Davie Strath regularly played the West Links partnering local golfers Peter Brodie and John Whitecross. When the position of Keeper Of The Green was created Strath was the natural choice. Although it has been suggested that Young Tom Morris was also offered the position in 1873. Davie Strath was appointed Custodian of the Green on 5th September 1876. Tantallon Golf Club agreed to pay twenty-five pounds as their share of his salary and North Berwick Golf Club paid ten pounds. Strath was a keen sportsman and was often found in the evening lying out at the Eil Burn shooting wild ducks.

In 1877, Davie Strath had a famous victory over the celebrated amateur Alex Mackenzie-Ross at North Berwick. A.M. Ross was a member of Tantallon Golf Club and Royal Burgess and gave this account of the game. I was receiving a third and one round of the green was to prove the conqueror. At this distant date I cannot describe the match minutely, but you will understand the form when I say I had ten 'fours' in succession beginning at the third hole. Davie's game was nothing less than phenomenal, he having no less than six 'three's and two 'twos' in the round, and this when the new course had just been added to the old green and you will recollect 'Shipka Pass. at that time was a caution to wild drivers. The straight and narrow path led on to Elysium, the broad road led to destruction.

The game proceeded in a ding-dong kind of manner until arriving at the gate, where Davie was 1 up and 2 to play. In playing Point Garry I holed in 4 from the top of the hill, 20 yards or so, the game being thus all even and 1 to play. For the purpose of this match the holes had been newly made, but they did not alter the hole on the home green and this mistake won Davie the match, as I lay dead in three and Davie played the like and lay for a minute it seemed on the top side of the hole; but as I went to play Davie's ball toppled into the hole thus wining the match by 1 hole. The crowd, which was very large all thought it ought to have been a halved match. I venture to say, no game played on North Berwick has equaled this truly wonderful round of Strath's taking the hazards, etc. into consideration.

When Davie and Agnes arrived in North Berwick they stayed with Tom Hope and his sister Alice who had a Bookseller and Stationary business at 32 High Street (now No.44 High Street). They lived above the shop where the Strath children were born. Tom Hope was a keen golfer and founder member of the Bass Rock Golf Club playing over the West Links at North Berwick. Tom won the club Summer Scratch Medal in 1877. Strath partnered Tom in several money matches and in July 1876 they defeated Mungo Park and John Campbell in an evening match over two rounds of the West Links followed by a large gallery of spectators.

Davie Strath and his wife Agnes secured a bond of £450 from the Standard Property Investment Co. Ltd. and were able to purchase Point Garry Cottage, (now Tantallon Clubhouse) in May 1877 from David J. Brown, a Baker and Confectioner with shops at 44 Leven Street and 161 High Street, Edinburgh.

In May 1876, Agnes Strath instructed Robert Lyle solicitor in North Berwick to draw up her Will which was witnessed by Hugh Gilles MacBain, Physician and Surgeon, High Street, North Berwick and Tom and Alice Hope, 32 High Street (now No. 44).

Davie Strath suffered from consumption and facing another Scottish winter was advised to travel to Australia where the climate would alleviate an illness which also claimed the life of his brother Andrew. On 14th October 1878 Strath sailed from Liverpool with a first class ticket on the S. S. Eurynome, the fastest vessel of the time. During the 84-day voyage he contracted acute bronchial laryngitis and arrived in Melbourne in a poor state of health. He died 20 days later on 28th January 1879 aged 29 years.

Strath died in a house on Royal Terrace in the Carlton district of Melbourne, but due to a clerical error his death was recorded as 'David Struth' and his remains buried in an unmarked grave in the Presbyterian section of the Melbourne General Cemetery. It was not until 2005 that two golf historians discovered the truth and were able to erect a headstone over his grave.

Strath's Box was situated between the North Berwick Clubhouse and the eighteenth green. In 1877 his cash book included a selection of his customers. Sir Robert Hay, Baronet of Haytoun. MacLeod Wylie 27 Beaufort Gardens, London; Lord Ruthwell. Windsor; David Smith, India Buildings, Edinburgh: Frank Bamford, Kelso: Sir Alexander Kinloch, Baronet of Gilmerton; Sir David Baird Baronet of Newbyth: H.W.Hope, Luffness: James Tweedie, Liverpool.

