Johnny Laidlay
Encyclopedia
John Ernest Laidlay was a Scottish
amateur golf
er. He invented the most popular golf grip used today, although the grip is credited to Harry Vardon
, who took it up after Laidlay.
Laidlay was born in Seacliff
, two miles east of North Berwick
, East Lothian
. He became quite prominent at golf while a schoolboy from 1872-1878 at the Loretto School
in Musselburgh
, near Edinburgh
. Following completion of his education at Loretto, he moved to North Berwick and played out of the famous North Berwick Golf Club
. Laidlay won the British Amateur Championship 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 British Open
. He won over 130 amateur medals during his playing career, represented Scotland every year from 1902 to 1911, and also played cricket
for Scotland. After World War I
, he moved to Sunningdale
, near London
, where his former caddie Jack White
was the club professional at the Sunningdale Golf Club
. He has been called the 'last of the gentlemen golfers'.
Laidlay was using the grip which was credited to Harry Vardon
for some years before either Vardon or John Henry 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
, Tiger Woods
, and Gene Sarazen
.
Laidlay also played one match for the Scotland national cricket team in 1878.
and The Amateur Championship
.
LA = Low Amateur
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
R256, R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10
Source for British Open: www.opengolf.com
Source for 1885 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, April 21, 1885, pg. 7.
Source for 1886 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, September 23, 1886, pg. 5.
Source for 1892 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 14, 1892, pg. 4.
Source for 1894 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, April 28, 1894, pg. 11.
Source for 1895 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 9, 1895, pg. 3.
Source for 1896 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 21, 1896, pg. 11.
Source for 1897 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, April 28, 1897, pg. 10.
Source for 1899 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 25, 1899, pg. 8.
Source for 1900 British Amateur: Golf, July, 1900, pg. 21.
Source for 1901 British Amateur: Golf, June, 1901, pg. 413.
Source for 1902 British Amateur: Golf, June, 1902, pg. 397.
Source for 1903 British Amateur: Golf, July, 1903, pg. 8.
Source for 1904 British Amateur: Golf, July, 1904, pg. 9.
Source for 1905 British Amateur: Golf, June, 1905, pg. 341.
Source for 1906 British Amateur: Golf, July, 1906, pg. 30.
Source for 1907 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 28, 1907, pg. 12.
Source for 1908 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 27, 1908, pg. 14.
Source for 1909 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 27, 1909, pg. 13.
Source for 1910 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, June 2, 1910, pg. 8.
Source for 1911 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 31, 1911, pg. 10.
Source for 1913 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 28, 1913, pg. 15.
Source for 1914 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 20, 1914, pg. 12.
Source for 1920 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, June 9, 1920, pg. 11.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
amateur golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er. He invented the most popular golf grip used today, although the grip is credited to Harry Vardon
Harry Vardon
Harry Vardon was a Jersey professional golfer and member of the fabled Great Triumvirate of the sport in his day, along with John Henry Taylor and James Braid. He won The Open Championship a record six times and also won the U.S. Open.-Biography:Vardon was born in Grouville, Jersey, Channel Islands...
, who took it up after Laidlay.
Laidlay was born in Seacliff
Seacliff
Seacliff comprises a beach, an estate and a harbour. It lies 4 miles 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 contested through the ages...
, two miles east of North Berwick
North Berwick
The Royal Burgh of North Berwick is a seaside town in East Lothian, Scotland. It is situated on the south shore of the Firth of Forth, approximately 25 miles east of Edinburgh. North Berwick became a fashionable holiday resort in the 19th century because of its two sandy bays, the East Bay and the...
, East Lothian
East Lothian
East Lothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy Area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Scottish Borders and Midlothian. Its administrative centre is Haddington, although its largest town is Musselburgh....
