FANTASTIC Medway Golf Club, Borstal, Rochester. J.H. Taylor and James Braid 1909

$2,458.69 Buy It Now, FREE Shipping, 30-Day Returns, eBay Money Back Guarantee
Seller: memorabilia111 ✉️ (808) 100%, Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan, US, Ships to: US & many other countries, Item: 176270374054 FANTASTIC Medway Golf Club, Borstal, Rochester. J.H. Taylor and James Braid 1909. Medway Golf Club, Borstal, Rochester. J.H. Taylor and James Braid 1909 Exibition Match 1909. Unique scorecard of a match between Braid and Taylor, the club is now defunct James Braid was a Scottish professional golfer and a member of the Great Triumvirate of the sport alongside Harry Vardon and John Henry Taylor. He won The Open Championship five times. He also was a renowned golf course architect. Braid is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. John Henry "J.H." Taylor was an English professional golfer and one of the pioneers of the modern game of golf. Taylor is considered to be one of the best golfers of all time. He was a significant golf course architect. Medway Golf Club, Borstal, Rochester. The club was founded in 1908. A nine-hole course with proposed extension to eighteen-holes, laid out by James Braid. Nine hole course yardages; Hole One - 260 yards, bogey 4; Two - 270, 4; Three - 495, 5; Four - 140, 3; Five - 450, 5; Six - 267, 4; Seven - 352, 5; Eight - 274, 4; Nine - 418, 5; Total - 2926, 39. On Saturday 25th September 1909 J H Taylor (Mid Surrey), the Open Champion, played James Braid (Walton Heath), on the "new" course of the Medway Club. Two eighteen-hole matches were played to celebrate the opening of the course, nine-holes only were available for play. As can be seen below Taylor struggled in the morning match scoring 87. sixteen shots more than his opponent. Braid - 4,4,5,3,5,4,5,3,5 = 38; 3,4,4,3,5,3,4,3,4 = 33 - Total 71. Taylor - 4,4,7,3,4,5,6,5,6 = 44; 4,4,5,3,6,5,5,5,6 = 43 - Total 87. In the afternoon Taylor played much better, but was unfortunate with his putting on a couple of occasions. Braid again played better beating the champion by 4 and 3. Braid - 3,4,5,3,4,3,4,4,4 = 34; 4,3,5,4,4,3,4,4,5 = 36 - Total 70. Taylor - 4,4,5,3,4,4,5,3,4 = 36; 4,4,6,3,4,4,4,3,5 = 37 - Total 73.   Medway Golf Club, Borstal, Rochester, Kent. J H Taylor at Medway.   Medway Golf Club, Borstal, Rochester, Kent. Members and friends at the exhibition match.  
Medway Golf Club, Borstal, Rochester. The club was founded in 1908. A nine-hole course with proposed extension to eighteen-holes, laid out by James Braid. Nine hole course yardages; Hole One - 260 yards, bogey 4; Two - 270, 4; Three - 495, 5; Four - 140, 3; Five - 450, 5; Six - 267, 4; Seven - 352, 5; Eight - 274, 4; Nine - 418, 5; Total - 2926, 39. On Saturday 25th September 1909 J H Taylor (Mid Surrey), the Open Champion, played James Braid (Walton Heath), on the "new" course of the Medway Club. Two eighteen-hole matches were played to celebrate the opening of the course, nine-holes only were available for play. As can be seen below Taylor struggled in the morning match scoring 87. sixteen shots more than his opponent. Braid - 4,4,5,3,5,4,5,3,5 = 38; 3,4,4,3,5,3,4,3,4 = 33 - Total 71. Taylor - 4,4,7,3,4,5,6,5,6 = 44; 4,4,5,3,6,5,5,5,6 = 43 - Total 87. In the afternoon Taylor played much better, but was unfortunate with his putting on a couple of occasions. Braid again played better beating the champion by 4 and 3. Braid - 3,4,5,3,4,3,4,4,4 = 34; 4,3,5,4,4,3,4,4,5 = 36 - Total 70. Taylor - 4,4,5,3,4,4,5,3,4 = 36; 4,4,6,3,4,4,4,3,5 = 37 - Total 73.   Medway Golf Club, Borstal, Rochester, Kent. J H Taylor at Medway.   Medway Golf Club, Borstal, Rochester, Kent. Members and friends at the exhibition match.   In Golfing in May 1910 it stated that the course "has been extended to eighteen holes." The course was laid out on marshland with good turf. Grazing animals roamed the course requiring the greens to be fenced off.    Medway Golf Club, Borstal, Rochester, Kent. James Braid course layout. The above image shows the nine-hole course layout with the proposed additional nine-holes to the west.   In 1913/4 the  secretary was Ernest A Gill. Telephone Chatham 157. The professional was A R Andrews 1913/4 and R H Pratt 1915. *A 9-hole course* on gravel with a membership of 80. There was no entry fee. Subs were £3/3/0. Visitors’ fees were 2/- a day, 2/6 a day at weekends. Sunday play was allowed. The station was at Rochester, then by tram for 1 ½ miles. *It seems that the course had reverted to nine-holes.* Borstal Golf Club disappeared after WW1. The Google Map below pinpoints the area occupied by the former course. John Henry "J.H." Taylor (19 March 1871 – 10 February 1963) was an English professional golfer and one of the pioneers of the modern game of golf. Taylor is considered to be one of the best golfers of all time. He was a significant golf course architect. Taylor helped to found the British PGA, the world's first, and became respected for his administrative work. He also wrote two notable golf books. Contents 1 Biography 2 Tournament wins 3 Major championships 3.1 Wins (5) 3.2 Results timeline 4 Team appearances 5 Writings 6 See also 7 References 8 External links Biography Taylor was born in Northam, Devon. He was a member of the fabled Great Triumvirate of the sport in his day, along with Harry Vardon and James Braid, and he won The Open Championship five times.[1] Born into a working-class family, and orphaned as a boy, he began work as a caddie and labourer at the Royal North Devon Golf Club (also known as Westward Ho!) at the age of eleven. He was employed as a caddie and houseboy by the Hutchinson family and was tasked to carry the bag of Horace Hutchinson.[2] He became a professional golfer at 19, and was employed by Burnham & Berrow Golf Club, the Winchester (later Royal Winchester) Golf Club – while there winning in successive years the first two of his Open Championships – then the Royal Wimbledon Golf Club, before eventually moving to the Royal Mid-Surrey Golf Club from 1899 until his retirement in 1946. In 1901, Taylor was a co-founder and the first chairman of the British Professional Golfers' Association. This was the first association for professional golfers in the world. Bernard Darwin wrote that Taylor "had turned a feckless company into a self-respecting and respected body of men". Taylor was a factor in the Open Championship from age 22 in 1893, until age 55, when he tied for 11th place in 1926. His five Open victories all took place before the First World War. Open Championship wins: 1894 – Royal St George's 1895 – St Andrews 1900 – St Andrews 1909 – Royal Cinque Ports 1913 – Royal Liverpool Golf Club Taylor captained the 1933 Great Britain Ryder Cup team to a win over the United States, and remains the only captain on either side never to have played in any of the matches. Taylor was also involved in designing courses across England including York Golf Club in 1903, Hindhead Golf Club in 1904, Andover Golf Club in 1907, Frilford Heath's Red Course in 1908, Hainault Golf Club's Upper Course in 1909,[3] Heaton Park Golf Club (Manchester) in 1912, Hainault Golf Club's Lower