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Ace in the pack
Born in Grouville, Harry Vardon became one of the most famous golfers the game has ever seen
'Don't play too much golf. Two rounds a day are plenty.' It may well have been this attitude that made Jerseyman Harry Vardon one of the greatest golfers ever.
He started out life as a gardener, but it was his ability on, not with, the green that made Vardon famous, and during his sporting career he won six Open Championships - a feat still unmatched, even by Tiger Woods.
Remembered as the leading member of golf's 'triumvirate', he dominated the Open at the turn of the 20th century alongside J H Taylor and James Braid. Together, the three men won 16 of the 21 Open Championships between 1984 and 1914 and did much to establish golf as an international sport.
Born in Grouville in 1870, Harry Vardon did not grow up in a golfing environment and his first job was as gardener to a man who enjoyed golf. At that time, the game was similar to today's pitch and putt, as hand-made clubs fashioned from oak were used to hit a marble ball - a taw - around a course measuring 50 yards.
Vardon used to caddy for his employer and was sometimes given the opportunity to play a few shots himself. His brother Tom also enjoyed the sport and travelled to England to become a professional.
Unsure of his ability, Harry Vardon went to play a minor tournament in England and won. He then contested a tournament in Scotland and came second. It was after that that he followed in his brother's footsteps and at the age of 20 became a professional - although unlike his brother, he later became golf's first international celebrity, working at Ripon, Bury and Ganton before settling at South Hertfordshire Golf Club, near London, where he stayed for 34 years.
Vardon's rise to the top was progressive. In 1896 he beat Taylor and later that year won his first Open title. Not only was he the first Englishman to win the event, but he went on to record an unbeaten six victories in all, taking the title again in 1898, 1899, 1903, 1911 and 1914. He also beat Taylor to win the US Open in 1900.
The Jerseyman was known for his accurate drives and his introduction of the overlapping grip on the golf club. Although he did not invent the grip, he certainly popularised it. Known worldwide as the Vardon grip, it is still used by 70 per cent of golfers, although it was first used by Johnny Laidley to win the Amateur Championship.
In 1903 Harry Vardon caught tuberculosis and it had a permanent affect on his health. His illness manifested itself on the course when the putter head would shake in an erratic manner when he was on the green. Despite this, he managed to win the Open again and also came second in the 1920 US Open. In 1913 he took time off the course to write The Complete Golfer.
In all, Harry Vardon won more than 60 major golf tournaments before he retired in 1934. He died on 20 March 1937, but his name is remembered all around the world.
The Vardon Trust has been set up to help young golfers, and a trophy is awarded each year to the American or British professional with the lowest scoring average.
In Jersey a collection of Vardon's most prestigious medals, including his six Open Championship medals, are held at the Jersey Museum, and rare film footage of Vardon at Muirfield towards the end of his career is at the Jersey Archive.
And at the entrance to the Royal Jersey Golf Club, on the common where he played his first ever golf shots, stands a bronze statue sculpted in his memory by Gerald Palmer.
This article first appeared in the Jersey Evening Post as part of the Pride in Jersey series, marking the Island's 1204-2004 celebrations.
author - Anna Heuston
This article updated: 2003/11/10 13:39:23
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| ......Daily Ditons...... |
N'y'a pon deux paids ni deux m'suthes.
There s no argument!
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