd and was described as 6 feet tall with brown hair, brown eyes and a dark complexion. At the age of 19 years, Jimmy sailed from Liverpool
to New York on S.S. Carmania arriving on 25th May 1913. He travelled to Pennsylvania where he took up the position of assistant pro to George
Sayers at Merion Golf and Cricket Club, Haverford. Thomson moved to Little Falls, Herkimer NY (1915-19) where he was golf instructor and
greenkeeper and then to Mohawk G.C, Schenectady NY (1920-28) where he laid out the Mohawk West Course in 1924.
At Merion they offered sets of hickory shafted clubs with Jas. K Thomson stamped on them, manufactured by A. G. Spalding & Bros. at their
Dysart works in Fife, Scotland. Spalding also forged clubs stamped with George Sayers, Merion Golf Club, Haverford, PA. Both are now popular
items for collectors particularly the splice neck spoon.
In 1918, Thomson took a winter position at Tampa Auto and Golf Club in Florida and the following year at Rocky Point G.C, in Tampa, before
returning to New York State for the summer season. Tampa Port was busy with steam ships bound for the West Indies and Central America. The
long wharf's reached a mile out in the bay where the ships tied up, but the most unusual sight was the Tampa pelicans.
Again in the winter of 1925/26 he travelled to Florida, this time with Fred McLeod. They joined Jim Barnes at Temple Terrace Country Club in
Tampa FL. This complex included a casino and night club where Al Jolson was a regular performer. In the winter of 1930 Thomson was pro and
manager at Ormond Beach Golf Club owned by the Florida East Coast Rail Company. Ormond was described as a delightful place with the most
beautiful beach in Florida.
Jimmy's mother Janet Thomson lived at 22 Victoria Road, North Berwick. James 'Kelly' Thomson adopted his middle name from his mother's
maiden name to distinguish himself from the numerous other Thomson's in North Berwick. Jimmy lived with his wife Florence in Niskayuna
Township, Schenectady, NY.
At the age of 82 years Jimmy enjoyed a weekly round of golf at Mohwak, laid out an nine-hole course at McGregor Links, Saratoga Springs NY
and continued to winter at Pompano Beach Golf Club, Florida where he gave lessons. James Kelly Thomson died March 1980 in Schenectady
County, New York.
JAMES R. THOMSON (1881-1963)
Apawamis Country Club, New York, USA
James Ramage Thomson,
born 24th May 1881 in North Berwick, the youngest son of Alexander Thomson a fisherman, and his wife Elizabeth Marr. James was a plasterer
to trade and his two older brothers Alexander (b.1873) and Robert (b.1878) were golf professionals. They were all born at 18 Westgate opposite the
Abbey Church. The house was demolished in 1899 to make way for the present building at 97, High Street. Willie Anderson, the US Open Champion
was also born in this block of apartments in 1879
Thomson emigrated to the USA on 9th April 1905 and followed his brother Robert M. Thomson as golf instructor at Merion Cricket Club, (PA) 1905-1909.
James moved to Philadelphia Country Club (1910-1920), then to Overbrook Golf Club (PA) in 1921 and later that year to the Apawamis Country
Club (NY) where he remained for 25 years. At the Metropolitan Golf Association Championship in 1910, James R. Thomson and Fred McLeod
shared sixth place and received $25 each. This was the last tournament Willie Anderson played in.
![[JRThomson]](images/jrthomson.jpg)
In 1913, Thomson won the Pennsylvania Open ($113.55), and Fred McLeod finished two strokes behind in second place. George Sayers also played
in that event for the first time. Thomson finished second once and third twice in the Pennsylvania Open. He finished second in the
Philadelphia Open in 1909 and three other times he was in the top four. In 1909 Thomson set a new course record 69 at Merion and in 1911 he
finished third in the Metropolitan Open and second in the Eastern PGA championship. Thomson was the leading qualifier at the 1915 US Open at
Baltisrol and while he was in Philadelphia he set two course records, a 67 at the Philadelphia Country Club and 65 at the Overbrook Golf
Club.
On 17th January 1916, Rodman Wanamaker, heir to the Wanamaker department store fortune, held a meeting at the Hotel Martinique
in New York for the purpose of forming the Professional Golfers Association of America.