Course in 1923,[3] Bigbury Golf Club in South Devon in 1926, Pinner Hill Golf Club (Middlesex) 1927,[4] Axe Cliff Golf Club (Seaton, Devon) in 1920s[5] and Batchwood Hall Golf Club (St Albans) in 1935. He is attributed with being the inventor of the 'dogleg',[5] although holes of that form had existed on many courses before Taylor began golf course design (for example No. 7 at Old Course at St Andrews and No. 4 at Prestwick Golf Club). He was made an honorary member of The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews in 1949, and was president of Royal Birkdale, whose course he had designed, in 1957. A housing development in his hometown of Northam was named in his honour (JH Taylor Drive). Tournament wins Taylor c. 1895 Taylor c. 1900 Taylor in 1912 Note: This list may be incomplete 1891 Challenge Match Play (Eng) 1894 The Open Championship 1895 The Open Championship 1900 The Open Championship 1901 Tooting Bec Cup, Islay Tournament, West Lancashire Professional Tournament 1904 News of the World Match Play 1908 French Open, News of the World Match Play 1909 The Open Championship, Cruden Bay Professional Tournament, French Open 1910 Southern Professional Foursomes Tournament (with Josh Taylor) 1912 German Open 1913 The Open Championship 1919 St Annes Old Links Tournament 1920 Amateurs and Professionals Foursomes Tournament (with James Braid) 1921 Roehampton Invitation Tournament Major championships are shown in bold. Major championships Wins (5) Year Championship 54 holes Winning score Margin Runner(s)-up 1894 The Open Championship 3 shot lead 84-80-81-81=326 5 strokes Scotland Douglas Rolland 1895 The Open Championship (2) 3 shot deficit 86-78-80-78=322 4 strokes Scotland Sandy Herd 1900 The Open Championship (3) 6 shot lead 79-77-78-75=309 8 strokes Jersey Harry Vardon 1909 The Open Championship (4) 4 shot lead 74-73-74-74=295 6 strokes England Tom Ball, Scotland James Braid 1913 The Open Championship (5) 3 shot lead 73-75-77-79=304 8 strokes Jersey Ted Ray Results timeline Tournament 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 U.S. Open NYF NYF The Open Championship T10 1 1 2 T10 4 4 Tournament 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 U.S. Open 2 The Open Championship 1 3 T6 T9 T2 T2 2 2 T7 1 Tournament 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 U.S. Open T30 NT NT The Open Championship T14 T5 T11 1 2 NT NT NT NT NT Tournament 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 U.S. Open The Open Championship 12 T26 6 T44 5 T6 T11 49 CUT Note: Taylor only played in The Open Championship and the U.S. Open.   Win   Top 10   Did not play NYF = Tournament not yet founded NT = No tournament CUT = missed the half-way cut "T" indicates a tie for a place Team appearances England–Scotland Professional Match (representing England): 1903, 1904 (tie), 1905 (tie), 1906 (winners) 1907 (winners), 1909 (winners), 1910 (winners), 1912 (tie), 1913 (winners) France vs Great Britain (representing Great Britain): 1908 (winners) Coronation Match (representing the Professionals): 1911 (winners) Great Britain vs USA (representing Great Britain): 1921 (winners) Seniors vs Juniors (representing the Seniors): 1928 (winners) Ryder Cup (representing Great Britain): 1933 (non-playing captain, winners) John Henry Taylor (1871 - 1963) Born Devon, England, Taylor is JH Taylorremembered as a member of the Great Triumvirate and a founder of the PGA. Taylor grew up in a family of modest means. His father died when he was an infant and he was therefore obliged to start earning a living aged just 11. He worked as a caddy and general labourer at the nearby Westward Ho GC. Soon afterwards he was seconded to the greenkeeper's staff, a move which laid the foundation for his skill as a course designer later in life. At 19, he turned professional and worked at several clubs eventually settling at Royal Mid Surrey. Besides tuition and competition, he made money from making clubs. He won his first Open in 1894 and would go on to win another three. Taylor was a stocky and strong man with the personality to match. His particular advantage over the opposition in golf was that he was able to maintain a consistent record in adverse weather conditions. Besides the Open he also won the French and German Opens. Taylor played golf all his life; indeed he contested the 1924 Open aged 55. However his main achievement at this time was the formation of the PGA. He spoke publicly and helped to raise the profile of professional golfers. In recognition of his achievements and contribution to golf, the R&A made him an honoury member in 1949. He retired from golf in 1957 and was honoured by Royal Birkdale, which he designed, with it's club presidency. G JH TAYLOR John Henry Taylor formed Britain's "Great Triumvirate" of golfers, along with Harry Vardon and James Braid. The trio dominated the British Open, with Taylor and Braid winning five times each and Vardon six times. JH Taylor grew up in a family of modest means. His father died when he was an infant and he was therefore obliged to start earning a living aged just 11. He worked as a caddy and general labourer at the nearby Westward Ho GC. Soon afterwards he was seconded to the greenkeeper's staff, a move which laid the foundation for his skill as a course designer later in life. At 19, he turned professional and worked at several clubs eventually settling at Royal Mid Surrey. Besides tuition and competition, he made money from making clubs. He won his first Open in 1894 and would go on to win another three. Taylor was a stocky and strong man with the personality to match. His particular advantage over the opposition in golf was that he was able to maintain a consistent record in adverse weather conditions. Besides the Open he also won the French and German Opens. Taylor played golf all his life; indeed he contested the 1924 Open aged 55. However his main achievement at this time was the formation of the PGA. He spoke publicly and helped to raise the profile of professional golfers. In recognition of his achievements and contribution to golf, the R&A made him an honoury member in 1949. He retired from golf in 1957 and was honoured by Royal Birkdale, which he designed, with it's club presidency. The World Golf Hall of Fame described accuracy as the hallmark of Taylor's game: "Taylor's accuracy was legendary. At Sandwich, where he won his first Open by five strokes in 1894, he would have the directional posts removed from the blind holes out of fear that his drives would hit them and carom into bunkers." While Taylor spent many of his years following his playing career designing and remodeling golf courses around Britain, his biggest contribution came as a driving force behind the formation of the Professional Golfers Association in Britain. Taylor's public speaking helped raised the profile of the organization and of pro golfers in general. Taylor authored a book on his career in golf entitled "Golf, My Life's Work." Major Championships 5 • British Open: 1894, 1895, 1900, 1909, 1913 Awards and Honors • Member, World Golf Hall of Fame • Captain, Great Britain Ryder Cup team, 1933 John Henry Taylor, (born March 19, 