John Beaumont Beck MC (13 August 1899 – 20 June 1980) was an English amateur golfer. He played in the 1928 Walker Cup but is best remembered for being the captain in 1938, when Great Britain and Ireland won the Cup for the first time after nine defeats. He was also the non-playing captain in 1947. Towards the end of the First World War, Beck served as a

second lieutenant Second lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces, comparable to NATO OF-1 rank. Australia The rank of second lieutenant existed in the military forces of the Australian colonies and Australian Army until ...

in the

Coldstream Guards The Coldstream Guards is the oldest continuously serving regular regiment in the British Army. As part of the Household Division, one of its principal roles is the protection of the monarchy; due to this, it often participates in state ceremonia ...

. In 1919, he was awarded the

Military Cross The Military Cross (MC) is the third-level (second-level pre-1993) military decoration awarded to officers and (since 1993) other ranks of the British Armed Forces, and formerly awarded to officers of other Commonwealth countries. The MC i ...

. Beck played in the 1928 Walker Cup at

Chicago Golf Club Chicago Golf Club is a private golf club in the central United States, located in Wheaton, Illinois, a suburb west of Chicago. The oldest 18-hole course in North America, it was one of the five founding clubs of the United States Golf Association ...

Wheaton, Illinois Wheaton is a suburban city in Milton and Winfield Townships and is the county seat of DuPage County, Illinois. It is located approximately west of Chicago. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 52,894, which was estimated ...

, a match the Americans won 11–1. He played in the foursomes, but was not selected for the singles. Beck was selected as captain of the

1938 Walker Cup The 1938 Walker Cup, the 10th Walker Cup Match, was played on 3 and 4 June 1938, on the Old Course at St Andrews, Scotland. Great Britain and Ireland won by 7 matches to 4 with one match halved. It was their first victory in the Walker Cup. Great ...

team, played on the

Old Course at St Andrews The Old Course at St Andrews, also known as the Old Lady or the Grand Old Lady, is considered the oldest golf course. It is a public course over common land in St Andrews, Fife, Scotland and is held in trust by the St Andrews Links Trust under ...

. He was one of the 10-man team, but did not select himself for any of the matches. Great Britain and Ireland won the match 7–4, their first Walker Cup victory. Beck was chosen as the non-playing captain of the

1947 Walker Cup The 1947 Walker Cup, the 11th Walker Cup Match, was played on 16 and 17 May 1947, on the Old Course at St Andrews, Scotland. The United States won by 8 matches to 4. The match should have been played in the United States; the previous match, in 1 ...

team, again played on the

. He married Dorothy Pim in 1934. She was an Irish international golfer. She won the

Irish Women's Amateur Close Championship The Irish Women's Amateur Close Championship is the women's national amateur match play golf championship of Ireland. It was first played in 1894 and is currently organised by Golf Ireland. The Irish Women's Amateur Close Championship is contest ...

in 1938, winning the title on the first day of the Walker Cup match.

R. C. Robertson-Glasgow Raymond Charles "Crusoe" Robertson-Glasgow (15 July 1901 – 4 March 1965) was a Scottish cricketer and cricket writer. Life and career Robertson-Glasgow was born in Edinburgh and educated at Charterhouse School and Corpus Christi College, O ...

said of Beck:

Indeed on the links he is an artist; self-reliant and, as you might say, self-supporting; more tightly strung as to temperament than his genial and healthy aspect might convey to the casual eye; fitly framed for strong battle, but not impervious to the access of sometimes unreasonable mistrust in his own skill; an artist in the execution of strokes, especially the spoon shot and the pitch-and-run obediently halting at the correct station; a past master - almost totally 'past' in a world of sullen standardisation - at the selection of those hickory clubs which restore to the mind's fond eye the picture of the professional in the shop parting from some fruits of his craft as reluctantly as a lover from his loved.Michael McDonnell, ''Great Golf Quotes'' (Robson Books, 2007), a
page 187

Amateur wins

*1925

Golf Illustrated Gold Vase The Golf Illustrated Gold Vase was a prestigious amateur golf tournament in England. It was a 36-hole scratch stroke play Stroke play, also known as medal play, is a scoring system in the sport of golf in which the total number of strokes is co ...

(tied with

Ernest Holderness Sir Ernest William Elsmie Holderness, 2nd Baronet CBE (13 March 1890 – 23 August 1968) was an English amateur golfer and one of the Holderness baronets. He won The Amateur Championship in 1922 and 1924 and the Golf Illustrated Gold Vase in 1925. ...

) *1946

Berkshire Trophy The Berkshire Trophy is the amateur stroke play golf championship played at The Berkshire Golf Club in England. It has been played annually since 1946. The format is 72 hole stroke play contested over two days. Both the Blue and Red courses are us ...

(tie with

Robert Sweeny Jr. Robert John Vincent Sweeny Jr. (July 25, 1911 – October 21, 1983) was an American amateur golfer, socialite, businessman and Second World War Royal Air Force bomber pilot. He competed in all four men's major golf championships, including many M ...

)

Team appearances

Walker Cup The Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested in odd-numbered years by leading male amateur golfers in two teams: United States, and Great Britain and Ireland. The official name is the Walker Cup Match (not "Matches" as in Ryder Cup Matches). It is ...

(representing Great Britain):

1928 Events January * January – British bacteriologist Frederick Griffith reports the results of Griffith's experiment, indirectly proving the existence of DNA. * January 1 – Eastern Bloc emigration and defection: Boris Bazhanov, J ...

1938 Events January * January 1 ** The Constitution of Estonia#Third Constitution (de facto 1938–1940, de jure 1938–1992), new constitution of Estonia enters into force, which many consider to be the ending of the Era of Silence and the a ...

(playing captain, winners),

1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country in ...

(non-playing captain) *

England–Scotland Amateur Match The England–Scotland Amateur Match was an annual men's amateur golf competition between teams representing England and Scotland. It was played from 1902 to 1931, although the match lapsed between 1913 and 1921. The match continued after 1931 but ...

(representing England): 1926 (winners), 1930 (winners)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Beck, John English male golfers Amateur golfers Sportspeople from Luton Recipients of the Military Cross British Army personnel of World War I Military personnel from Bedfordshire Coldstream Guards officers 1899 births 1980 deaths