Sons of Carnoustie

Ryder Cup at Medinah this week. The Sons of Carnoustie member who helped them along was Ned Jamieson, arrived in USA in 1926 and was pro at Medinah in the 1930.s. He had a 40- year pro career, also at Beverley Country Club Chicago, where he introduced the concept in the pro-shop of separating the sale of goods, from club repair so "that everything was not covered in dust", at Berrien Hills, Michigan for 16 years and then at Indian Lake Hills, Michigan where a "Ned Jamieson Memorial" Tris-state junior Golf Trophy is still held. "Ned made many friends by sharing his wit, talent and love of the game of golf". In 1942, he finished 2nd to Sam Snead at Beverley Hills.

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At least 200 carnoustians left home between 1896 and 1930 to spread golf around the world: known as Sons of Carnoustie. This is one of their activities!

In the winter months in North America many Sons of Carnoustie organised and ran indoor golf. These were set up in large halls or a whole floor of a store and would include a nine hole putting course with mounds, "driving" holes often as long as 50 yards with bunkers. Tournaments were organised as well as inter-club matches.

Science Fiction and Golf: A book entitled "Golf in the Year 2000" by John McCullough was published in 1892. The book predicted great changes in the world except in St. Andrews where golf would still be the main pastime and still its spiritual home. IT PREDICTED: metal-headed woods, electric golf trolleys, live televised golf, all this in the age of wooden-shafted clubs. crude leather golf bags and gutta-persha balls!.

In the winter months in North America many Sons of Carnoustie organised and ran indoor golf. These were set up in large halls or a whole floor of a store and would include a nine hole putting course with mounds, "driving" holes often as long as 50 yards with bunkers. Tournaments were organised as well as inter-club matches.

Circolo del Golf di Roma Acquasanta (1903) is the oldest golf course in Italy and can also claim the most historical surroundings.
Near to the seventh green on the original Rome Golf Links. The two trees are the two famous umbrella stone pines which artists all over the world have painted. On the right are the ruins of the
famous Claudian aqueduct, and on the left is the aqueduct built by Pope Sixtus V.

The thing Americans are most jealous of are our long scottish nights. This gives us an advantage in some kinds of world records. The most extraordinary feat recorded is the one accomplished by Mr. H. B. Lumsden, Royal Aberdeen Golf Club, Balgownie, Aberdeen, in June, 1910. Starting at 2.20 A. M., Mr. Lumsden completed twelve rounds before 9 P. M. Mr. Lumsden holed out at every hole. He therefore played 216 holes. The distance covered in walking the twelve rounds would be about 40 miles. Mr. Lumsden's full score for the twelve rounds 990, or an average for each round of 82½. The scores on the respective rounds we r e: 85, 80, 81, 81,77,83,84,80,86,5,80

Continuing global golf, the highest golf course is La Paz Golf Club Bolivia at 10,800 feet where the ball flies 20% further. The highest golf was played at 16,000 feet in July 1899 by British explorer Captain F.E.S. Adair. In his book, "A Summer in High Asia," he described how he found," a lovely spot carpeted with short, bright green turf when travelling through a Himalayan Mountain pass into Tibet. "Being a golf enthusiast I had brought a driver with me and a putter."

Son Peter Robertson got the Carnoustie-Pittsburg connection rolling in 1911 being with Buffalo, Oakmont, Falls River and Yahmundasis Golf Clubs. His lesser publicised role however was a club innovator providing the club guaranteed for greater distance. It was Robertson's innovation to weight the club from the bottom putting the weight under the ball instead of directly behind the centre which was common for driver and brassies. He instead inserted a brass plate (instead of lead) which covered the bottom of the club head for greater distance.

Sons of Carnoustie

page to serve the golfing community linked through a Carnoustie heritage to exchange stories, comments from around the world that encouraged, outraged, amused and imroved the quality of the golfing experience of our golfers in the years gone by.

Sons traumatic times 1. Robert Simpson in 1906, taught a Mrs Skinner at the Country Club, Memphis and while lunching with her in the Club after her lesson, her husband appeared pulled out a revolver, and tried to shoot Robert. Mrs Simpson stood in between them and was killed!