1871—died February 10, 1963, Northam, Devonshire, England), English professional golfer, a member of the “Great Triumvirate”—with Harry Vardon and James Braid—that won the Open Championship (British Open) 16 times between 1894 and 1914; Taylor won in 1894, 1895, 1900, 1909, and 1913. He was the first English professional to win the Open, which from 1860 through 1893 had been dominated by Scottish golfers. Golf putter hitting golf tee and ball. (game; sport; golf ball; golf club) BRITANNICA QUIZ A Hole in One From its country of origin to its various clubs and obstacles, take a swing at this quiz and learn more about the sport of golf. In 1901 Taylor helped to found the British Professional Golfers’ Association and was chosen its first chairman. He retired in 1946 after 47 years as a club professional and subsequently lived in a cottage close to the Royal North Devon course. Taylor also was successful as a manufacturer of golf equipment and as an author on the sport. John Henry J.H. Taylor was an English professional golfer and one of the pioneers of the modern game of golf and best known for his fine British Open play winning his first Open in 1894. Taylor is considered to be one of the best golfers of all time going on to win the Open a further four times. As well as an outstanding golfer he also became a significant golf course architect. His fine reputation enabled his club making partnership with George Cann to become a very successful one. He joined forces with George Cann whilst he was professional at Winchester to start the club making business in 1894. Over the years the branded J.H.Taylor Autograph Model clubs were very popular. Taylors registered trademark was in use from 1895 - 1930. Taylor was born in Devon and at the age of 11 started work as a caddy and general labourer at the nearby Westward Ho GC also known as the Royal North Devon Golf Club. He joined the green keepers staff a move which laid the foundation for his skill as a course designer later in life. At 19 he turned professional and worked at several clubs ( Burnham & Berrow 1890 - 1892 Royal Winchester 1892 - 1896 Royal Wimbledon 1896 - 1899 ) eventually settling at Royal Mid Surrey until 1938. Taylor played golf all his life and at the age of 55 contested the 1924 Open. One of his greatest achievements was the formation of the PGA. As well as a champion golfer Taylor was a member of the Great Triumvirate of the sport together with Harry Vardon and James Braid. James Braid (6 February 1870[1] – 27 November 1950) was a Scottish professional golfer and a member of the Great Triumvirate of the sport alongside Harry Vardon and John Henry Taylor. He won The Open Championship five times.[2] He also was a renowned golf course architect. Braid is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame. Braid was born in Earlsferry, Fife, Scotland, the son of James and Mary (née Harris). He played golf from an early age, working as a clubmaker before turning professional in 1896. Initially his game was hindered by problems with his putting, but he overcame this after switching to an aluminium putter in 1900. He won The Open Championship in 1901, 1905, 1906, 1908 and 1910. In addition, Braid won four British PGA Matchplay Championships (1903, 1905, 1907 and 1911), as well as the 1910 French Open title. He was also runner-up in The Open Championship in 1897, 1902, 1904, and 1909. His 1906 victory in The Open Championship was the last successful defence of the title by a European until Pádraig Harrington replicated the feat in 2008.[3] In 1912, Braid scaled back his tournament golf, and became a full-time club professional at Walton Heath; he had begun a relationship with that London-area club more than a decade before. He developed a very successful career in golf course design,[4][5] and is sometimes regarded as the "inventor" of the dogleg, although holes of similar design had been known for centuries (for example, the Road Hole at the Old Course at St Andrews). Among his designs are the "King's Course" and the "Queen's Course" at Gleneagles, and the 1926 remodelling of The Open Championship venue Carnoustie Golf Links. Stranraer Golf Club's course was the final one that was designed by Braid in the year that he died, 1950. He was called out of retirement to plan Creachmore, which was to be his last commission. Braid never lived to see the course completed. He died in London on 27 November 1950.[6] Harry Vardon and Braid collaborated on several editions of Spalding Athletic Library "How to Play Golf".[7] Contents 1 Tournament wins (19) 2 Major championships 2.1 Wins (5) 2.2 Results timeline 3 Team appearances 4 Golf courses designed by Braid 4.1 Singapore designs 5 See also 6 References 7 Further reading 8 External links Tournament wins (19) Note: This list may be incomplete. 1901 The Open Championship, Lytham and St Anne's Professional Tournament 1902 Tooting Bec Cup, Greenore Professional Tournament 1903 News of the World Match Play, Tooting Bec Cup 1904 Tooting Bec Cup 1905 The Open Championship, News of the World Match Play 1906 The Open Championship 1907 News of the World Match Play, Tooting Bec Cup 1908 The Open Championship 1910 The Open Championship, French Open 1911 News of the World Match Play 1920 Galashiels Tournament, McVitie & Price Tournament (joint winner with Abe Mitchell), Amateurs and Professionals Foursomes Tournament (with J. H. Taylor) Major championships are shown in bold. Major championships Wins (5) Year Championship 54 holes Winning score Margin Runner(s)-up 1901 The Open Championship 5 shot lead 79-76-74-80=309 3 strokes Jersey Harry Vardon 1905 The Open Championship (2) 6 shot lead 81-78-78-81=318 5 strokes England Rowland Jones, England J.H. Taylor 1906 The Open Championship (3) 3 shot deficit 77-76-74-73=300 4 strokes England J.H. Taylor 1908 The Open Championship (4) 6 shot lead 70-72-77-72=291 8 strokes England Tom Ball 1910 The Open Championship (5) 2 shot deficit 76-73-74-76=299 4 strokes Scotland Sandy Herd Results timeline Tournament 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 The Open Championship T10 6 2 T10 T5 Tournament 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 The Open Championship 3 1 T2 5 T2 1 1 T5 1 T2 Tournament 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 The Open Championship 1 T5 3 T18 T10 NT NT NT NT NT Tournament 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 The Open Championship T21 T16 T49 T18 T28 T30 T41 Tournament 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 The Open Championship CUT Note: Braid only played in The Open Championship   Win   Top 10   Did not play NT = No tournament CUT = missed the half-way cut "T" indicates a tie for a place Team appearances England–Scotland Professional Match (representing Scotland): 1903 (winners), 1904 (tie), 1905 (tie), 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1912 (tie) France vs Great Britain (representing Great Britain): 1908 (winners) Coronation Match (representing the Professionals): 1911 (winners) Great Britain vs USA (representing Great Britain): 1921 (winners) Seniors vs Juniors (representing the Seniors): 1928 (winners) Golf courses designed by Braid Braid designed[8] over 200 courses including the following: Brora, Sutherland, Scotland Dalmahoy (East and West), Kirknewton, West Lothian, Scotland Eastward Ho!, Felixstowe, Suffolk Erskine Golf Club, Erskine, Renfrewshire, Scotland Gleneagles Hotel (King's and Queen's), Auchterarder, Perth and Kinross, Scotland[9] Kirkhill Golf Club, South Lanarkshire[10] La Moye Golf Club, Jersey Lancaster Golf Club, Lancashire Renfrew Golf Club, Renfrew, Renfrewshire, Scotland Southport and Ainsdale Golf Club, Merseyside, England[9] St Enodoc Golf Club, Devon, England[9] Tiverton Golf Club, Devon, Tiverton, England Singapore designs Braid disliked travel overseas, very rarely left the British Isles, and never traveled outside Europe. But he did design two 18-hole golf courses for the Singapore Island Country Club in Asia, using topographic maps to plan his layouts there, which were then constructed to his orders.