John Ernest Laidlay (5 November 1860 – 15 July 1940) was a Scottish amateur golfer. He invented the most popular golf grip used today, although the grip is credited to
Harry Vardon
Henry William Vardon (9 May 1870 – 20 March 1937) was a professional golfer from Jersey. He was a member of the Great Triumvirate with John Henry Taylor and James Braid. Vardon won The Open Championship a record six times, and also won the ...
, who took it up after Laidlay.
Early life
Laidlay was born in
Seacliff
Seacliff comprises a beach, an estate and a harbour. It lies east of North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland.
History
The beach and estate command a strategic position at the mouth of the Firth of Forth, and control of the area has been conte ...
, two miles east of
North Berwick
North Berwick (; gd, Bearaig a Tuath) is a seaside town
A seaside resort is a town, village, or hotel that serves as a vacation resort and is located on a coast. Sometimes the concept includes an aspect of official accreditation based on th ...
, East Lothian, the son of
John Watson Laidlay
John Watson Laidlay FRSE (1808–1885) was a Scottish merchant, numismatist and orientalist.
Life
He was born on 27 March 1808 in Glasgow, the son of John Laidlay Esq. Of Fleetwood in Lancashire. His father was a businessman who travelled exten ...
FRSE
Fellowship of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Scotland's national academy of science and letters, judged to be "eminently distinguished in their subject". This soci ...
. His brother was the cricketer and artist,
William Laidlay
William James Laidlay (12 August 1846 – 25 October 1912) was a Scottish first-class cricketer, barrister and artist.
The son of John Watson Laidlay, he was born in August 1846 at Calcutta in British India. He was educated in Scotland at the ...
. He became quite prominent at golf while a schoolboy from 1872–1878 at the
Loretto School
Loretto School, founded in 1827, is an independent boarding and day school for boys and girls aged 0 to 18. The campus occupies in Musselburgh, East Lothian, Scotland.
History
The school was founded by the Reverend Thomas Langhorne in 1827. L ...
in
Musselburgh
Musselburgh (; sco, Musselburrae; gd, Baile nam Feusgan) is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, east of Edinburgh city centre. It has a population of .
History
The name Musselburgh is Ol ...
, near
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 ...
. Following completion of his education at Loretto, he moved to North Berwick and played out of the famous
North Berwick Golf Club
The North Berwick Golf Club (NBGC), at North Berwick, East Lothian, was founded in 1832. It is the 13th oldest golf club in the world and only St Andrews hosts a club which has played continuously over the same course for longer. Although the NBGC ...
.
Golf career
British Amateur Championship
Laidlay won the
British Amateur Championship
The Amateur Championship (sometimes referred to as the British Amateur or British Amateur Championship outside the UK) is a golf tournament which has been held annually in the United Kingdom since 1885 except during the two World Wars, and in 19 ...
twice, in 1889 and 1891, and was runner-up three more times, in 1888, 1890, and 1893, during a six-year stretch from 1888 to 1893. He was also runner-up in the
1893 Open Championship. He won over 130 amateur medals during his playing career, represented Scotland every year from 1902 to 1911, and also played
cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by striki ...
for Scotland. After
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, he moved to
Sunningdale
Sunningdale is a large village with a retail area and a civil parish in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead. It takes up the extreme south-east corner of Berkshire, England. It has a railway station on the (London) Waterloo to Reading ...
, near London, where his former
caddie
In golf, a caddie (or caddy) is the person who carries a player's bag and clubs, and gives the player advice and moral support.
Description
A good caddie is aware of the challenges and obstacles of the golf course being played, along with the ...
Jack White
John Anthony White (; born July 9, 1975), commonly known as Jack White, is an American musician, best known as the lead singer and guitarist of the duo the White Stripes. White has enjoyed consistent critical and popular success and is widely c ...
was the club professional at the
Sunningdale Golf Club. He has been called the 'last of the gentlemen golfers'.
