Ben Sayers Sr. standing 5 feet 3 inches tall, won 24 tournaments, but was fated never to win the Open. In 1888 at St Andrews, Sayers tied with Jack Burns for the Championship on 172, and when it was found that Burns had scored 86 and not 87 in the first round, he was awarded the Open title. Sayers tied for second place with James Anderson on 172 and shared the £8 and £6 prize money. Jack Burns was unable to make the most of his talent and returned to caddying at St Andrews.

In 1883, Sayers was a ball maker in North Berwick working from his house at 12 High Street. When Tom Dunn left in 1889, Ben Sayers was appointed club master to the North Berwick New Club and James Hutchison from Musselburgh took over the rent of the club makers workshop beside the first tee. Ben Sayers was paid ten shillings to be in attendance at all committee meetings in the clubhouse and was granted a professional license on the West Links on 12th May 1891. The North Berwick New Club did not retain a golf professional on the West Links until 1967. Ben Sayers was one of ten licensed golf professionals on the West Links, four playing with the members and six available to give lessons.

It was at this time that Ben Sayers began to employ club makers and he converted the property at 14, Quality Street as his workshop (now the site of the Tourist Information Centre). The building was originally the stable and coach house for the Dalrymple famliy living in The Lodge. During this period Sayers used a ball-marker press manufactured by J & A Bridges at their iron foundry on the East Bay, North Berwick. The press is now on display in the British Golf Museum.

In 1894, Sayers constructed a timber workshop on the garden wall of Inchgarry House adjacent to the 18th tee on the West Links where he sold golf clubs and balls. In 1912 he opened a retail outlet at 12, Station Hill. James Hutchison the club maker occupied the building next to the first tee until 1913 when his son-in-law Andrew Bisset continued the business until his death in 1917. As the hardship of WW1 began to bite and the club makers were conscripted into the armed forces, the shop in Station Hill was closed and Sayers business moved to the vacant workshop on the West Links. At this time Ben Sayers lived in Abbotsville, 39 Dirleton Avenue, North Berwick.

Ben Sayers greatest strength was in match play, and his most historic match was in 1891 when he and his brother-in-law, David Grant, played Hugh and Andrew Kirkaldy, a home and home foursome over North Berwick and St.Andrews. The brothers were at the height of their power and the two little men from North Berwick were thought to have been over-ambitious. In fact the North Berwick couple won so many holes over their own course as to demoralise their opponents the whole match ended 12 up with 11 to play. The umpire at North Berwick was Peter Brodie.

It was reported that during the match Ben Sayers and Hugh Kirkaldy had a violent altercation on a green as to whether a weed picked up by Sayers off the line of a long putt was growing, as the St. Andrews men asserted, or was lying on the ground when lifted. This was one of many arguments that made the golf of that period an exciting game for the gallery.

In 1894, Sayers played another great home and home match - a single against Andrew Kirkaldy for £50. They played two rounds in the one day at North Berwick and two at St Andrews a few days later. The match at North Berwick was described as a bad tempered affair. Kirkaldy disgusted with his play gave his ball a bang from the 17th green and it ran right over the first green on to the shore. Sayers gained six holes at North Berwick, but Andrew's first round at St. Andrews was such a fine one that the six holes were reduced to a single one. In the afternoon that one disappeared also, and the match was square with five to go. Then Sayers did those last five in twenty strokes, tremendous golf with a gutty, and won the match by two holes. The umpire was Edward L. J Blyth and Sayers caddie for both matches was Big Henry Crawford.

In October 1894, Ben Sayers won the stroke-play competition to mark the opening of Luffness New course. Sayers carded rounds of 84 and 82, for the wining total of 166 and £25 prize money. Davie Grant was second on 170 and Willie Auchterlonie, the Open Champion, tied with Andrew Kirkaldy for third place on 175. Old Tom Morris at the age of 73 years took part, playing over the course he laid out the previous year. The landowner Mr. H.W. Hope provided lunch for the competitors and a refreshment tent where the pros enjoyed a whisky or three. Hundreds of spectators traveled from North Berwick to watch the tournament in dog-carts and carriages of every description parked on the grass verge.

Ben Sayers designed many golf courses including Moffat (1884), Rothesay (1892); the eighteen hole course at Archerfield and in 1898 Craigielaw Links for Kilspindie Golf Club. In 1900, Sayers was invited by the Earl of Dunraven to lay out a course on his ancestral estate at Adare Manor in north-west Ireland. The estate situated between Ballbunion and Limerick was one of Ireland's premier inland locations. In 1995 the Manor was converted into a five star hotel and a new course constructed.