[11] JAMES BRAID Braid grew up in Fife - the birthplace of golf. Although his parents had no enthuasism for the game, his cousins were top golfers. His earliest recollection of golf was playing with a child's club at around the age of 4. Originally trained as a carpenter and joiner, Braid learned to play a forceful style of golf at Elie links. Given his modest means, he reconditioned old clubs for his own use. After all, this was the era of the hickory shafted club and guttie balls. In 1893, he was offered the position of club-maker at the Army and Navy in London which he was delighted to accept. After some success as an amateur he turned professional in 1896 and worked as club professional at Romford, Essex. He later moved to Walton Heath, Surrey and stayed with the club until his death. JH Taylor described him as "sincere, trustworthy and loyal". Although Braid's long and short game were excellent, his putting sometimes left him down. That was largely corrected when he replaced his wooden putter with a metal headed one. Braid's spectacular success came at the turn of the century. In 1901 he won his first Open. Within 10 years he became the first man to win the event five times. He was runner up three times. He won The Open Championship in 1901, 1905, 1906, 1908 and 1910. In addition Braid won four British PGA championships in 1903, 1905, 1907 and 1911 as well as the 1910 French Open title. He was also runner-up in the British Open in 1897 and 1909. Throughout his career however, Braid remained modest and always demonstrated restraint whatever the circumstances. He became known as one of the "Great Triumvirate" of British golfers alongside Harry Vardon and J.H. Taylor. He retired from competitive golf in 1912, joining Walton Heath as its club professional. He remained at Walton Heath until his death. Besides his success as a golfer, Braid was an excellent course designer. He used his farming background to ensure that courses were well laid out and well drained. It it estimated that he designed or re-designed more than 200 courses around Great Britain (fear of flying and motion sickness on boat rides prevented him from ever working in the U.S.). Among the courses he helped remodel are Carnoustie, Troon, Prestwick and Ballybunion. Many of Braid's best courses were inland parkland tracks (as opposed to seaside links), and some of these courses contain the earliest known uses of the dogleg. In fact, some have postulated that Braid "invented" the dogleg hole. As a founder member of the British PGA and later it's president, he was instrumental in laying the foundation of today's professional game. He authored an instructional book entitled "Advanced Golf." In recognition of his contribution to golf, the R&A honoured him with membership. Had he played in the modern era, he would be a M.B.E. however Britain was a different place back then. Major Championships 5 • British Open: 1901, 1905, 1906, 1908, 1910 Awards and Honors • Member, World Golf Hall of Fame The all-time leaders in victories on the PGA Tour and Sam Snead and Tiger Woods — they are currently tied, but Woods is likely to pull ahead soon. Woods is one of two active golfers (along with Phil Mickelson) inside the Top 10 in career PGA Tour wins. The Top 5 are: Sam Snead, 82 wins Tiger Woods, 82 wins Jack Nicklaus, 63 wins Ben Hogan, 64 wins Arnold Palmer, 62 wins Those are also the only golfers in PGA Tour history to achieve 60 or more wins. There are seven golfers with 50+ wins, nine with 40 or more victories, 16 with at least 30 wins. Thirty-seven golfers have won 20 or more PGA Tour titles in their careers. Most PGA Tour Wins: All Golfers with 14 or More Victories The number in parentheses next to each golfer's win total is the number of major championships won. An asterisk (*) next to a golfer's name indicates that golfer is still active on the PGA Tour. Golfer Wins First Last Sam Snead 82 (7) 1936 West Virginia Closed Pro 1965 Greater Greensboro Open Tiger Woods* 82 (15) 1996 Las Vegas Invitational 2019 Zozo Championship Jack Nicklaus 73 (18) 1962 U.S. Open 1986 Masters Ben Hogan 64 (9) 1938 Hershey Four-Ball 1959 Colonial National Invitation Arnold Palmer 62 (7) 1955 Canadian Open 1973 Bob Hope Desert Classic Byron Nelson 52 (5) 1935 New Jersey State Open 1951 Bing Crosby Pro-Am Billy Casper 51 (3) 1956 Labatt Open 1975 First NBC New Orleans Open Walter Hagen 45 (11) 1914 U.S. Open 1936 Inverness Four-Ball Phil Mickelson* 44 (5) 1991 Northern Telecom Open 2019 AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am Cary Middlecoff 39 (3) 1945 North & South Open 1961 Memphis Open Invitational Tom Watson 39 (8) 1974 Western Open 1998 MasterCard Colonial Gene Sarazen 38 (7) 1922 Southern Spring Open 1941 Miami International Four-Ball Lloyd Mangrum 36 (1) 1940 Thomasville Open 1956 Los Angeles Open Vijay Singh* 34 (3) 1993 Buick Classic 2008 Deutsche Bank Championship Jimmy Demaret 31 (3) 1938 San Francisco Match Play 1957 Arlington Hotel Open Horton Smith 30 (2) 1928 Oklahoma City Open 1941 St. Paul Open Harry Cooper 29 (0) 1923 Galveston Open Championship 1939 Goodall Palm Beach Round Robin Gene Littler 29 (1) 1954 San Diego Open 1977 Houston Open Lee Trevino 29 (6) 1968 U.S. Open 1984 PGA Championship Leo Diegel 28 (2) 1920 Pinehurst Fall Pro-Am 1934 New England PGA Paul Runyan 28 (2) 1930 North and South Open 1941 Goodall Round Robin Henry Picard 26 (2) 1932 Mid-South Open 1945 Miami Open Tommy Armour 25 (3) 1920 Pinehurst Fall Pro-Am 1938 Mid-South Open Johnny Miller 25 (2) 1971 Southern Open Invitational 1994 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am Gary Player 24 (9) 1958 Kentucky Derby Open 1978 Houston Open Macdonald Smith 24 (0) 1924 California Open 1936 Seattle Open Johnny Farrell 22 (1) 1921 Garden City Open 1936 New Jersey Open Raymond Floyd 22 (4) 1963 St. Petersburg Open Invitational 1992 Doral-Ryder Open Jim Barnes 21 (4) 1916 North and South Open 1937 Long Island Open Davis Love III* 21 (1) 1987 MCI Heritage Golf Classic 2015 Wyndham Championship Willie Macfarlane 21 (1) 1916 Rockland Four-Ball 1936 Walter Olson Golf Tournament Lanny Wadkins 21 (1) 1972 Sahara Invitational 1992 Greater Hartford Open Craig Wood 21 (2) 1928 New Jersey PGA Championship 1944 