Winter tee 123 years old: This invention has for its object the provision of an improved portable tee or rest used by golf players to replace the usual sand or grass tee. The improved tee or rest is made of india rubber or similar elastic or flexible material and consist of a flat or curved plate either circular or triangular or any other shape provided with one or more studs near its centre on its upper surface on which to support or rest the ball preparatory to it being struck by the golf club (Bloxsom and Douglas 1889)

Sons "Down Under". Dan Soutar (born 1882) left Carnoustie in 1903 to work as a carpenter in Sydney. But in 1905 he set aside his tools of trade, became professional at Sydney Golf Club and won the Australian Open of that year (the first of 4). Dan and his family, one of 11 children, moved to Carnousite and he caddied for 9 pence a day from age 12-14. He designed many golf courses in Australia, wrote their first text book on Golf and co-founded the Australian PGA.

Congratulations to Montrose Golf Course (17 miles north of Carnoustie) as it celebrates its 450th birthday this year as the 5th oldest golf course in the world. Its Royal Albert Club is also 202 years old, likely the 10th oldest in the world. A famous “Son of Montrose” is Alex H Findlay who has been called "The Father of American Golf". Arriving there in 1887, he was one of its first professionals and possibly its first golf course architect. His brother Alf emigrated to Australia in 1903 and was the first pro at Victoria Golf Club, Melbourne

Sons of Carnoustie

The Language of Victorian golf reporters was rather different from those today: “Old Tom” at 72 years old defeated 33 players including W. Auchterlonie to win the 1893 St Andrews Club Makers Medal. He is like Odysseus among the Phaeacians at the court of Alcinius. The lover of Homer will recall the scene- how Laodamas badgered the hero to “put” the stone; how not withstanding its weight he put it so far thas as Athene remarked- he is far the first”

The Language of Victorian golf reporters was rather different from those today: “Old Tom” at 72 years old defeated 33 players including W. Auchterlonie to win the 1893 St Andrews Club Makers Medal. He is like Odysseus among the Phaeacians at the court of Alcinius. The lover of Homer will recall the scene- how Laodamas badgered the hero to “put” the stone; how not withstanding its weight he put it so far thas as Athene remarked- he is far the first”

Religious condition of Caddies! " In Musselburgh, the Chief Seat of Golf, the caddies are quite a numerous class. The Minister states that very few go to church, are most difficult to reach, and are at an early age demoralised. If golf is to keep its unsullied name, the spread of the noble game must not spread consequential evil and the caddie life instead of becoming worse, should be improved" from Golf 1893. We seem to be still waiting!

Ben Hogan won the Open at Carnoustie in 1953. He made many insightful comments. A joy for us plodders is “ any time a professional shoots a 62, no matter how easy the course, that’s great golf but to my mind any time an 85-90 golfer shoots a 75, thats even greater golf".

The wonderful Carnoustie Golf Links were bought by the Carnoustie Community in 1896 from the Earl of Dalhousie so that " the area of ground in all times be used as a golf course and remain open to the public in perpetuity".
Ownership management has changed over the years with many of the Burdens being retained though one has been " lost in time". "This Disposition prohibits the disponees from levying any charge upon the residents of the Burgh or upon members of any of the local golf Clubs: Oh Dear!

Winter golf tee 1900. The upper surface forms a guide for the driver when striking. The tee consists of an elastic metal strip S, T, doubled upon itself at T' and welded, riveted, &c. to a cross-piece H. A recess C is formed in the end of the strip S to receive the ball B. The cross-piece H may be adjustably or rigidly fixed in any position along the strip T. The ball rests in a cup adjustably fixed to the strip, and a metal ring is placed between the strips S and T.

