Antique Golf Clubs from Scotland: Clubmakers

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Christopher Callaway
Gosport/Cannes/USA

From his start in working life as an errand boy on the 1881 census, Chris Callaway taught the crowned heads of Europe from England to Russia to play golf then continued his teaching in the United States until he was in his 70s. From Portsmouth to St Moritz, outside or in, from the top of a hotel building to the stern of a ship, where there was a golf ball to be hit, Chris Callaway was there.

Christopher Edward Callaway was born at St Helen’s on the Isle of Wight in 1867, the elder brother of Bernard also destined to become a professional golfer. Both learned their golf as caddies on the St Helen’s links.

In 1885 he became professional at the United Services Club at Haslar, Gosport, where he claimed to have taught the future King George V and the Duke of Connaught and many naval officers ‘from admiral down’. He married while he was here also, Helen Clarke in 1889. It was with one of those naval officers, Commander Buckland, that he laid out the course at Lee-on-Solent in 1904 where his brother was an assistant. Bernard moved on to Cannes and Christopher joined him there in 1905. Most articles I have read on him mention him playing in the Open Championship in 1905. He did not (or at least he did not qualify for the tournament proper) but he did play in the 1902 event at Hoylake, missing the cut after two rounds. Both brothers played in the Cannes tournament sponsored by the Grand Duke Michael of Russia at Cannes in February 1907. This access to high society undoubtedly helped with positions Callaway had at St Moritz and in Italy. In 1913 he spent two months in Russia giving instruction, apparently teaching the Grand Duke Alexis (who I thought died in 1908 but maybe there was another one).

Later in 1913 he emigrated to the United States and was appointed professional at the Oakley Country Club in Watertown, just outside Boston. He entered the US Open that year but did not qualify.

During his time in Boston he played in an unusual tournament in April 1916 on the roof of the Copley Plaza hotel. It was won by Mike Brady, also then at Oakley with Callaway tied for second.

He moved to the Park Club in Buffalo in January 1917 and, although the club appointed Charles Lormes as assistant, Callaway may have had another brother, Harold, in this role too as both were involved in a tournament at Buffalo’s indoor golf facility that month, hit the ball into a curtain and ultimately putt into a cup on the floor. As time went on, Christopher had both his sons, Lionel and another Harold as assistants. Ted Ray wrote about playing against his old friend, Christopher, with Harold, and against the two boys in the afternoon when he visited the club on tour with Harry Vardon in August 1920.

Callaway resigned from the Park Club and the indoor school in April 1921 and spent the next season as private instructor to Daniel Guggenheim at his private Hampstead course o Long Island. After this interlude he became professional the Trenton club in New Jersey. He retired due to ill health in the summer of 1932 but he was soon back in harness (or lifejacket). His next post was as golf instructor on the Cunard liner Mauretania which had a driving plaform at the stern with competitions driving the ball into the ocean, the winner being gauged by the volume of applause.

In July 1935, at the age of 69, he became professional at the Rochester Country Club in New Hampshire. He still managed a hole-in-one on the course the following summer. He must have retired about 1941 and moved down to South Carolina to stay with son, Harold, who was an instructor at Pinehurst. He died here on 23 April 1945.

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