Durham Open Hale Irwin 20 (3) 1971 Sea Pines Heritage Classic 1994 MCI Heritage Golf Classic Dustin Johnson* 20 (1) 2008 Turning Stone Resort Championship 2019 WGC Mexico Championship Greg Norman 20 (2) 1984 Kemper Open 1997 NEC World Series of Golf Johnny Revolta 20 (1) 1933 Miami Open 1944 Texas Open Doug Sanders 20 (0) 1956 Canadian Open 1972 Kemper Open Ben Crenshaw 19 (2) 1973 San Antonio Texas Open 1995 Masters Ernie Els* 19 (4) 1994 U.S. Open 2012 British Open Doug Ford 19 (2) 1952 Jacksonville Open 1963 Canadian Open Hubert Green 19 (2) 1971 Houston Champions International 1985 PGA Championship Tom Kite 19 (1) 1976 IVB-Bicentennial Golf Classic 1993 Nissan Los Angeles Open Bill Mehlhorn 19 (0) 1923 Texas Open 1930 La Gorce Open Julius Boros 18 (3) 1952 U.S. Open 1968 Westchester Classic Jim Ferrier 18 (1) 1944 Oakland Open 1961 Almaden Open Invitational Dutch Harrison 18 (0) 1939 Bing Crosby Pro-Am 1958 Tijuana Open Invitational Rory McIlroy* 18 (4) 2010 Quail Hollow Championship 2019 WGC HSBC Championship Nick Price 18 (3) 1983 World Series of Golf 2002 MasterCard Colonial Bobby Cruickshank 17 (0) 1921 St. Joseph Open 1936 Virginia Open Jim Furyk* 17 (1) 1995 Las Vegas Invitational 2015 RBC Heritage Jug McSpaden 17 (0) 1933 Santa Monica Amateur-Pro 1945 Miami International Four-Ball Curtis Strange 17 (2) 1979 Pensacola Open 1989 U.S. Open Jack Burke Jr. 16 (2) 1950 Bing Crosby Pro-Am 1962 Lucky International Open Ralph Guldahl 16 (3) 1931 Santa Monica Open 1950 Inverness Invitational Four-Ball Mark O'Meara 16 (2) 1984 Greater Milwaukee Open 1998 British Open Tom Weiskopf 16 (1) 1968 Andy Williams-San Diego Open Invitational 1982 Western Open Tommy Bolt 15 (1) 1951 North and South Open 1961 Pensacola Open Invitational Fred Couples 15 (1) 1983 Kemper Open 2003 Shell Houston Open Ed Dudley 15 (0) 1928 Southern California Pro 1939 Walter Hagen 25th Anniversary Bobby Locke 15 (4) 1947 Canadian Open 1957 British Open Corey Pavin 15 (1) 1984 Houston Coca-Cola Open 2006 U.S. Bank Championship Denny Shute 15 (3) 1929 Ohio Open 1939 Glens Falls Open Mike Souchak 15 (0) 1955 Texas Open 1964 Memphis Open Invitational Bruce Crampton 14 (0) 1961 Milwaukee Open 1975 Houston Open Jock Hutchison 14 (2) 1918 Florida West Coast Open 1928 Florida West Coast Open Kenny Perry 14 (0) 1991 Memorial 2009 Travelers Championship Adam Scott 14 (1) 2003 Deutsche Bank Championship 2020 Genesis Invitational Hal Sutton 14 (1) 1982 Walt Disney World Golf Classic 2001 Shell Houston Open Joe Turnesa 14 (0) 1924 Augusta Open 1933 Mid-South Open Ken Venturi 14 (1) 1957 St. Paul Open Invitational 1966 Lucky International Open Art Wall 14 (1) 1953 Fort Wayne Open 1975 Greater Milwaukee Open (The farther back one goes in golf history, the sketchier the record-keeping becomes. For that reason, there are some lists of all-time wins on the web that differ very slightly for some golfers, particularly those below 30 wins, from this list. For example, some sources show Cary Middlecoff with 40 wins and Leo Diegel with 30. However, the numbers in our list above are the official win totals as recognized by the PGA Tour.) Active Golfers With At Least 10 PGA Tour Wins Are any golfers who currently play on the PGA Tour getting close to making the list above? Here are the active PGA Tour golfers with fewer than 14 career wins but more than nine: Zach Johnson, 12 Jason Day, 12 Justin Thomas, 12 Bubba Watson, 12 Jordan Spieth, 11 Sergio Garcia, 10 Justin Rose, 10 From James Braid by Hodder & Stoughton From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia James Braid (February 6, 1870 - November 27, 1950) was a Scottish professional golfer, who was one of the "Great Triumvirate" of British golfers in the early 20th century alongside Harry Vardon and J.H. Taylor. Braid was born in Earlsferry, Fife, Scotland and played golf from an early age, working as a clubmaker before turnover professional in 1896. Initially his game was hinded by problems with his putting, but he overcame this after switching to an aluminium putter in 1900. He won The Open Championship in 1901, 1905, 1906, 1908 and 1910. In addition Braid won four British PGA championships in 1903, 1905, 1907 and 1911 as well as the 1910 French Open title. He was also runner-up in the British Open in 1897 and 1909. In 1912 Braid retired from tournament golf and became a club professional at Walton Heath. He was also involved in golf course design, and is sometimes regarded as the "inventor" of the dogleg. Among his designs are the "King's Course" and the "Queen's Course" at Gleneagles the 1926 remodelling of the British Open/The Open Championship venue Carnoustie Golf Links. The future golfing historian will doubtless perceive that during the lifetime of James Braid and his distinguished contemporaries the position of the golf professional became an altogether different one, alike in reward and in social status. It is not so certain whether he will appreciate how much that difference was due to their fine example in character and conduct. Unquestionably their chance came with the immense spread of the game in their time but it was by the way they took that chance that they showed themselves the men they were. In their boyhood's days there were very few greens that needed or could afford a professional and so, unless he was one of the few lucky and resolute ones, he never rose far above the status of the caddie from which he had originally emerged, and when hard times or old age overtook him he ended as he had begun. If he was inclined to drink too much, as he often was, he was not greatly to be blamed, for his life produced naturally many idle hours and drink was one obvious way in which to pass them. At the time when James and his contemporaries were emerging from boyhood the professional's opportunities were improving. In the later 'eighties when he was seventeen or eighteen the game was spreading like wildfire over England and the demand for someone who should combine the greenkeeper, the club-maker and the teacher was in consequence rapidly increasing. But even so it did not till a few years later offer a very inviting prospect and it is easy to understand how James's parents thought that a safe steady-going job as a joiner was a wiser investment than a plunge into the wild unknown England, where their lovable but reprehensible relation, Douglas Rolland, had taken sanctuary from the stern edicts of his native land. By the time James had decided to take the plunge the prospects in England were perceptibly brighter, and not only there, for the game was likewise booming in Scotland. There was now a real chance for a steady man to make a decent living and, if he were an outstanding player, something more than that. But the margin of profit was still small and the player's rewards inconsiderable. To win a prize of £10 on the way to the Open championship brought with it the comfortable assurance that at least the expenses of the visit were provided for. To be a good player was by no means enough; the professional must be ready to turn his hand to anything: mending a club one minute; rolling the green or if need be digging a new bunker the