Antique Golf Clubs from Scotland: Clubmakers

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Clubmakers

James Kinnell
Leven/Prestwick

One of two golfing and clubmaking brothers from Leven, James was born in 1876. He was an outstanding amateur player at Leven Thistle Golf Club and turned professional at age 18. He learned his clubmaking skills from his uncle, Alex Patrick, and managed uncle's shop at Lundin Links.

He was soon offered a professional post of his own, at Prestwick St Nicholas, where he was joined by younger brother, David. In addition to making clubs on his own account at the club here, he was the "J" in "D and J Kinnell of Prestwick". Lames moved south in 1900 first to take up a post at Royal Norwich and, in 1903, at Chingford. He patented a rather unusual putter in which the hosel flowed round the corner into the base of an extra deep head setting the shaft further back from the head. It was made for him by Tom Stewart.

He had seven top 10 finishes in the Open Championship between 1899 and 1910. He also played in the inaugural two-day professional championship at Cruden Bay, outscoring Braid, Archie Simpson, Ben Sayers and Andrew Kirkaldy. He lost 3 and 2 in the final to Harry Vardon

He ws with the Purley Downs club until the outbreak of the Great War. A club in Pennsylvania offered him a large sum to be their professional but he declined and, instead, joined the army to fight. Sadly, he was killed serving with the Royal West Kent Regiment, leaving a wife and seven children.

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