What a life. What a legacy. What a man.
You may like
to know? I received a telephone call from out of the blue late in 2003 from a gentleman called Denis Quinn from the old Tanganyika Golf Society. Denis was its secretary. He told me that the club was about to be disbanded and asked if Hoylake would be interested in receiving the President’s Prize, the J.H. Taylor Baffy (an old lofted wooden club).
Tanganyika was a land long ago in east Africa within the British Empire named after the Lake Tanganyika. In 1964 it merged with Zanzibar to form the new country of Tanzania.
triumphs. To win by 8 shots a championship that included Vardon, Braid and Ray is a feat that shall be remembered as long as golf is played and recalled. J.H. himself never forgot that morning of the last day when he battled with and triumphed over the “Hoylake wind”. John H. Taylor returned to Hoylake for the
1924 Open and after 36 holes was in contention, but a bout of lumbago finished his chances on the last day and he finished in fifth place, pretty good for a man of fifty three. And it was during this championship that he registered the course record of 70. In recent years the Royal Liverpool Golf
Club has acquired some notable pieces of golf memorabilia, including the splendid J.H. Taylor Baffy that was presented to the Club by the soon to be disbanded Tanganyika G.C. The Baffy was the Club’s President’s Prize and was one of the clubs J.H. used when playing in the 1924 Open. Taylor must have enjoyed the air in the North
West of England as he had an outstanding Championship at Royal Lytham and St Annes’ first Open in 1926. Furthermore, he was the architect that Royal Birkdale engaged to transform the course in 1934. Previously the course was played over the sand dunes but it was Taylor’s idea to play through the valleys of the dunes that we see today.
Bernard Darwin believed that J.H. would
have been a success in any walk of life he chose. He was a moving spirit in the formation of the Professional Golfers Association in 1901 and instrumental in the creation of two public courses in Richmond Park. For many years he was the acknowledged head of his profession and it was due to him that professional golf climbed out of its unsatisfactory condition. He was born in the vicinity of Royal North
Devon Golf Club and also died there, aged 92. Few men in the history of golf have done
more across the whole spectrum of the game and few men deserve greater acknowledgement and praise than John Henry Taylor. What a life. What a legacy. What a man. ■
ROYAL LIVERPOOL GOLF CLUB 2013 MAGAZINE
5
The Baffy, I was assured, was used by J.H. Taylor when, at the age of 53, he recorded the course record at Hoylake in the 1924 Open. In all probability he could have been using the same club in 1913. True, it was 11 years previously but, taking the European war of 4 years into consideration and the lack of development in club manufacturing during this period, it is certainly possible. And I like to think it is certain! The club is on display in the Royal Liverpool Club House.
J. H. Taylor’s baffy
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