The luncheon was attended by several leading amateurs and 35 professionals, known as the 'Charter Members', including James R Thomson and Jack
Hobens from North Berwick. Their aim was to advance the standing of the club professional, caddies and greenkeepers in the United States. James
R. Thomson was elected a member of the first PGA of America Executive Committee and was selected as one of the national vice presidents of the PGA.
In December of 1921 he attended the founding meeting of the Philadelphia Section PGA and was a member of the organising committee.
His older brother Alexander 'Sandy' Thomson (1873-1927) was also a golf pro and during the 1890s, he was a licensed professional on the West Links,
North Berwick. In 1901 Sandy was appointed professional at North Surrey Golf Club in Norbury, before moving to Hampstead Heath Golf Club. Alex
played in the 1904, 1905 and 1906 Open Championships. He taught golf to Lord Northcliffe, the famous press baron, who Sandy was introduced to when he
was at North Berwick. In 1910 Thomson was appointed personal professional to Lord Northcliffe and travelled with him for the next twelve years.
Lord Northcliffe sponsored the golf tour of Harry Vardon and Ted Ray to America in 1920. Following the death of Northcliffe in 1922, Sandy was appointed
pro at Brent Valley Golf Club at Hanwell in Ealing. At this time Sandy was living in Wembley with his third wife Lizzie Logan from North Berwick and
in 1925 they moved to North Foreland Golf Club, Broadstairs which was laid out on Lord Northcliffe's estate. Sandy died in 1927 and is buried at
St.Peter's Church in Broadstairs, Kent. His grandchildren, the Adams family remain in North Berwick.
James's other brother, Robert Marr Thomson (1878-1947) was appointed greenkeeper and golf instructor at County Sligo Golf Club in 1894. He
emigrated to the USA in 1898 and was appointed pro at Merion Cricket Club, PA (1898-1904). Robert played in the first professional golf tournament in
the Philadelphia area at the Huntingdon Valley Country Club in 1898, won by Harry Gullane from North Berwick. Robert moved to Camden C.C,
Philadelphia PA (1904-08); Knollwood, Elmsford NY (1909-11) Montclair CC (1911-1913), and from 1905 he wintered in Florida. James and Robert returned
to Scotland together in 1911 to attend their father's funeral. He was buried beisde their mother Elizabeth Marr in the Churchyard in Kirk Ports where
a headstone lists their names. In 1913, Robert Thomson was appointed the first pro at the new 18 hole layout at Glen Ridge Country Club (NJ). Robert
Thomson's wife Ottilie was a German immigrant and in 1915 they lived at 20 Oxford Street, Montclair, NJ where their son James Thomson was born. Robert
remained at Glen Ridge for 13 years before moving to 30 Perryridge Road, Greenwich, Fairfield, Conneticut where he was pro at Greenwich C.C (1928-1945).
Robert died at Greenwich in January 1947.
![[AThomson]](images/alex_thomson.jpg)
Sandy Thomson teaching the son of Lord Northcliffe, Copyright © Adams Family
In 1914, James and Robert qualified for the US Open Championship, played that year at Midlothian Country Club near Chicago. James R. Thomson
(above) became an American Citizen on 11th January 1924. He continued to play in exhibitions, and at the age of 75 was working as a golf
instructor at Whiteface Inn, Lake Placid, (NY). James became an American citizen on 11th January 1924 and lived with his wife Helen Cunningham
from Bonnyrigg and their daughter at 20 Elmwood Avenue, Rye. James R Thomson died on 18th April 1963 aged 81 years, and his obituary was carried
in the New York Times.
ROBERT THOMSON (1875-1954)
Glen Golf Club, North Berwick, UK
Robert Thomson, born 1875
in North Berwick lived with his mother and elder brothers James and William L Thomson (below) in Russell Square. In 1894, Robert 'Bob'
Thomson was a registered caddie and two years later was granted a professional license on the West Links.
Bob had an outstanding golfing career and represented Scotland in the Home Internationals from 1903-1912. In the Open Championship he
finished in the top six in 1903 (Prestwick) and 1905 (St Andrews) and was Scottish Professional Champion in 1909 after defeating Willie Watt
from Dirleton in the final. He replaced James Braid at Romford Golf Club in 1904 and three years later returned to North Berwick. Following the
1904 Open Championship, Thomson took part in a professional meeting at Walton Heath. He qualified for the match play competition, beating
Harry Vardon by one hole but was defeated by J. H. Taylor in the semi-finals. Taylor in turn lost the final to Rowland Jones. Thomson regularly played
in the prestigious News Of The World tournament at Sunningdale and in 1912 he received £10 prize money.
