Overview

In the 19th century, Musselburgh was a hotbed of golfing genius and the local links produced five Open Champions. One of these was Willie Park Junior. More than a good golfer, he redefined the image of the golf professional and took the game from being an esoteric pastime to its present status as a world game. As well as winning the Open in 1887 and 1889, Willie played challenge and demonstration matches at home, in Europe and in North America. His workshops turned out golf balls and clubs to his own design and he had retail outlets in Edinburgh, Manchester, London, New York and Montreal. He designed and laid out over 100 golf courses in the British Isles and Western Europe. When he published ""The Game of Golf"" in 1896 it was the first book on the game written by a professional. World War I killed off Willie's activities at home, so he moved across the Atlantic. Concentrating on course design he engineered over 40 courses in the US and 20 in Canada. Willie Park was the epitome of Scottish Victorian enterprise. Though not alone, he was the most active of missionaries, taking the skills and equipment of a local game to what were then the two major continents.

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9781905222216

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Stephen is excellent at recreating the world in which the great Scotsman lived... There are weird but entertaining wanders along the lanes of golf in literature, the horrors of slow play, and the philosophy of the game. THE HERALD

Stephen is excellent at recreating the world in which the great Scotsman lived... There are weird but entertaining wanders along the lanes of golf in literature, the horrors of slow play, and the philosophy of the game. THE HERALD

Author Information

Walter Stephen worked by night as a baker in Musselburgh and during the day would often play over the Musselburgh Old Course. Now, as a GMA (Golfer of Modest Attainment) he tries to get round as many of Willie Park's courses as he can, telling all who will listen what a marvellous legacy we share today. Walter previously edited Think Global, Act Local: The Life and Legacy of Patrick Geddes (2004) with Luath Press.

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