next; ruling as caddie master over a herd of boys. It was a hard and busy life and beyond all these multifarious duties the club professional must be ever ready to make himself pleasant to all sorts and conditions of members, most of them ready no doubt to be pleasant themselves, but a few of them exacting and unreasonable to an infuriating degree. All these difficult things James and his great contemporaries achieved in a truly remarkable degree; always dignified and always respectful; steadily raising the whole status of their profession as they raised themselves; models of good and natural manners on and off the course. They set a wonderful example and the good they did will live long after them. Apart from this universal esteem and respect felt for himself and his colleagues, James had a truly remarkable power of inspiring affection. This became more and more noteworthy in his later years, for we have as a nation a deep and genuine feeling for a grand old man in any walk of life and not least a grand old game-player. But throughout his career he had had the gift of making people fond of him. Up to a point it is not difficult for a prominent player of games to inspire personal liking, and it is perhaps easier for golfers than for the heroes of other games, since in the nature of their game they are surrounded and hemmed in by potential admirers, longing to repeat a single word overheard or, still better, to extract one addressed to themselves. To suffer them gladly is one of the tasks to which the Champion must school himself, and he must also learn, if he can, to make some pretence of remembering the man who said 'Well played' at the 10th hole on a course never visited before or since some dozen years ago. A golfer who, like the members of the Triumvirate, [Braid, Taylor and Vardon] plays in the course of years at numberless different places must inevitably be in the position of having met in a flash of lightning thousands of people of whom he has not the faintest recollection. But they remember him vividly, often crediting themselves with a familiarity with the great man which is wholly illusory, and retailing the mildest of small stories of what he said or did. Even as the Duke of Wellington was 'much exposed to authors' so James was much exposed to spectators of this kind and nobody was better qualified to deal with them. His invincible tranquillity made him endure their untimely interruptions and his memory was such that he sometimes did, contrary to all the laws of probability, really remember them. These qualities naturally made for a general liking, but such a popularity as almost any champion can command, is very different from the real, deep affection that not only his friends but thousands who had barely exchanged a word with him felt for James. His was not merely that negative popularity such as is sometimes gained by silent and reserved men. James was beyond all doubt reserved, almost to a point of being secretive; he did not like garrulous people; he said very little and could hardly ever be said to let himself go. He certainly never seemed to go out of his way to seek affection, and if he felt it for others, as I am convinced he did, I doubt if he ever expressed it in words. He might have felt it altogether too gushing and barely decent to do so; yet it was an essentially positive affection that innumerable people felt for him and one that grew ever warmer with the years. James was a monument of two invaluable qualities, common sense and discretion. It is impossible to think of his doing or saying a foolish thing and though he heard much he revealed nothing. If, as has been said, 'philosophy is nothing but discretion', then James was well worthy to be called a philosopher. Moreover he had more than common sense, he had wisdom. I think that on any problem of which he was by experience competent to judge he would have given as sound advice as it was possible to obtain. If he did not feel competent, nothing would have induced him to say a word. 'His virtues walked their narrow round' but within that round there could not have been a more trustworthy counsellor, nor one who would think out a question more thoroughly before giving an opinion on it. It may be said perhaps that the natural bent of his mind was cautious and conservative. He would look more than once before he leaped, and his first inclination was to say, 'I would not do it'. But there was about him this comforting and compensating quality that if his advice was in favour of doing it, whatever it was, it was pretty sure to be the right and wise thing to do. The very last words he spoke at a meeting of the Professional Golfers' Association almost immediately before going into the nursing home for his operation, were extremely characteristic of his restraining wisdom, 'Take care you don't cut your own throats'. He had, as everybody must have, his likes and dislikes among people, but it would have taken an extraordinarily keen observer to guess at them from his calm, dignified, unchanging good manners. As he was a generous man in his everyday life, so he was a generous opponent at golf, and the same high praise must be given to his illustrious adversaries. They were constantly trying to beat one another and for several years the highest honours were very nearly confined to their small group. Each of them wanted with his whole soul to win, for no one can attain to such a position as was theirs without a fierce desire for victory; but they remained magnanimously equal to either fortune. It is not in human nature never to feel some grievance against the Fates in defeat and some envy of the victor, but whatever they felt they gave no sign of their emotions and remained models of good losing as of good winning. In the evening Braid would often go across the road from his house to the social club in Walton, of which he was an original member. Here he would occasionally play darts but his more regular game was billiards. A great player he was not but he drove the balls about the table with much of that 'divine fury' which Horace Hutchinson had attributed to him in golf so many years before, sometimes with results very disconcerting to the opposition. The club never taught him to smoke. He had given it a very brief trial in his youth and decided firmly against it. His life at home remained in many ways as it always had been. Though he made so many journeys he would never have a car, but stuck to a train, not on economic grounds but because he was always prone to car sickness. He also refused to have a telephone and that was probably an example of his natural shrewdness; he knew that he would be given too little peace if he had it. I suppose the thought of retiring must now and then inevitably have occurred to him but only as an ultimate and distant possibility. When the reporters asked him on his eightieth birthday whether he meant to retire he entirely and, I am convinced, genuinely denied it. Why should he retire? He loved his work and the play that was part of it. Whenever there was a competition at Walton Heath he was there to start the players and if need be to help manage the crowd. When