In 1920, Bob took over Alex Marshall's club repair workshop on the Burgh Course at North Berwick (Glen Course) and three years later Bob was
appointed Burgh golf professional (1923-1938). He resided at 17, Forth Street and remained single until his death in 1954 aged 78 years.
WILLIAM L THOMSON (1868-1941)
West Drayton. Middlesex UK
William Lawrie Thomson, born 1868
in North Berwick, son of William Thomson, fisherman and his wife Margaret Lawrie. Willie was a postman and lived at 2, Russell Square (Creel
Court) with his mother and brothers James and Robert. Willie was granted a professional license on the West Links in May 1894 and played in
the Open Championship at Muirfield in 1896. He also played several matches over the West Links against Freddie Tait the Amateur Champion.
Willie's brother James was registered as a pro on the West Links in 1893 and that year he was appointed greenkeeper and professional at
Glamorganshire Golf Club (1893-1895). James moved to West Drayton Golf Club in 1895 and Willie followed him there in 1901-1910. On 9th September
Willie attended a meeting to form the London and Counties Golf Professionals' Association which was changed at the first AGM on 2nd December
1901 to the Professional Golfers' Association - the world's first ever golf association.
The course at West Drayton was considerably altered in 1905 under the supervision of J. H. Taylor who won the pro tournament at the opening
of the new course with a 75. The other scores were Harry Vardon (76), James Braid (77) and Willie Thomson (78). Willie's brother Robert
Thomson held the course record 66 for many years. The course at West Drayton went out of existence around the time of WW2.
Willie then moved to Ireland and was pro at Dun Laoghaire (Kingstown), Dublin (1910-1912). He returned to North Berwick in 1913 and was a
golf instructor on the West Links until he retired in 1933. Willie remained single and died in 1941 at 11 Forth Street, North Berwick aged
72 years.
WILLIAM THOMSON Sidcup Golf
Club, Kent, UK
William Thomson, born 1874 in the village of Dirleton near North
Berwick, son of John Thomson, a general labourer and his wife Mary Smith. At the age of 16, William Thomson was granted a professional
license on the West Links at North Berwick. He was living with his parents, two sisters and a brother in the Red House next to Dirleton
Castle Hotel where his father was the gardener. In 1893 Thomson was appointed instructor at the nine-hole course at Sidcup Golf Club (Manor
Farm Meadows) in Kent. In 1903 he moved to Baberton Golf Club in Edinburgh where he remained until 1927.
WILFRED and JAMES THOMSON Factfile
JOHN THORBURN Kilmacolm Golf Club
John Thorburn born 1875, Forth Street Lane, son of Archibald Thorburn, fisherman and his wife
Mary Ann Hepburn. John Thorburn was assistant to Tom Fernie at Cambuslang Golf Club before being appointed head pro at Kilmacolm Golf Club
(1907-1917). In 1929 he moved to Peebles Golf Club where he remained until 1939. His cousin Andrew Thorburn (b.1873) who lived with his parents
at 15 Forth Street was also a fine golfer. Andrew was a member of Bass Rock Golf Club, winning the Club Medal in 1894 and 1895, and a member of the
winning Wemyss Country Cup team in 1895. That year he set a new course record for the Bass Rock Golf Club over the extended West Links.
GEORGE TURNBULL (1879-1924) Midlothian Country Club, Chicago, USA
George Cairns Turnbull, brother of Tom Turnbull (below), was born 23rd January 1879 at 32 High Street, North Berwick. George
was a scratch medallist of Bass Rock Golf Club wining the Club Medal in 1899. Up to the age of thirteen, George was a soprano in the St Baldred's
Church choir, North Berwick. On leaving school he was a licensed caddie on the West Links, and in 1903 he was appointed the first professional
at the nine-hole course at Bangor Golf Club, Co. Down, Northern Ireland. In May 1904, Turnbull emigrated to America and the following year he was
appointed golf instructor at Sadaquada G C, Utica, New York State. He entered the 1905 US Open at Myopia Hunt Club, Massachusetts, when his former
class mate at North Berwick Willie Anderson won the title. Turnbull then moved to Waterbury G.C. Connecticut (1906), Flushing, New York State
(1907-08); Columbia C.C, Washington DC (1908-09) and Waverley C.C Portland, Oregon (1910).