SONS OF CARNOUSTIE include 3 George Lowe’s. The lesser know, born in 1856 was a classic pro-greenkeeper- teacher-clubmaker. A pro in England and Australia, he is credited with laying out at least 100 golf courses, made over 25,000 clubs and patented a matched set of irons in 1890's based on his iron faced niblicks

Prime minister Lloyd George was a keen golfer and member of Walton Heath Golf Club, England where he built a house that Emily Pankhurst, the suffragette tried to blow up in 1913. He said " you get to know more of a man in a round of golf than in 6 months of political experience"

Indoor golf 1899: To play parlour golf and similar table games, clubs, Fig. 3, which fit on the finger are provided, as also a model tee of cloth and model bunkers. The bunkers are made of strips of cardboard or similar material by folding the strips and retaining them in a V-shape by means of wedges and flexible stays. The green is constructed of a metal plate b, Fig. 6, of convex form, and is covered with cloth or other suitable material. In the centre of the plate the hole b2 is formed.

Golf in Cairo: The Gezira Sporting Club's was known as ( WillCocks Sports Club ) was founded in 1882 for British Army Officers who used local caddies "-The Arab caddies at Cairo Golf Course are “as a rule willing and good-tempered fellows, but are not good at marking a ball down".

The most northern golf club.
Akureryi golf club in Iceland is the furthest north in the world and hosts the Arctic Open. Now, how do I find the most eastern golf club in the world?

The Scottish Tradition:
It's great that golf clubs around the world like to add a bit of Scottish tradition, but sometimes maybe a bit too enthusiastic!

For genteel golfers to clean their balls:-Golf balls are cleaned in an india-rubber &c. cupshaped receptacle a provided with a sponge b, which is preferably connected to a cord c provided with a fastening, such as a spring hook d, for securing the device to a caddy bag &c. The cord c preferably passes through a seamed outlet at the bottom of the receptacle, which grips the cord. A small scraper e for removing dirt is provided near the mouth of the receptacle a.

The Global World of Golf. Golf is surely the most widespread sport on the planet, and a golf course is even found at "the end of the world" in Ushuaia at Terra del Fuego in South America. Need a jersey all the time though! I bet the Pro's never have a tournament here!

Sons of Carnoustie

Caddies with Style.
A more enjoyable round with Caddies fom the Garden Golf Cub Tokyo!

Caddies with Style.
A more enjoyable round with Caddies fom the Garden Golf Cub Tokyo!

The 19th Hole
Until the mid 1800's all golf was played on public courses and golf club premises did not exist. The golf game was a pastime with retiral to a local hostelry required and indeeed often the most important part of the day. The early record of many Clubs show wining and dining to be the most important thing. The St Andrews' players in 1766 met in Bailie Glass's and each "had to pay a shilling for his dinner, the absent as well as the present".

Willie Park, Scotland in 1910 introduced grooves into clubs.
-The bottom of a golf club head is provided with one or more grooves, flutings, or corrugations b, c extending from the back edge, nearly, but not quite across to the striking-face. The grooves may be made in the head itself, as shown in Fig. 3, or in a brass, aluminium, or other metal plate f, Fig. 5A, attached to the bottom of the club.

Golf in India
India was the first country outside of the British Isles to adopt golf as a sport. The first golf club in India was founded in 1829 and named as the Royal Calcutta Golf Club [RCGC] though it used to be called the Dum Dum Golf Club when it started out. The first Amateur Golf Championship of India was held there during Christmas 1892, with players from Ceylon, Burma, Penang & Singapore taking part. The tournament has the distinction of being the second oldest tournament in the world, after the British Open which was first played in 1860.

"While all are agreed that the regulations published in the 1893 Musselburgh Green give hope for a better game, and provide some authority, it is generally agreed that the order of play will not be properly regulated unless someone is placed in charge at the first tee ground, and the plan of giving tickets adopted. The general benefit from the new rules is those affecting the "caddies" whose services have hitherto been far to dear and unsatisfactory" : No change there then!!

Lady Margaret Scott was the first winner of the Ladies Open Championship played at Lytham and St Anne's in 1893. She has a perfect swing-a fine, free easy all round- and good length off the tee. She has won all the competitions she has entered and it takes a really good male to beat her.