Ernest Whitcombe and Alf Padgham
East Brighton Golf Membership, Sussex
August twenty fifth, 1937
In a sport that noticed the 100th greatest participant on the PGA Tour earn over $1.6m million this 12 months, it’s straightforward to assume that golf, as an expert sport, has at all times been awash with money.
It’s actually been the case for the reason that arrival of Tiger Woods in 1997, which, nearly in a single day, elevated golf into a world sport whose prime gamers might begin to earn the type of sums that even skilled footballers would take discover of.
But it surely has gone to an entire new stage once more following the injection of Saudi cash into the sport over the past three years, which has served to bump up prize funds throughout the board to ranges verging on the obscene.
SMALL PRIZE MONEY
Whereas the likes of Palmer, Nicklaus and Participant did very properly out of the sport through the Nineteen Sixties and 70s, their bulging financial institution balances owe extra to their off-course enterprise acumen than any nice accumulation of prize cash.
However rewind 100 years or so and also you’ll discover a world the place membership professionals collaborating within the Open Championship used to squeeze in two rounds on the ultimate day simply in order that they may rush again to attend the wants of their members over the weekend.
On the flip of the 20th century, the winner of The Open acquired simply £90, and it took a near-strike by the gamers the next 12 months for the highest prize to be raised to the princely sum of £115.
The paucity of prize cash on provide via the principle event channels led the sport’s prime gamers collaborating in quite a lot of particular occasions backed by personal sponsorship, which introduced collectively a choose group of prime gamers in a contemporary model of Professional-Movie star Golf, the place native businessmen stumped up massive sums to see the sport’s greats play on native programs.
EXHIBITION MATCH
Such was the case with East Brighton Golf Membership in East Sussex, which hosted quite a lot of high-profile tournaments through the inter-war interval. In 1933, the good Walter Hagen teamed up with fellow American Densmore Shute to beat Alf Padgham and Charlie Parsons 6&5 in an exhibition match which noticed large crowds end up to look at their heroes in motion in such unfamiliar environment.
The membership additionally staged the Information Chronicle Event between the good and wars for a number of years after, with the £1,000 prize pot – equal to over £45,000 in at this time’s cash, and twice what was being supplied to that 12 months’s winner of the Claret Jug – not surprisingly attracting among the recreation’s main stars, together with Padhgam, and different Open champions.
These included Henry Cotton and the brothers Reg and Ernest Whitcombe. Padgham was serving as head skilled at Sundridge Park Golf Membership in Kent on the time, and was the reigning Open champion when this image was taken, having gained at Hoylake in 1936.
Like many prime gamers of the period, Padgham misplaced what might need been a few of his greatest aggressive years resulting from World Warfare II, so needed to play in occasions like these as a way to complement his revenue. He finally succeeded in successful the Information Chronicle Event in 1939.
FAMOUS FACES
Along with well-known gamers, East Brighton, which was based in 1893, boasts a formidable forged record of high-profile connections, with the Downs-based membership having fun with many celeb and royal members throughout its 130-year historical past.
One in all its first vice-presidents was Billy Butlin, founding father of the eponymous vacation chain, whereas the Duke of Norfolk was president for greater than 30 years.
Amongst well-known former members embrace Prime Minister Lloyd George, who joined in 1911, together with overseas secretary Arthur Balfour, and Discipline Marshall Earl Haig, who lived in Brighton through the Nineteen Twenties.
Whereas East Brighton’s heyday may nicely be behind it so far as well-known members are involved, its picturesque 6,402-yard downland format stays one of many best assessments within the county and, the membership continues to take pleasure in a wholesome patronage from native golfers who little question achieve as a lot enjoyment from the historic venue as their illustrious predecessors as soon as did.