![[GTurnbull]](images/turnbull.jpg)
While pro at Waverley, Turnbull laid out the second nine holes at Portland Golf Club. In 1911 he won the first Potlach Open at Seattle Golf Club where
his school friend at North Berwick, Bob Johnstone was the pro. Turnbull was also runner-up the following year. He travelled to California in
the winter of 1914-15 and was resident pro at Coronado Country Club, San Diego where he finished sixth in the Panama-Pacific tournament. It was
there he met E. H. Bankard of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad who persuaded him to transfer to Midlothian Country Club in Chicago.
In March 1918, Turnbull moved to California as golf instructor at the Del Monte Hotel in Monterey where he joined Harry Sampson, America's first
born-and-bred golf professional. Sam Morse manager of the Pacific Improvement Company who owned the property decided to add a second course at
Del Monte and invited suggestions for the design from the local golfers including George Turnbull. Morse changed the name of the new course to
Pebble Beach Golf Links and at the official opening in February 1919 the San Francisco Examiner carried a photograph of a group of dignitaries
including Turnbull and Sampson planting a Cherry Tree to celebrate George Washington's birthday.
It was reported the group then swore the golfer's oath, "We pledge ourselves by our faith in the Cherry Tree to turn in honest scorecards". Harry
Sampson was given the task of assisting Del Monte amateur champions Douglas Grant and Jack Neville to layout the new course. During a pervious
visit to California in 1915, George Turnbull partnered Jack Neville in the Panama-Pacific tournament when Turnbull won the longest driving competition.
In 1920, Turnbull returned to Midlothian where he remained for three years.
One of his pupils at Midlothian was Richard Walton Tully author of 'Bird of Paradise'. Turnbull moved to West Height Manor, Kansas City (1923-24)
and during the winter was instructor at the Chicago Athletic Association for two years. In 1923 he was at the Boston Store before being appointed
pro at Fircrest Tacoma, WA (1924).
He played in the 1916 US Open in Minnesota and finished ahead of James Ferguson and Fred McLeod. Turnbull won the Pacific Northwest Golf
Association championship at Portland in 1918, when the proceeds went to the war relief fund which netted thousands of dollars. He had a
marvelous singing voice and was often invited to sing a selection of Scottish songs after a dinner party or on special occasions.
George married Ruth 'Etta' Luther from Longmont, Colorado and returned with her to Scotland in 1920 to visit his parents Robert and Euphemia
Turnbull at 4, Lorne Square, North Berwick. The 'Big Scotsman' as the golf magazines described him became a US citizen on April 7th 1919 at
San Francisco Northern Court. In June 1924 Turnbull returned to his favourite area in Washington State and was appointed the first pro at the
nine-hole Fircrest Golf Club. He began work to extend the course to eighteen holes when he suffered a severe heart attack and died at his home
in Tacoma on October 30th 1924, aged 46 years.
His wife Etta had a parallel career in nursing, and wherever George was based she would work in the local hospital. She was President of the
Oregon State Nurses Association before returning to Greeley in Colorado after George died in 1924.
The New York Times described George Turnbull as the 'nationally known professional golfer' which reflected his standing in his adopted
country. By all accounts Turnbull enjoyed every minute of his brief twenty years in America, moving to ten different golf clubs, never
staying more than two seasons, and able to pick and choose his next destination.
The course at Portland Golf Club laid out by George Turnbull in 1918 has hosted the PGA Championship in 1946 and the Ryder Cup in 1947.
Turnbull would have been delighted that the legends of golf have all played his course including Bobby Jones, Jack Nicklaus, Greg Norman,
Arnold Palmer, and Byron Nelson. Although the course has since been tweaked for the modern game, the layout remains a testament to
Turnbull's short career.