Overlapping grip
Laidlay was using the grip which was credited to
Harry Vardon
Henry William Vardon (9 May 1870 – 20 March 1937) was a professional golfer from Jersey. He was a member of the Great Triumvirate with John Henry Taylor and James Braid. Vardon won The Open Championship a record six times, and also won the ...
for some years before either Vardon or
J.H. Taylor adopted it. The grip is taken by overlapping the little finger of the bottom hand between the forefinger and middle fingers of the top hand, with thumbs pointing down and the remaining fingers of both hands wrapping around the club, with the club held lightly. The lead thumb should fit into the palm, along the lifeline of the trailing hand. Since 1900, most professionals, top amateurs, and average players around the world have adopted this grip, known as the Vardon or overlapping grip. Probably 90% of the world's golfers use it, although there are exceptions, including
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 ...
,
Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods (born December 30, 1975) is an American professional golfer. He is tied for first in PGA Tour wins, ranks second in men's major championships, and holds numerous golf records.
*
*
* Woods is widely regarded as ...
, and
Gene Sarazen.
Laidlay also played one match for the
Scotland national cricket team
The Scotland national cricket team represents the country of Scotland. They play their home matches at The Grange, Edinburgh, and also some other venues.
Scotland became Associate Members of the International Cricket Council (ICC) in 1994 in 1878.
Death and legacy
Laidlay died on 15 July 1940 at Sunningdale, England. He is best remembered as a 2-time winner of the British Amateur Championship and the first golfer to employ the overlapping grip.
Major championships
Amateur wins (2)
Results timeline
''Note: Laidlay only played in The Open Championship and The Amateur Championship.''
LA = Low amateur
NT = No tournament
"T" indicates a tie for a place
R256, R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play
Team appearances
*
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 Scotland): 1902 (winners), 1903, 1904 (winners), 1905 (winners), 1906 (winners), 1907 (winners), 1908 (winners), 1909 (winners), 1910, 1911 (winners)
References
Sources
* British Open:
www.opengolf.com* 1885 British Amateur:
The Glasgow Herald, April 21, 1885, p. 7.* 1886 British Amateur:
The Glasgow Herald, September 23, 1886, p. 5.* 1892 British Amateur:
The Glasgow Herald, May 14, 1892, p. 4.* 1894 British Amateur:
The Glasgow Herald, April 28, 1894, p. 11.* 1895 British Amateur:
The Glasgow Herald, May 9, 1895, p. 3.* 1896 British Amateur:
The Glasgow Herald, May 21, 1896, p. 11.* 1897 British Amateur:
The Glasgow Herald, April 28, 1897, p. 10.* 1899 British Amateur:
The Glasgow Herald, May 25, 1899, p. 8.* 1900 British Amateur:
Golf, July, 1900, p. 21.* 1901 British Amateur:
Golf, June, 1901, p. 413.* 1902 British Amateur:
Golf, June, 1902, p. 397.* 1903 British Amateur:
Golf, July, 1903, p. 8.* 1904 British Amateur:
Golf, July, 1904, p. 9.* 1905 British Amateur:
Golf, June, 1905, p. 341.* 1906 British Amateur:
Golf, July, 1906, p. 30.* 1907 British Amateur:
The Glasgow Herald, May 28, 1907, p. 12.* 1908 British Amateur:
The Glasgow Herald, May 27, 1908, p. 14.* 1909 British Amateur:
The Glasgow Herald, May 27, 1909, p. 13.* 1910 British Amateur:
The Glasgow Herald, June 2, 1910, p. 8.* 1911 British Amateur:
The Glasgow Herald, May 31, 1911, p. 10.* 1913 British Amateur:
The Glasgow Herald, May 28, 1913, p. 15.* 1914 British Amateur:
The Glasgow Herald, May 20, 1914, p. 12.* 1920 British Amateur:
The Glasgow Herald, June 9, 1920, p. 11.
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Laidlay, Johnny
Scottish male golfers
Amateur golfers
Golfers from North Berwick
People educated at Loretto School, Musselburgh
1860 births
1940 deaths