Antique Golf Clubs from Scotland: Clubmakers

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Clubmakers

L G White
Stanton/Hornsea/Coxmoor
Leonard George White was born on 13 April 1886 in Basford, a northern suburb of Nottingham, a son of George L White, a coal miner, and his wife Clara née Spencer. He seems to be the only member of the family to have followed a golfing career and, at the age of 14, on the 1901 census he is already described as a ‘golfing apprentice’. Based on geography and his subsequent career, I presume this was under Tom Williamson at the Bulwell Forest club.

In 1904 he moved to the Sutton-on-Sea club (later Sandilands) in Lincolnshire, a course designed by Tom Williamson. It is not entirely clear if he was professional here or assistant to Tom’s father, Edmund who had become a golf professional after retiring from the railway as a stationmaster. Edmund was certainly the professional the following year. (Some accounts muddle the issue further by stating it was Tom’s younger brother, Edmund jnr, who was professional: he would have been 5 years old at the time!). Tom paid a visit to the club in July 1904 and played against Leonard. Giving him four holes of a start he still triumphed 2 and 1.

Clearer is the fact that White was professional at Erewash Valley GC by 1906 and played from here in the Spring tournament of Midland professionals at Derby in April of that year. He was there at least until 1913 when he again played in the Midland PGA tournament. The course remained open during WWI though as a 9-holer with the rest ploughed up or given over to sheep grazing. I have not established if White remained as professional (his post would be secure even if he were in army) or if he served with the forces but, in 1919 after the war, he was professional at the Hornsea club in East Yorkshire.

He played a challenge match in April of that year in Hull against the local professional Harry Tuck (finished all square) and in November was back in Nottingham for an annual fixture continued from the pre-war years, and presumably organised by Tom Williamson for all his old assistants, where the professional played against the better ball of two local amateurs.

The Sutton-in-Ashfield club in Nottinghamshire became the Coxmoor GC in 1921 and Len was appointed the first professional and greenkeeper and steward with wife, Sarah, responsible for the catering. He played as the professional for Coxmoor against the Alfreton pro in a club match in 1925 and again played in the Midlands PGA Spring meeting from Coxmoor in 1927. In 1928, with his old mentor Tom Williamson, he laid out the second nine holes at Coxmoor to create an 18 hole course.

In 1934 he again teamed up with Tom Williamson to lay out a brand new 18 holes for the club. The 1939 Register shows him still as professional at Coxmoor. Just after the end of the Second World War, and following an injury he sustained on the course, Len White asked if he could be relieved of the duties of greenkeeping to which the committee reluctantly agreed. In September 1947 his health had deteriorated to the point that he resigned as steward and he and Sarah had to leave the Golf House. He did continue as professional and the club provided him with a wooden building beside the 1st tee for his shop.

He died on 27 April 1948.

His son, George Marshall White was first a successful amateur golfer and then a winner in the pro ranks and, like his father, learned his trade as assistant to Tom Williamson.

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