Antique Golf Clubs from Scotland: Clubmakers

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Clubmakers

James Smith
Carnoustie/California

James Pullar Smith was born in Carnoustie in 1888, the second youngest of five golfing brothers Alec, Willie, George and Mac plus their father, John, who made successful livings in the United States as golf professionals.

Jim’s initial work had nothing to do with golf. On the 1891 census he was shown as a 14 year old cop-packer in a flax and jute factory, someone who wound the thread onto the bobbin.

At some point he made the transition to clubmaking, serving his apprenticeship with Bob Smith in Monifieth. He was a prominent member of the New Taymouth Club in Carnoustie.

He left Carnoustie for the United States in February 1908 and seems to have gone directly to be professional at the newly-opened Marin Country Club at San Rafael (it died in the Stock Market crash of 1929). In 1912 he became professional at another newly opened club, the Casa del Rey club at Santa Cruz.

1916 saw him move to the Del Paso club in Sacramento with brother Mac as his assistant.

In August 1918 he became professional at the Mt Diablo Park club where his father was head greenkeeper and Mac had also been professional before going into the army.

There was a spell at Berkeley Country Club where he was appointed in October 1921. One might have thought he was there for the long term, with new premises opened for clubmaking and repair with his assistant Peter Fisher, newly arrived from Carnoustie and his breaking of the the course record in November 1922 but his departure was announced the following month with his replacement being Jim Novak.

His appointment was confirmed in April 1924 for a season at the Feather River Inn in the California Sierras in Plumas County, an article which revealed he was a keen trout fisherman also. Certainly he was there in 1925 also.

He died in San Francisco in 1929.

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