In 1901 Sayers designed the Castlerock course in Northern Ireland and in 1906 he laid out the West Monmouthshire course. That year he was invited to layout a course for the Spey Bay Golf Club in Banffshire. Accompanied by Robert Marr from North Berwick, who on Sayers recommendation became head greenkeeper and a bundle of red and white flags, he laid out the course - in 2 hours. According to the Banffshire Advertiser, Old Ben would have liked longer but it was getting dark! Sayers joined by his prodigy Open Champion Arnaud Massy and Sandy Herd played a match at the opening of the course.

In 1911, Ben Sayers was appointed pro at the newly opened Monte Carlo Golf Club, laid out by the Casino Authorities. According to newspaper reports, his appointment was very appropriate as Sayers was known to enjoy a wager. He wintered at Monte Carlo G.C. and returned to North Berwick in the spring. The growth in the popularity of golf in Europe can be attributed to Ben Sayers, Arnaud Massy, Tom Vardon, Alex Herd, Jack White and David Grant Jr. Who regularly took part in exhibition matches throughout the continent. By 1912 the number of golf clubs in Europe had increased to; France (42), Germany (19), Italy (10), Belgium (8).

During the early part of the century there was an absence of first-class challenge matches, and the public yearned with nostalgia to the return of the golden age. This in turn brought about the first 'old timers or seniors' match, when Ben Sayers (54) challenged Andrew Kirkaldy (51) for a stake of £50, played over 72 holes. In November 1911, an article in Golf Illustrated enthusiastically covered the match, extolling the virtues of such an encounter, and how the two veterans remained faithful to the old traditions, something the younger generation could take a lesson in the manner the golfing duel was fought out. After the first 36 holes at Sunningdale, Sayers was 1 up, and following the second 36 holes at Walton Heath, Sayers triumphed 6 and 5, in what could be said, was the forerunner of today's Senior Tour.

It was Young Ben who came up with the idea of developing a driver with an extra large rounded head, deep faced which was slightly convex, and a whippy shaft longer than standard. Old Ben named the club the 'Dreadnaught' after the little ships lying off North Berwick. Robert Maxwell was given one of the first drivers which he used to great effect winning the amateur championship in 1909. By then everybody wanted a 'Dreadnaught' and production through 1910 could not keep up with demand.

When the groove-faced mashies and irons appeared on the market, the British press protested against the importation of these clubs "from America," because they made golf too easy. The so-called "American ribbed-faced" clubs-were really invented by Ben Sayers and due to the controversy the sales at home and abroad increased dramatically.

In 1914, Ben Sayers and his wife Catherine visited their son George in Pennsylvania. They sailed on the Cunard Line from Liverpool on the S.S Lusitania. Crossing the Atlantic took five days and they arrived in New York on 17th April 1914. The following year Sayers planned to return to America and play in the US Open. He reserved a berth on the Lusitania leaving on the 15th May 1915. Although war was raging in Europe, passenger ships crossing the Atlantic had not been attacked. This was to change when the Lusitania was sunk by a German torpedo on May 7th 1915 off Queenstown in Southern Ireland, when 1,201 lost their lives. Many British professionals had reserved a place on the next voyage west on the Lusitania for the purpose of playing in the US Open but Vardon, Ray, Duncan and Mayo cancelled. Despite the obvious risk Sayers decided to honour his business commitments in the USA and travelled on his own.

When the ship reached New York, Ben Sayers got himself into a position on the upper deck so he could be seen by the people on the quayside. He knew his son George was among the crowd and Ben started to make a signal by rubbing his chest violently with quick downward strokes of his right hand, just like the old golfing fore-runners would signal their masters that the ball was lying well and on the fairway. Ben's signal to his son was 'All's Well'. Father and son played in the US Open while their family waited anxiously on Ben's safe return to Scotland.

This route to the USA was well used by many former Sayers apprentices. James Kelly Thomson was the first to be appointed assistant pro to George Sayers at Merion. He was followed in 1914 by James Gullane , then Jimmy and John Richardson in 1921 and later George Izett joined them. Cyril Goodchild went as assistant to Henry Cotton and Maynard Goldsmith was pro at Royal Cape Golf Club in South Africa.

In 1934, Ben Sayers Ltd. opened a retail outlet at 56-60, High Street which was visited by many well known golfers. The American Walker Cup team visited in 1959 when Jack Nicklaus ordered a special mild steel putter to a design by 'Old Ben'. It later went into production called 'Old Nick' and had considerable sales in America. They also manufactured the first set of clubs incorporating carbon shafts for Raymond Floyd who was affiliated to Sayers in 1973. They trained many fine clubmakers including Bob Jamieson who was appointed professional at Turnberry and Alex Hay Director of Golf at Woburn Country Club and BBC TV Golf commentator.