Antique Golf Clubs from Scotland: Clubmakers

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Clubmakers

Jack Burns
St Andrews/Warwick

Jack Burns, the Open Champion of 1888, was born in St Andrews on 7 January 1859 and, like Sandy Herd, was a plasterer to trade. Golf, he said, always had a greater attraction for him (!) and he had his first lesson from Young Tom Morris at the age of 10.

He first entered the Open in 1885 in his native St Andrews and finished four strokes behind the winner, Bob Martin. Presumably the expense (the Open being a far from lucrative competition) did not make it worth travelling to Musselburgh and Prestwick for the next two competitions, but recently appointed as professional to the Warwick club, he entered again on his native heath.

Bauchope’s Golfing Annual of 1888-9 described him as ‘Active, stalwart and muscular …. Burns's game is a good one all round. His driving is clean and sure, his approaches with the "mashy" notorious, and his putting deadly.'

His golfing career was short. He was professional to a few more English Midlands clubs, South Staffordshire 1894-5, North Warwickshire 1895-6 and Edgbaston 1896-7 whereupon he retired from golf and returned to St Andrews as a plasterer. He entered the Open Championship again in 1905, as it was in St Andrews, but did not complete the four rounds.

Jack Burns died in St Andrews on 18 December 1927 and is buried in the Cathedral grounds.

He had a son, also Jack, who made a career as a golf professional in Canada.

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