The list below includes the local golfers who purchased equipment from Davie Strath. R. Thomson (clubmaker) Wimbledon: Mark Ormison (mason): George Brownlee; George Strath (professional golfer) Glasgow: James Beverage: John R. Whitecross (grocer): David Arundel: Peter Brodie (Baker): James Webster (Gas Manager): John Lumsden (slater); James Brodie (baker); James Kendall (Plumber); William Forrest (mason). The final inventory of Agnes Strath's estate amounted to two hundred pounds sterling.

Davie's wife Agnes and their two children Ronald Sydney Strath (2 years) and Daisy Strath (1 year) remained in North Berwick. Agnes died a year later on 8 January 1880 and the official cause of her death was peritonitis but more probably she died of a broken heart, aged 36 years. Her orphaned children were taken to Dundee and made a Ward of Court by Christina Lee (m/s Robertson). Christina's husband William Lee was a Ship's Master and their son John F. Lee was a partner in Lee, Croll & Co. Engineers and Ironfounders, employing forty men in the Ward Foundry, Dundee. In May 1880 the Trustee's of Agnes Strath's estate sold Point Garry Cottage to Archibald Smith, a Coal Merchant in Lothian Road, Edinburgh. Point Garry Cottage, was converted into a clubhouse for Tantallon Golf Club in 1896.

Following the death of Agnes Strath, Tom Hope emigrated to Australia and settled in Mackay district north of Brisbane, Queensland. Tom and his brother Henry were Marine Engineers and their sister Alice Hope continued the newsagent's business at 32 High Street, North Berwick (now No.44) until 1888. Alice suffered ill-health and was persuaded to travel to Australia by Capt. J. H .C. Adrain who worked on overseas ships with her brothers. Alice resided in Mackay with Tom until his death in 1911. Henry was engineer manager of the Lansdowne Race course and resided in McAlister Street. Alice died in January 1935 aged ninety years. The newsagent's business in North Berwick was taken over by Margaret Brownlee in 1888 and her son Leslie Brownlee joined the ranks of the golf professionals in America.

Ronald and Daisy Strath

In 1911, Davie's daughter Daisy was employed as a secretary in the offices of Cars Biscuit Factory in Carlisle. She sailed to Buenos Aires in Argentina and in 1967 Daisy aged 90 years old was living in California. Davie's son Ronald Sydney Strath emigrated to Australia and landed in Werriwa, New South Wales on 1st May 1912. He died on 25th January 1957 aged 73 years and was buried in Liverpool City Cemetery, New South Wales.

Davie's elder brother William was a gardener to trade and in 1864 he finished sixth in the Open Championship at Prestwick. The following year, when his older brother Andrew Strath won the championship, William finished eighth. Andrew was a clubmaker with James Wilson and caddied for the gentlemen golfers at St Andrews. He followed Old Tom Morris and Charlie Hunter as head greenkeeper at Prestwick and was runner-up in the Open in 1864. Andrew put such a tremendous amount of cut on his ball that it ran backwards rather than forwards. From 1860 until 1868 Andrew was the only professional to have his name included among the winners during a period dominated by Park and the Morrises. Andrew died in 1868 aged 33 years.

Davie's brother George Strath apprenticed as a plumber before George was appointed golf pro at Troon (1881-87). He moved to Southport Old Links (1888-92), then Stinchcombe (1893-94) and North Manchester (1894-95). His best finish in the Open Championship was 14th at Prestwick in 1878. George emigrated to America and in January 1896 he was appointed pro to Westbrook before moving to Dyker Meadow G.C. That year he finished 22nd in the US Open at Shinnecock Hills. George moved to Wee Burn C.C in 1900, then to Oakland G.C (Queens, New York), before being appointed instructor at the Crescent Athletic Club, Brooklyn, New York. George played in many exhibition matches with Tom Anderson Snr. the former head greenkeeper at North Berwick, and pro at Montclair G.C. New York. George followed Jack Hobens as President of the Eastern Professional Golfers Association in 1915. George Strath died February 1919 aged 76 years.

In 1901 a number of golf related items were displayed at the Glasgow International Exhibition, including the Championship Belt and putters used by Tommy Morris, his father, Davie Strath and Allan Robertson. The Strath brothers will always be associated with the formidable bunker guarding the right-side of the 11th green at St Andrews which bares their name and Point Garry Cottage (now Tantallon Clubhouse) in North Berwick where Davie Strath and his family lived.