TOM TURNBULL (1875-1952)
Helensburgh Golf Club, Scotland, UK
Ebenezer Thomas Turnbull
born 1875 in Garvald, son of Robert Turnbull, a stone mason and his wife Euphemia Guy. Tom Turnbull moved with his parents, two brothers,
and two sisters to 4, Lorne Square, North Berwick in 1878. He served an apprenticeship as a club maker with Ben Sayers and in 1898 he was
appointed golf pro at the nine-hole course at Helensburgh Golf Club. In 1905 he extended the course to 18 holes. Tom married Agnes Peacock,
a local girl and they lived in the Golf House in Helensburgh. A two iron made by Turnbull in 1928 was sold at auction for £135. Tom retired
after 50 years service with the club and returned to North Berwick where he died in 1952. His brother George Turnbull (above) was also a
golf pro and emigrated to America.
TOM WARRENDER
Knollwood Country Club, New York, USA
Thomas Warrender, born
14th November 1872 in North Berwick, son of Thomas Warrender, fisherman and his wife Christian Bonthron. Tom Warrender Jnr. was a licensed
caddie on the West Links and granted his professional ticket on 27th September 1895. Warrender was the first golfer to emigrate from North
Berwick in March 1896, and it was his task to accompany 16 year old club maker Willie Anderson to America.
It has been suggested that Willie Park Jnr. during his visit to the USA the previous year, recommended Tom Warrender to the Knollwood
Country Club in New York and Willie Anderson to Misquamicut Golf Club on Rhode Island when Park assisted in laying out those courses. During
this period Willie Park Jnr. had a residence and club makers workshop in North Berwick and would have been familiar with both men and their
families. Within a few months of his arrival Tom Warrender played in the US Open at Shinnecock Hills on Long Island.
In 1919, Tom Warrender was working in a factory manufacturing golf clubs and living with his wife Mary in their own property in Flushing,
Queens, New York. His wife was born in Hempstead, Long Island in 1860. Tom Warrender is listed among the first forty golf professionals in
the United States prior to 1898 and is recognised today as a true pioneer, and one of the earliest names of golf and club making in America.
WATT BROTHERS Factfile
JACK WHITE Factfile
ALEXANDER WILSON Lucerne Golf Club, Switzerland.
Alexander Wilson, born 17th October 1898 at 1 Ethel Cottage, 6 Viewforth, Forth Street, North Berwick, son of William Wilson,
a joiner and his wife Jane Harkness. Legend has it that Alex's father made coffin's in the front room at 6 Viewforth to augment his wages.
In 1928 Alex lived with his parents in Melbourne Road and that year he was appointed assistant pro to Maynard Goldsmith (listed above) at
Lucerne Golf Club, Switzerland.
![[Alex Wilson]](images/wilson.jpg)
1929, Swiss Open in Luzern. Der Sieger Alex Wilson aufdem 18. Green
(Alex Wilson putting on the last green to win the Swiss Open Championship on 6th September 1929.)
Alex may have served an apprenticeship as a clubmaker with Ben Sayers Ltd, at the same time as Maynard Goldsmith. In September 1929,
twenty year old Alex Wilson won the Swiss Open Championship played over the Dietschiberg links at Lucene Golf Club.
Alex emigrated to Australia and was appointed the first professional at Ryde-Parramatta Golf Club, situated between Ryde and Parramatta,
twenty minutes drive from Sydney. The original Parramatta Golf Club played on a nine-hole course in Parramatta Park before it amalgamated
with Ryde Golf Club in 1929. Alex was joined by his sister and then his parents followed to Australia. Alex remained at Ryde-Parramatta
for 38 years coaching the Club Team on a Sunday morning before he retired to the Gold Coast in Southern Queensland.
DANIEL F. WILSON (1895-1974) and RONALD M. WILSON
(1901-1981)
The Wilson brothers Dan and Ronnie were born in Dunbar, son’s of William
J. Wilson, a police sergeant and his wife Mary Ferguson. Their father came from Sutherland and spoke Gaelic. In 1901 he was manager of
the Temperance Hotel, 95 High Street, Dunbar. In 1907 the family moved to North Berwick when their father became proprietor of the
Commercial Hotel (County Hotel) in the High Street.
Dan Wilson emigrated to America and in 1925 he was appointed assistant Golf Professional to John Ridley from Prestwick at the nine-hole
Rosemont Country Club in Akron, Ohio. Two years later he was appointed head pro at Burlington Country Club in Vermont. He married Ada
Maclean and remained in Burlington for the remainder of his career. Dan Wilson died April 1974 in Chittenden Township, Burlington,Vermont.
