The Course: James Braid – Five Times Open Champion and Designer of Howth Golf Course
James Braid was a renowned Scottish Professional Golfer and Architect. Records show that Mr Braid played the game of golf from an early age. Born in Earlsferry, Fife, Scotland on the 6th February 1870 Braid was a club maker before he turned to golf as a professional in 1896. In the early days, it is said that he struggled to get to grips with his putting, but by switching to an aluminium putter (that would have been lighter) he started to find his winning ways.
He recorded the first of his Five Open Championships in 1901, when the tournament was played at Muirfield. He won by four shots from Vardon and by five from Taylor who finished second and third respectively. Braid followed this up with four more wins in 1905, 1906, 1908 and 1910. He was the first ever golfer to successfully defend the Open Championship title in 1906, were he did so by winning again by four shots, this time with Taylor finishing in second place and Vardon a further shot behind in third. But what is even more impressive is that he was runner-up in the Open in his first full season as a professional 1897, a fact that gets overlooked and a feat in itself considering some of the greats of the game graced the fairways at that time, none more than that of the likes of Harry Vardon and John Henry Taylor. Braid, Vardon and Taylor would become the most renowned golfers of that era. Incidentally the 1897 Open Championship was won by an amateur called Harold Hilton who won with a score of 314, one shot ahead of Braid – Vardon finished in sixth in that same event.
Braids career wins weren’t limited to the Open, he also won four PGA Match play Championships in the years 1903, 1905, 1907 and 1911 and he was winner of the French Open in 1910, held in La Boulie G.C. He won with a score of 298.
James Braid retired from tournament golf in 1912 at the age of 42 and took up the post of Club Professional at Walton Heath Golf Club, Surrey, England. He held this position until 1950, the year in which he died. He was also a renowned golf course architect with what must be over 60 designs to his name, the most well known of which are the “Kings” and “Queens” Courses at Gleneagles in Scotland and he was also responsible for remodelling of the Carnoustie Golf links in 1926. Braid was first invited to inspect Howth Golf Club and propose a redesign in the late 1920’s.
From 9 to 18 holes:
Even though the extension of the course had been mentioned in 1916 at the November General Meeting, by a very ambitious Mr Butson, it would be more than a decade before the dream of an 18 Hole Golf Course was to be realised. The very nature of the terrain itself was the principal reason for the long delay, as the terrain ran uphill and was defined by thick gorse and unique heathers which would require a large amount of physical effort to make fit for golf. So wild in fact was that surrounding ground, that when Mr James Braid first walked the ground he somehow got separated for the party leading him, so lost in fact that a search party had to be got up, which happily found him. No doubt this experience brought home to Braid the toughness of the task that would face him.
Just before this initial inspection, in late 1927 Howth Golf Club was offered a further 12 acres and an additional 30 acres had been offered by the (then) neighbouring estate of McDougall, an area known as the “Bay of Loughs”, all parties sharing the vision to extend the course to 18 holes. The terms of these offers had been agreed by the middle of 1928, an initial inspection by Tom Shannon, now professional at Milltown Golf Club took place and with that done, the committee decided to approach James Braid to offer him the job of designing the new course.
James Braid was a founding member of the Professional Golfers Association, and having retired from tournament golf, had become well known for his course design success and was in much demand. Braid accepted the Job for a total fee of 28 guineas and living expenses. A Scottish Company called J.R. Stutt & Co. of Paisley were awarded the job of clearing the difficult terrain and to lay the course as per the design of Mr Braid’s instructions. The work of laying the 18 hole design took just over 14 months, and on the 15th of June 1929, the Opening Ceremony was performed by the President of the Executive Council (the title given to the head of government between 1922 and 1937).
At 6.30pm that evening Mr W.T. Cosgrave, was the first to drive his ball down today’s 16th Hole (then the 14th) and turned to the crowd that had gathered to formally announce the opening of the new nine holes.
The committees report for the Annual General Meeting of 1929 stated “The President received a very hearty and warm welcome from the members and their guests, and he (the President) was very much impressed with the magnificent situation of the links”. A one pound note was presented to the caddy that retrieved the Presidents Ball.
It was not until 1937 though that the bank overdraft needed to build the extra nine holes, was cleared. James Braid continued his work in Ireland as a course designer, designing not only Howth Golf Club’s new nine and introducing a new layout for the 18 holes, but he also designed Mullingar Golf Course in the midlands, Newlands Golf Club’s course in West Dublin and the golf course atWaterford Golf Club in the South East of Ireland. Howth Golf Club is James Braid’s only known design in North County Dublin to the best of our knowledge, and we’re chuffed about it. ( but if you know different then let us know!)