Antique Golf Clubs from Scotland: Clubmakers

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Clubmakers

James Kay
Seaton Carew

Born in Leith in 1855 and a founder member of the PGA, James Kay spent his entire professional career as professional to the Seaton Carew club, from 1886 to 1927.

He had two top ten finishes in the Open Championship in the 1890s. As was common at the time, though, it was not tournament success which put food on the professional’s table but challenge matches for a purse. In 1896 he defeated J H Taylor, then Open champion, over 36 holes. Five years later he defeated another of the Great Triumvirate, James Braid. Another Open champion who lost to James Kay was Mungo Park. An eleven hole margin at Seaton Carew with a further victory by eight holes at Alnmouth gave Kay a huge winning margin and the purse of Ł20 a side.

In addition to his golfing he was a successful professional boxing trainer notably of Dick Burge, British lightweight champion between 1891 and 1897.

He died in 1927, within a month of his retirement as a result of a poisoned thumb following an injury sustained while sawing wood.

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