Ronnie Wilson emigrated to America in 1927 and joined a christian community in Elkhart Indiana where he was appointed golf professional
at Christiana Creek Country Club. Ronald died November 1981 in the Greencroft retirment centre in Elkhart.
JAMES C. WILSON Kent Country Club, Michigan, USA
James Clarke Wilson born 26th June 1880 at 35 High Street, North Berwick, son of Thomas Wilson, a Tailor and Clothier and his
wife Jane Clarke. James had four sisters and four older brothers and he trained as a Draper in the family business at 56 High Street. Jimmy
Wilson was a member of Bass Rock Golf Club winning the club aggregate medal in 1908. Jimmy was granted his professional ticket on the West
Links in April 1895 and played in the Open Championship in 1901.
Wilson emigrated to the USA aged 28 years, sailing from Glasgow on the S.S Caledonia, he arrived in New York in February 1909. His contact
lived at 9 Hudsonville Avenue, Newton Station, Boston, where Jimmy resided until he was appointed pro at Waumbek Golf Club, located in the
small town of Jefferson, in northern New Hampshire. A very picturesque area but Jimmy took time to acclimatized and was ill for much of his
first summer. In the winter of 1909 he moved to Winchester Country Club, MA and assisted in extending that course to eighteen holes.
He returned to Waumbek C.C in the spring where he hosted the 1910 White Mountain Amateur Championship. In 1911, he moved to Maplewood
Country Club, Maplewood, New Hampshire, and in 1913, he entered the North and South Championship at Pinehurst from the Buffalo Club of New
York. In 1914 Wilson moved to Kent Country Club, Michigan (1914-24) where he lived at 1711 Plainfield, Grand Rapids. He arrived in time to
host the prestigious Western Golf Association Amateur championship won that year by Charles Evans Jnr.
During the winter months in Grand Rapids the Furniture City Golf League leased part of the Cadillac Building and installed Jimmy Wilson as
pro. In 1916 he wintered at Pinehurst, N.C; in 1920 at El Paso, TX and in 1922 at Tucson AZ. He moved to Ravisloe C.C, Homewood IL (1924-28)
and wintered at Great Southern, Gulfport, MS. (1924-28). In the 1930s James lived with his wife Martell from Ohio and their daughter Jean
in Springfield, Illinois
THOMAS WILSON Littlehill Golf Club, Scotland UK
Thomas Wilson, born 19th October 1890 at The Wynd, Aberlady, son of George Wilson, roadman and his wife Mary Anne Bird. Tom Wilson
was appointed golf professional at Kirkintilloch Golf Club (1921-24), then Bishopbriggs Golf Club (1924-25), before settling at the
Glasgow municipal nine hole course at Littlehill where his wife looked after the catering duties in the tearoom. Tom played in the Open
Championship at Lytham St Anne’s in 1926 and at St Andrews in 1927. He represented Scotland in the Home International matches against
Ireland in 1932, 33, 34 and Scotland v. England in 1933-34. Tom remained at Littlehill Golf Club until he retired in 1955.
JAMES WYNN Egyptian Open Championship -
1934, 1936, 1937, and 1945
James Wynn, born 1909, 7 Lorne Lane, North Berwick,
son of Thomas Wynn, stonemason, and his wife Mary Farrell. James served a five year apprenticeship as a club-maker with James Watt at 1,
Station Hill. He then joined Maynard Goldsmith in Switzerland, before following John G Kerr (listed above), another of James Watt's
apprentices, as pro at the famous Gezira Sporting Club in Cairo. This was a popular club for the British garrison and Royal Air Force
stationed in Egypt.
![[Gezira]](images/gezira.jpg)
Gezira Sporting Club, Cairo, Egypt - 1926.
James Wynn won the Egyptian Open Championship in 1934, 1936, and 1937 after a 36 hole play-off when he set a new
course record 67 at Gezira. He remained in Egypt during WW2 and won the Egyptian Open for the fourth time in 1945 before moving to
Heilopollis Sporting Club located seven miles north of the city. He then travelled to Cape Town in South Africa where he spent the
remainder of his career. His cousin Sonny Burke from North Berwick was a golf pro in Corsica.
