Antique Golf Clubs from Scotland: Clubmakers

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Clubmakers

Jimmy Huish
Musselburgh/Vancouver
James Huish was born on 13 December 1879 at Pencaitland and started his working life as a groom, his father, William, listed as a coachman on the 1881 census. He enlisted in the Imperial Yeomanry in 1901 and served as a private in the Boer War in South Africa. In early 1902 he was discharged as ‘medically unfit for further service’. He had not been wounded and no further explanation is provided in his discharge papers.

Back in Scotland he was working as a chauffeur in 1911 when the former Musselburgh golfer Willie Moffat became professional at the Victoria Golf Club and invited Huish to join him as his assistant in British Columbia. This he accepted and arrived in Quebec in April 1912.

Sometime in 1915, after June when he played in the Pacific Northwest Open with the affiliation of Victoria, he became professional at Colwood. He stayed two years until becoming professional at the Vancouver Golf and Country Club in Burquitlam.

Exhibition matches watched by large galleries seemed to be popular during his time at Vancouver. He and Davie Black defeated the visiting Australians, Joe Kirkwood and Victor East, in 1921 but lost to Kirkwood and Walter Hagen the following year. 36 holes with Phil Jefferson against Alf Blinko and Alec Duthie was according to the Vancouver Daily World ‘in spots the finest brand of golf ever witnessed on the coast’. Playing with Duthie in 1921, the pair finished all-square after 36 holes against Davie Black and Phil Taylor who themselves had recently put the reigning Open US Open champions, Jock Hutchison and Jim Barnes to the sword.

In 1925 Jimmy Huish was named as the professional at the new Marine Drive Golf and Country Club. Around the same time he laid out the Maple Ridge Golf Course and agreed to give lessons on a monthly basis.

He remained at Marine Drive until 1940 until going to work in a munitions factory as part of the war effort. Before his retirement he worked as a clubmaker for Fred Wood, the Shaughnessy pro and for Ernie Brown at Jericho. He died in Vancouver in April 1953.

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