the Daily Mail tournament was played there during the last summer of his life I saw him positively run, not very far and not very fast, but still run to shoo away an intrusive onlooker. He would have been lost without his life's work and it ought perhaps to be a cause for thankfulness that he never had to endure life without it. BIOGRAPHY James Braid is one of the most prolific golf course architects in history. His legacy is unparalleled in the UK. FROM SCOTLAND TO ENGLAND Born in Scotland and raised on the links at Elie. After a brief spell in St. Andrews, he moved to Edinburgh where he, interestingly, played at Braid Hills. Moving to London to accept a club-making position, James Braid ended up as head professional at Romford GC in North East London. After winning the Open Championship in 1901, he undertook several design contracts in Ireland and England. In 1904, Braid became the head professional at Walton Heath where he would remain for the remainder of his days. TRANSITION FROM PLAYING TO DESIGNING After claiming his fifth Open Championship title, James Braid retired from professional golf in 1912 to concentrate on his course design. Due to severe motion sickness, James Braid infrequently travelled over land and water. Although most of his 400 courses grace England, Scotland and Wales there is some Braid influence to be found in the Isle of Man, Ireland and continental Europe. He was also able to understand topographical maps and therefore was able to design courses without a site visit, resulting in commissions in both Singapore and the USA. A CLOSER LOOK We wish to thank a friend of Evalu18 and collaborator, Keith Cutten, for the material for this short biography. For a more detailed account, you can find his book by clicking here. Also, the book, James Braid and his Four Hundred Golf Courses, provides an excellent overview of his prolific work. JAMES BRAID See the 1904 classic photograph of James Braid reimagined by clicking here. ARCHITECTURAL HALLMARKS Very little earth was moved in James Braid 's designs due to technological constraints. Minimal artificial features present. Putting greens must be well guarded, often by dykes, directly in front of greens. Green size is governed by the length of approach. Alternative tees provided to allow play in all conditions. Bunkering and layout reward good positional play with alternative routes provided on each hole. Par 3’s are often surrounded by pot bunkers. In 1908, James Braid outlined best practice in the form of general features of a good golf course. As found in Advanced Golf, they are as follows: 1 - There should be a complete variety of holes, not only as regards length, but in their character - the way in which they are bunkered, the kind of tee shot that is required at them, the kind of approach, and so forth. 2 - In every case, the putting greens should be well guarded. 3 - The shorter the hole the smaller should be the putting green, and the more closely should it be guarded; so that on this principle when in good playa long shot can reach the green, that green should be fairly large and open in order to give the player the encouragement to which he is entitled. 4 - There should be alternative tees, in order that the course may be easily adapt to varying winds and dry weather, when there is more run on the ball. 5 - The bunkering and general planning of the holes should be carried out with the specific object of making it necessary not only to get a certain length but, more particularly, to gain the desired position. The player who does not gain this position should have his next shot made more difficult for him or should be obliged to take an extra stroke. 6 - There should be as frequently as possible two alternative methods of playing a hole, an easy one and a difficult one, and there should be a chance of gaining a stroke when the latter is chosen and the attempt is successful. PORTFOLIO Aberdovey Golf Club Baildon Golf Club Berkhamsted Golf Club Blairgowrie Golf Club Boat of Garten Golf Club Brora Golf Club Bruntsfield Links Carnoustie Golf Links Downfield Golf Club Dunbar Golf Club Fairhaven Golf Club Formby Golf Club Fortrose & Rosemarkie Golf Club Fraserburgh Golf Club Ganton Golf Club Glen Golf Club Gleneagles Golspie Golf Club Goodwood Goswick Golf Club Halifax Golf Club Hankley Common Golf Club Hockley Golf Club Hunstanton Golf Club Ipswich Golf Club Irvine Golf Club Kedleston Park Golf Club La Moye Golf Club Lanark Golf Club Littlestone Golf Club Longniddry Golf Club Luffenham Heath Golf Club Lundin Golf Club Muir of Ord Golf Club Murcar Links Nairn Golf Club Nefyn & District Golf Club North Hants Golf Club Northamptonshire County Golf Club Panmure Golf Club Parkstone Golf Club Pennard Golf Club Perranporth Golf Club Rosapenna Old Tom Morris Links Royal Aberdeen Golf Club Royal Blackheath Golf Club Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club Royal County Down Golf Club Royal Cromer Golf Club Royal Troon Golf Club Scotscraig Golf Club Sherwood Forest Golf Club Southport & Ainsdale Golf Club St Enodoc Golf Club Tenby Golf Club The Golf House Club Elie Thorpeness Golf Club Wallasey Golf Club West Byfleet Golf Club West Kilbride Golf Club Woodbridge Golf Club Born in the Kingdom of Fife, in 1870, his early life centred on the links at Elie and it was there that he learned his golf. At the earliest of ages he was mightily proficient by all accounts. His training, and then job, as a carpenter and joiner in the home of golf gave some sustenance to his impoverished family, but also gave him the chance to turn his increasingly skilled hands to club making and repairing – firstly his own, then others – and to playing. This pursuit took him south from his native Scotland, to London, at no less than the Army and Navy department store to make clubs. Has this ever been done since I wonder? And he played as much as he could in the capital, because golf was his game. His game was excellent as an amateur and soon the attraction of a permanent paying position beckoned and he moved, at the relatively tender age of 26, to the north eastern outskirts of London, to Romford Golf Club in Essex, as the professional. So began a career which few have paralleled. Only two years later he narrowly lost The Open but three years on he became champion at Muirfield, one of Old Tom's best creations, he contended, a feat he repeated four years later on The Old Course. He returned to East Lothian's classic links to retain his title the year after. It was only a further two more years before it was his again, this time at Prestwick. He climaxed this remarkable decade by taking his fifth title at St Andrews four years before the Great War. Five world championships in less than ten years – a remarkable achievement. Perhaps the Nicklaus's and the Woods' of our modern world would doff their caps to the man. In these earliest years of the 20th century he, with his fellow professionals, John Henry Taylor and Harry Vardon, dominated the game, and so the Great Triumvirate was born. We revere them greatly today as wonderful exponents of the game, and to no less degree as exponents of our profession of golf