. He became quite prominent at golf while a schoolboy from 1872-1878 at the Loretto School
Loretto School
Loretto School is an independent school in Scotland, founded in 1827. The campus occupies in Musselburgh, near Edinburgh.-History:Loretto was founded by the Reverend Thomas Langhorne in 1827. Langhorne came from Crosby Ravensworth, near Kirkby Stephen. The school was later taken over by his son,...
in Musselburgh
Musselburgh
Musselburgh is the largest settlement in East Lothian, Scotland, on the coast of the Firth of Forth, six miles east of Edinburgh city centre.-History:...
, near Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
. Following completion of his education at Loretto, he moved to North Berwick and played out of the famous North Berwick Golf Club
North Berwick Golf Club
The North Berwick Golf Club , 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 was the first club in the world to allow female members,...
. Laidlay won the British Amateur Championship 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 British Open
British Open
The British Open is the Open Championship men's golf tournament.British Open may also refer to:* Women's British Open of golf* British Open Show Jumping Championships* British Open Squash Championships...
. He won over 130 amateur medals during his playing career, represented Scotland every year from 1902 to 1911, and also played cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
for Scotland. After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he moved to Sunningdale
Sunningdale
Sunningdale is a large village and civil parish in the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead in Berkshire, England.-Location:Sunningdale is located close to the present border with Surrey, and is not far from Ascot, Sunninghill and Virginia Water. It is situated 24 miles west of London and 7...
, near London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where his former caddie Jack White
Jack White (golfer)
Jack White was a Scottish professional golfer.White was born at Pefferside, four miles east of North Berwick. He was the son of an agricultural labourer and worked as a caddie from the age of ten. Like many early professionals he trained as a clubmaker...
was the club professional at the Sunningdale Golf Club
Sunningdale Golf Club
Sunningdale Golf Club is a golf club, located approximately 30 miles to the west of London, in Sunningdale, Berkshire, England....
. He has been called the 'last of the gentlemen golfers'.
Laidlay was using the grip which was credited to Harry Vardon
Harry Vardon
Harry Vardon was a Jersey professional golfer and member of the fabled Great Triumvirate of the sport in his day, along with John Henry Taylor and James Braid. He won The Open Championship a record six times and also won the U.S. Open.-Biography:Vardon was born in Grouville, Jersey, Channel Islands...
for some years before either Vardon or John Henry Taylor
John Henry Taylor
John Henry "J.H." Taylor was an English professional golfer and one of the pioneers of the modern game of golf. He was also a significant golf course architect....
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 Nicklaus
Jack William Nicklaus , nicknamed "The Golden Bear", is an American professional golfer. He won 18 career major championships on the PGA Tour over a span of 25 years and is widely regarded as one of the greatest professional golfers of all time. In addition to his 18 Majors, he was runner-up a...
, Tiger Woods
Tiger Woods
Eldrick Tont "Tiger" Woods is an American professional golfer whose achievements to date rank him among the most successful golfers of all time. Formerly the World No...
, and Gene Sarazen
Gene Sarazen
Gene Sarazen was an American professional golfer, one of the world's top players in the 1920s and 1930s. He is one of five golfers to win all the current major championships in his career, the Career Grand Slam:U.S...
.
Laidlay also played one match for the Scotland national cricket team in 1878.
Amateur wins (2)
| Year | Championship | Winning Score | Runner-up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1889 | The Amateur Championship The Amateur Championship The Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. It is one of the two leading individual tournaments for amateur golfers, alongside the U.S. Amateur... |
2 & 1 |  Leslie Balfour-MelvilleLeslie Balfour-Melville Leslie Melville Balfour-Melville , born Leslie Melville Balfour, was an outstanding all-round Scottish amateur sportsman. The finest moment in his sporting career was on 29 July 1882. As captain, opening batsman and wicket-keeper, he led Scotland to victory over Australia at cricket... |
| 1891 | The Amateur Championship The Amateur Championship The Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. It is one of the two leading individual tournaments for amateur golfers, alongside the U.S. Amateur... |
20 holes |  Harold HiltonHarold Hilton Harold Horsfall Hilton was an English amateur golfer.-Biography:Hilton was born in West Kirby. In 1892, he won The Open Championship at Muirfield, becoming the second amateur to do so. He won again in 1897 at his home club, Royal Liverpool Golf Club, Hoylake... |
Results timeline
Note: Laidlay played in only The Open ChampionshipThe Open Championship
The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
and The Amateur Championship
The Amateur Championship
The Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. It is one of the two leading individual tournaments for amateur golfers, alongside the U.S. Amateur...