PHILIP WYNNE Tooting Bec Golf Club
Philip Wynne and his brother Patrick, born in Ireland, lived at Sheriffhall
three miles south of North Berwick where their father was a ploughman. Philip was granted his professional ticket on the West Links in 1893
and was an original member of the PGA. He was appointed clubmaker and professional at several clubs including, Bently Green in Essex
(1893-1894); Todmorden (1894-97); Princes, Mitcham (1897-1902); Tooting Bec (1902-1906); North Surrey, Norbury (1906-1909); Addington
Court (1909-1913); Chipstead (1913-1914); West Essex (1914-1921); South Beds (1921-22); Southerndown (1922-23); Chingford Corporation (1923-
1938). Philip finished 10th equal with James Braid in the 1898 Open at Prestwick and he won professional tournaments at Crawley 1901, Troon
1904, Midlands Open 1907, and runner-up in the Essex Open in 1920, 1923 and 1925.
His brother Patrick Wynne was also a talented golfer and he was granted his professional license on the West Links in 1894. A highlight for
the 17 year old was playing two rounds with Old Tom Morris in the professional tournament to mark the opening of Luffness New Golf Club.
He also played in a four-ball match with Amateur Champion Freddie Tait over the West Links in 1899. Their cousin Peter Wynne was appointed pro at
South Shields Golf Club (1907-1909). Patrick followed him at South Shields (1909-1919) and then moved to Tynemouth Golf Club (1919-1933).
Philip and Patrick were reunited in 1911 at Royal St George's Sandwich when they played in the Open Championship, but unfortunately they
both failed to qualify for the final two rounds.
HUGH YOUNG (1882-1981) Pontefract and District Golf
Club
Hugh Morton Young born 5th September 1882 at Little Wamphray Cottages, son
of James Young, forester at Leuchie, and his wife Helen Morton. At the age of twelve Hughie was listed as a caddie on the West Links
before serving a five-year apprenceship as a clubmaker. In 1899 he moved with his parents, a brother and sister to 95 High Street,
North Berwick. Hughie Young was a member of Bass Rock Golf Club wining the Summer Scratch medal in 1900 after a play-off with
Fred McLeod. In February 1908, Hughie Young was appointed professional and greenkeeper at Pontefract and
District Golf Club, West Yorkshire. In 1912 he took on the additional duties as Caterer and two years later the role of Caddie Master.
Hughie Young remained with the club until he retired in 1947. Clubs marked 'Hugh Young Pontefract' with a hickory shaft occasionally appear
at auction. Hugh's father was custodian at Tantallon Castle for many years.
THOMAS WALKER High Point Golf Club, USA
Thomas Walker was one of the earliest club makers in the town. He was
born 1829 in North Berwick son of John Walker, joiner and his wife Margaret Thomas. Tom Walker was also a joiner and lived with his
parents in Begbie Court (behind Market Place). Tom turn his hand to club making and his nickname was 'Old Bark' because he left a bit
of bark in each clubhead that he made.
| From Left to Right Miss G. Spurling of Barnehurst, Mrs C. H. Gray, Miss Dorothy Campbell of North
Berwick, (behind) Miss Francis Teacher of North Berwick and Miss S. Temple of Westward Ho!. Photographed together before competing in
the USGA Women's Championship played at Merion PA in October 1909. |
STEAMSHIP COLUMBIA Anchor Line - Liverpool
to New York
The majority of emigrants from North Berwick sailed to America on the Steamship Columbia owned by the Anchor Line. Most travelled 'steerage
class' with a prepaid ticket costing £5.10s (one way) which included the use of bedding, utensils, and a rail ticket to their final destination.
In 1903, the Columbia took 6 days 22 hours to complete the journey from Liverpool to New York.
Steerage was a mix of second and third class facilities, there were no individual cabins, the men slept in one section, ladies in another and
married couples in their own area. Many would use their folded overcoat as a pillow, and sleep with their clothes and boots on in bunks laid out
in rows. Often sleeping on deck was more comfortable. Steerage had their own dining room, smoking room and deck space and did not mix with the
other class of passengers.
The Columbia had its own medical doctor onboard and each passenger was examined before leaving Liverpool and was declared fit to travel. On
arrival at Ellis Island a more rigorous medical examination was carried out and each passenger had to prove they had fifty dollars in their
pocket before their papers were stamped and allowed to enter the country. |
|
If you can add to the details above or have information on
other North Berwick golfers
please let me know.seaton@northberwick.org.uk |
|
![[*]](images/golfers.jpg)
![[Golfers]](images/ladygolfers.jpg)