Antique Golf Clubs from Scotland: Clubmakers

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Clubmakers

Georgina Campbell
Boston

I had until recently championed Gertrude Harrison as the world’s first female golf professional who, whatever her status, most certainly is deserving of more attention in Ohio. I was not unaware of claims made for Georgina Campbell but had seen objections to the claim (and was well used to ‘discoveries’ of female clubmakers in Scotland arising from the fact that a clubmaker’s widow was often allowed to remain in a tied property for a period of time after her husband’s death and the post office and trade directories continued to associate ‘clubmaker’ with the property). That is clearly not the case with Willie Campbell’s widow. And despite detailed research by Brian deLacey and her grandson Bob Lamprey I had not previously seen contemporary documentation of her appointment. I was, therefore, pleased to find a report in Sporting Life of 12 April 1901 confirming her appointment by the Park Commissioners at Franklin Park Links in Boston. Thirdly, I took the view that, if anything, she was ‘only’ an instructor whereas Mrs Harrison had to run a whole business in the way modern professionals do. This is both unfair and inaccurate. I have included many Scottish male émigrés as professionals who were ‘only’ instructors (and often major prizewinners in tournaments) and she was much more than an instructor, her full title being ‘keeper of the green and public instructor'. As her grandson has written, ‘she made clubs, made balls, ran the golf club and, even more than her husband, she taught the game’.

Born in Musselburgh in 1863, the daughter of William Stewart, a blacksmith, and Mary, née Hunter, and a millworker at the time she married Willie Campbell in Musselburgh on 10 December 1886. By 1891, when Willie was professional at Ranfurly Castle the family was living at Gateside Cottage in Kilbarchan, Willie and Georgina, daughter Mary, Willie’s brother, John, a clubmaker and David Adams an apprentice clubmaker.

Willie went to the USA to become professional at the Country Club in Brookline in 1894. Georgina and Mary followed after he had been appointed at Franklin Park, Boston in 1896. When Willie died on 25 November 1900 Georgina stepped forward to take his place as evidenced by the piece from Sporting Life quoted above. She served as professional until 1909 and then as ‘club matron’ from 1909 until 1926.

After her time at Franklin Park she retired to Moultonboro, New Hampshire where she died in 1953.

Image courtesy of The Country Club, Brookline, MA

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