Bernard "Ben" Sayers (23 June 1856 – 9 March 1924) was a Scottish
professional golfer
A professional golfer is somebody who receives payments or financial rewards in the sport of golf that are directly related to their skill or reputation. A person who earns money by teaching or playing golf is traditionally considered a "golf pr ...
, who later became a distinguished golf teacher,
golf course designer
A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...
and manufacturer of golf clubs and equipment. Sayers had a reputation for making good quality
gutta-percha
Gutta-percha is a tree of the genus ''Palaquium'' in the family Sapotaceae. The name also refers to the rigid, naturally biologically inert, resilient, electrically nonconductive, thermoplastic latex derived from the tree, particularly from ' ...
golf balls.
Playing career
Sayers was born in
Leith
Leith (; gd, Lìte) is a port area in the north of the city of Edinburgh, Scotland, founded at the mouth of the Water of Leith. In 2021, it was ranked by '' Time Out'' as one of the top five neighbourhoods to live in the world.
The earliest ...
,
Edinburgh
Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...
,
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
. After moving to
Haddington with his family at the age of 12, Sayers began to play golf after being given a club by his uncle. He was short at but strong, and on the verge of becoming a professional acrobat when he began to take golf seriously. He moved to North Berwick and after enjoying success in competitions at
Dunbar
Dunbar () is a town on the North Sea coast in East Lothian in the south-east of Scotland, approximately east of Edinburgh and from the English border north of Berwick-upon-Tweed.
Dunbar is a former royal burgh, and gave its name to an ecc ...
,
Hoylake
Hoylake is a coast, seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. It is at the north west of the Wirral Peninsula, near West Kirby and where the River Dee, Wales, River Dee meets the Irish Sea. Historic counties of En ...
and other courses he took up ballmaking, and also began to enter
The Open Championship
The Open Championship, often referred to as The Open or the British Open, is the oldest golf tournament in the world, and one of the most prestigious. Founded in 1860, it was originally held annually at Prestwick Golf Club in Scotland. Later th ...
. He tied for second in the
1888 Open Championship and was third in
1889
Events
January–March
* January 1
** The total solar eclipse of January 1, 1889 is seen over parts of California and Nevada.
** Paiute spiritual leader Wovoka experiences a vision, leading to the start of the Ghost Dance movement in the ...
. Although he won 24 top-level tournaments he never lifted the "Old Claret Jug".
In January 1911, he took up the post of head professional at The Golf Club of Monte Carlo. While there, he was known for taking wagers on the course, presumably betting on himself against all takers of his challenges.
Instructor, club maker, and golf course architect
![Bensayersstatue](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/54/Bensayersstatue.JPG)
Sayers was a golf instructor to royalty, nobility and fellow professionals. In his day he taught Her Majesty
Queen Alexandra
Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 January 1901 to 6 May 1910 as the wife of King ...
,
George, Prince of Wales (later
King George V
George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936.
Born during the reign of his grandmother Que ...
),
Princess Victoria, the
Duchess of Connaught
Princess Louise Margaret of Prussia (Louise Margaret Alexandra Victoria Agnes; 25 July 1860 – 14 March 1917), later Duchess of Connaught and Strathearn Royal Order of Victoria and Albert, VA Order of the Crown of India, CI Royal Red Cross, RRC ...
and
Princess Patricia of Connaught
Lady Victoria Patricia Helena Elizabeth Ramsay, (born Princess Patricia of Connaught; 17 March 1886 – 12 January 1974) was a granddaughter of Queen Victoria. Upon her marriage to Alexander Ramsay (Royal Navy officer), Alexander Ramsay, she re ...
. He also instructed the great lady champion
Dorothy Campbell
Dorothy Lee Campbell (24 March 1883 – 20 March 1945) was a Scottish amateur golfer. Campbell was the first woman to win the American, British and Canadian Women's Amateurs.
Early life
She was born into a golfing family in North Berwick, Midl ...
(a member of the
World Golf Hall of Fame
The World Golf Hall of Fame is located at World Golf Village near St. Augustine, Florida, in the United States, and it is unusual among sports halls of fame in that a single site honors both men and women. It is supported by a consortium of 26 go ...
) and Frenchman
Arnaud Massy
Arnaud George Watson Massy (; 6 July 1877 – 16 April 1950) was one of France's most successful professional golfers, most notable for winning the 1907 Open Championship.
Early life
Massy was born in Biarritz, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, France. Th ...
, who became the first overseas player to win the Open Championship.
He was also an innovative club maker, and patented several new club designs (see for example GB 21,122 and GB 24,473).
His course designing credits include the East course at North Berwick, Moffat, Rothesay, Craigielaw Links, the Merchants of Edinburgh, Adare Manor, West Monmouthshire, the Spey Bay Golf Club in
Banffshire
Banffshire ; sco, Coontie o Banffshire; gd, Siorrachd Bhanbh) is a historic county, registration county and lieutenancy area of Scotland. The county town is Banff, although the largest settlement is Buckie to the west. It borders the Moray ...
, and the
Ballathie Hotel course in
Perthshire
Perthshire (locally: ; gd, Siorrachd Pheairt), officially the County of Perth, is a historic county and registration county in central Scotland. Geographically it extends from Strathmore in the east, to the Pass of Drumochter in the north, ...
.
Ben Sayers & Son
The Ben Sayers & Son factory in North Berwick was responsible for creating several revolutionary pieces of golf equipment, from gutta-percha balls
and the "Benny" putter (the first to have a square-edged handgrip) to, in later years, the first set of carbon-shafted clubs and a specially commissioned putter for
Jack Nicklaus
Jack William Nicklaus (born January 21, 1940), nicknamed The Golden Bear, is a retired American professional golfer and List of golf courses designed by Jack Nicklaus, golf course designer. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest go ...
. Ben Sayers Jnr. also designed the first "oversized" driver (the "Dreadnaught").
Ben Sayers is believed to be the oldest golf equipment company still surviving. Now owned by
Tandem Group
Tandem Group is a British-based designer, developer, distributor and retailer of sports, leisure and mobility products. Based in Castle Bromwich, West Midlands, the company is listed on the Alternative Investment Market of the London Stock Exchang ...
, after operating from North Berwick for 126 years, production was moved to
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
in 2003.
Death and legacy
Sayers died on 9 March 1924 at North Berwick, Scotland. He was one of the best players to play in the Open Championship and never win.
Results in The Open Championship
![Ben Sayers 1915-06-16cr](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Ben_Sayers_1915-06-16cr.jpg)
''Note: Sayers played only in The Open Championship.''
DNP = Did not play
CUT = missed the half-way cut
? = Competed, finish unknown
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10
Team appearances
*
England–Scotland Professional Match
The England–Scotland Professional Match was an annual men's professional golf competition between teams representing England and Scotland. It was played from 1903 to the start of World War I and was then revived in 1932 and played until the star ...
(representing Scotland): 1903 (winners), 1904 (tie), 1905 (tie), 1906, 1907, 1909, 1910, 1912 (tie), 1913
References
External links
Ben Sayers factfileat www.northberwick.org.uk
Ben Sayers official websiteat BenSayers.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sayers
Scottish male golfers
Golf course architects
Golf equipment manufacturers
Golfers from Edinburgh
Sporting goods brands
People from Leith
People associated with East Lothian
1856 births
1924 deaths