in a splendid hat and suit, might at first glance have appeared to be nothing to do with golf. Closer inspection revealed the postcard to be an image of Hoylake’s legendary early 20th century Secretary, Harold Janion, marking up competition scores. (See page 26 for more about Harold.) My home Club is Walton Heath. Five


times Open winner, James Braid, was the first professional there and remained so until 1950. As a result I started collecting and playing with James Braid clubs and still do so, and when people ask me why I say that I am supporting the local pro – even though he died more than 60 years ago. But once again, you can see how collecting gives both the enjoyment of a hobby and a sense that history is being documented and preserved. There are also fantastic surprises. I


began to collect books from a late 19th century series called The Badminton


Above: The RLGC Gold Medal


Right: One of the medals for major


competition winners at Hoylake


Below: The Dun Challenge Silver Closs


The collection in the Clubhouse, together with the work of an enthusiastic Heritage Committee, reminds members of their inheritance


Library of Sports and Pastimes, the publishing brainchild of Henry Somerset, the 8th Duke of Beaufort. Volume 13 was devoted to golf, edited by Horace Hutchinson and first published in 1890. Quite recently, I was offered a copy of the ‘thoroughly revised’ 7th edition of 1902. Already having copies of all 9 editions, including a first edition previously belonging to Stanley Baldwin, this was something I certainly did not need. However, the dealer told me, ‘There’s a letter inside...” I found it and read it. Dated May 1897, the writer apologised to his reader for not having written sooner but explained that he had had an enormous amount of correspondence to get through and signed himself, A. J. Travers Allan. At first the name didn’t mean that much to me, but then it dawned that this was a letter by one of golf history’s most tragic figures. A. J. Travers Allan was Jack Allan, the young man who won the Amateur Championship at Muirfield in 1897 having only taken up the game in 1892. By all accounts a terrific and


30 ROYAL LIVERPOOL GOLF CLUB MAGAZINE 2 014


naturally gifted player he would not live to fulfil his potential. Having also qualified as a doctor in 1897, aged just 23, he succumbed to tuberculosis or “consumption” within months of becoming Amateur Champion. Once again, the desire to collect had added something to the history of golf - how many signed letters from Jack Allan survive to this day? And the lesson from this? Never give up looking! In fact, history is something Clubs


ignore at their peril. I was asked to address the Golf Club Managers Association and asked my audience if they considered the history of their Clubs to be an asset. The point being that if Clubs strive to understand their histories this has great value and encourages members to be proud and loyal and visitors to want to play there. I believe many Clubs could do more to help curate the game’s past and benefit in the process. The preservation of golfing


memorabilia has made people much more aware of the history of the


game. Take Royal Liverpool as a prime example. The collection in the Clubhouse, together with the work of an enthusiastic Heritage Committee, reminds members of their inheritance and their duty to preserve it for future generations. It reminds visitors they have arrived at a very special place where a lot of people, for a long time, have enjoyed the experience of playing on the links – and now it is their turn. If anyone is in doubt about that, empty


the Clubhouse and it would become just like any other, albeit quite a grand one, oh, and with a pretty good golf course attached to it! ■


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