.
| Tournament | 1885 | 1886 | 1887 | 1888 | 1889 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
T13 | T8 LA | 4 LA | 10 | T4 LA |
| The Amateur Championship The Amateur Championship The Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. It is one of the two leading individual tournaments for amateur golfers, alongside the U.S. Amateur... |
R24 | QF | DNP | 2 | 1 |
| Tournament | 1890 | 1891 | 1892 | 1893 | 1894 | 1895 | 1896 | 1897 | 1898 | 1899 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
T11 | T20 | DNP | 2 LA | DNP | 17 | T18 | 29 | DNP | 32 |
| The Amateur Championship The Amateur Championship The Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. It is one of the two leading individual tournaments for amateur golfers, alongside the U.S. Amateur... |
2 | 1 | SF | 2 | SF | R16 | R16 | R64 | DNP | R16 |
| Tournament | 1900 | 1901 | 1902 | 1903 | 1904 | 1905 | 1906 | 1907 | 1908 | 1909 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
T26 | T7 | DNP | T37 | DNP | DNP | T60 | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Amateur Championship The Amateur Championship The Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. It is one of the two leading individual tournaments for amateur golfers, alongside the U.S. Amateur... |
R16 | R32 | R16 | R64 | SF | R64 | R32 | R256 | R128 | R16 |
| Tournament | 1910 | 1911 | 1912 | 1913 | 1914 | 1915 | 1916 | 1917 | 1918 | 1919 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Open Championship The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT |
| The Amateur Championship The Amateur Championship The Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. It is one of the two leading individual tournaments for amateur golfers, alongside the U.S. Amateur... |
R32 | R64 | DNP | R64 | R128 | NT | NT | NT | NT | NT |
| Tournament | 1920 |
|---|---|
| The Open Championship The Open Championship The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico... |
DNP |
| The Amateur Championship The Amateur Championship The Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. It is one of the two leading individual tournaments for amateur golfers, alongside the U.S. Amateur... |
R64 |
LA = Low Amateur
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
"T" indicates a tie for a place
R256, R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10
Source for British Open: www.opengolf.com
Source for 1885 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, April 21, 1885, pg. 7.
Source for 1886 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, September 23, 1886, pg. 5.
Source for 1892 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 14, 1892, pg. 4.
Source for 1894 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, April 28, 1894, pg. 11.
Source for 1895 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 9, 1895, pg. 3.
Source for 1896 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 21, 1896, pg. 11.
Source for 1897 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, April 28, 1897, pg. 10.
Source for 1899 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 25, 1899, pg. 8.
Source for 1900 British Amateur: Golf, July, 1900, pg. 21.
Source for 1901 British Amateur: Golf, June, 1901, pg. 413.
Source for 1902 British Amateur: Golf, June, 1902, pg. 397.
Source for 1903 British Amateur: Golf, July, 1903, pg. 8.
Source for 1904 British Amateur: Golf, July, 1904, pg. 9.
Source for 1905 British Amateur: Golf, June, 1905, pg. 341.
Source for 1906 British Amateur: Golf, July, 1906, pg. 30.
Source for 1907 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 28, 1907, pg. 12.
Source for 1908 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 27, 1908, pg. 14.
Source for 1909 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 27, 1909, pg. 13.
Source for 1910 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, June 2, 1910, pg. 8.
Source for 1911 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 31, 1911, pg. 10.
Source for 1913 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 28, 1913, pg. 15.
Source for 1914 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, May 20, 1914, pg. 12.
Source for 1920 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, June 9, 1920, pg. 11.