course architecture. Braid's playing successes brought his fame, if not fortune, and he strived at every opportunity to improve the game, to move it up and on, and his place in it. His founding of and his presiding over the Professional Golfers' Association in its earliest of days many in the game today should remember with great gratitude. In the midst of his Open successes, he left Romford to move south of the river, to the heathland of Surrey and to a new course designed by Herbert Fowler at Walton Heath. He remained with the club for a further forty odd years until his death in 1950. In the midst of his Open successes, and his domination on the course he found time to put pen to paper in exploring his thoughts on the game, its playing, its stroking, and for me most interestingly, its design. Advanced Golf, first published in 1902, is a book any golf course architect – interested in where his profession came from, what the greats thought, conspired and practised – should not fail to have on the shelves of his library. Braid dedicated two chapters of this wonderful book to golf course design – The Planning of Course, and The Character and Placing of Teeing Grounds, Bunkers and Putting Greens – and fascinating reading they make for me and I hope my professional colleagues. He wrote: "It is both necessary and desirable that the holes should be laid out as suggested by the lie of the land, every natural obstacle being taken care of." "There should be a complete variety of holes…not just length, but in their character – the way in which they are bunkered…the kind of shot that is required…the kind of approach and so forth." The greens should be well guarded. "The shorter the hole, the smaller the green, the more closely guarded." And no less importantly: "The bunkering and general planning should be carried out with the specific object of making it necessary not only to get a certain length, but more particularly to gain a desired position…and the player who does not gain his position should have his next shot made more difficult." "There should as frequently as possible be (at least) two possible alternative methods of playing the hole – an easy one, a difficult one – and there should be a chance of gaining a stroke when the latter is chosen." With thoughts like this, perhaps revolutionary at such a time, I wonder how Simpson could have considered Braid as part of the Dark Ages of golf course architecture! I wonder also just how original some of MacKenzie's words in Golf Architecture, published some twenty years later, were? In those classic chapters, Braid continued: "The last two or three holes should be of good length in order to induce a good finish." "At the long holes, the bunkering should not be too severe." "In the case of the shortest of the short holes I would have no cross bunkering, but bunkers all around it." "There should be the greatest variety – length, height, direction – in the short holes." Food for all of us to taste, chew, digest, I might suggest. Some contend Mr Braid was guilty of over-penal bunkering, being too tough on the player. But he was not that kind of man, I believe. He was a strategist, in his play, in his designs. "Long bunkers right in front of a green are not a good form of hazard," he propounded. "Bunkers are not placed on a course haphazard but they are made in particular places to catch…defective shots." "Whilst every assistance should be given to the bunker to enable it to catch its own kind of shot…and the player punished by having to play out of it…generally there should be a fair chance of playing forward." Considered, fair, reasonable – and only intimidatingly punishing, I might say. James Braid was prolific in his architectural work as he stepped out of the playing limelight as an undisputed champion. At a time with no planes, just some trains, boats and Shanks' Pony, travelling as he did, designing so much in so many places was a truly remarkable achievement. Especially since he was constantly nauseous on the sea! Wonderful golf courses such as Aberdovey, Carnoustie, Southport and Ainsdale, Berkhamsted, Mere, North Hants, Goodwood and of course his beloved Gleneagles – Kings, Queens and Braid's Brawest – who could forget? Truly remarkable. He might have done it – he only could have done it – by fleetingly being at a piece of land, by fleetingly being at a course he was asked to change, add to, improve – by Geoffrey Cornish's "eighteen stakes on a Sunday afternoon" method. But he did it, and how impressively! Gleneagles, of course, is different and special. Enough for his clients, to want the product to be known as having him as the architect. He was best regarded by many of his colleagues: "There could not have been a cooler or better tempered golfer...a prince of sportsmen...This tall, stooping old Scot is one of the wonders of the golfing world." They wrote: "He had a great eye for a golf hole and will cross a tract of virgin land and plot out golf holes as well as any man. He has been a successful golf architect and many of his courses are not rubber stamped – they are original." James Braid was indeed a remarkable man and a remarkable achiever, a fine player and as a fine architect. He had a concern about his game, and about its future. So what changes? In his book An Essential Distinction, Braid said: "The traditions and values that over the centuries have set golf apart from other sports as the game of higher principal and personal integrity have never been exposed to so much challenge as they are in today's cynically commercial world. Indeed the danger of this most noble of all games being hijacked by some forces who appreciate little if anything of its history and customs, and what's worse, care even less, is a cause for not a little worry. "Perhaps it is not altogether their fault. The rush of new recruits to the game fuelled in some part at least by those upwardly mobile ambitions that so characterised the 1980s was hardly matched by a golf establishment ready, willing or even able to integrate them into the slightly arcane world where a simple game of club and ball is in fact so much more than just that. "With little in the way of guidance, is it any wonder that some, who bypassed the traditional upbringing of golf club or organised golf society now treat the game as a fashion accessory? In the rampant materialism of the present day should we really wonder why desire among some to join a golf club is seen in the same light as the acquisition of the latest flavour of the month, foreign motor car? The real values of this royal and ancient pastime that has infuriated mankind for five hundred years are sadly now passing too many by." We have much to be grateful for in the legacy he left us.

PicClick Insights - FANTASTIC Medway Golf Club, Borstal, Rochester. J.H. Taylor and James Braid 1909 PicClick Exclusive

  •  Popularity - 2 watchers, 0.1 new watchers per day, 25 days for sale on eBay. Good amount watching. 0 sold, 1 available.
  •  Best Price -
  •  Seller - 808+ items sold. 0% negative feedback. Great seller with very good positive feedback and over 50 ratings.

People Also Loved PicClick Exclusive