James Braid - Golfer, Club Maker & Architect.

James Braid born on February 6, 1870 in Earlsferry, Fife, Scotland is a name that has been associated with golf for the past several centuries. He was fascinated with the game of golf and played as a young child and then turned to creating clubs as a career prior to becoming a professional golfer. As an adult his passion for golf never ceased and on the courses only his putting abilities were off. Finally he switched to a different putter created from aluminium in 1900 and his putting issues were no longer a problem and he went on to win several tournaments.

James Braid Tournaments won include:
1901 The Open Championship
1902 Tooting Bec Cup
1903 News of the World Match Play, Tooting Bec Cup
1904 Tooting Bec Cup
1905 The Open Championship, News of the World Match Play
1906 The Open Championship
1907 News of the World Match Play, Tooting Bec Cup
1908 The Open Championship
1910 The Open Championship, French Open
1911 News of the World Match Play
1920 British vs. America Match

James Braid is known for being a founder of the Professional Golfers' Association (PGA) and a few years later becoming president. Braid, along with Harry Vardon and JH Taylor, were known as the “Great Triumvirate” who were prominent players before World War I.
Not only was Braid very well known as a golfer but he also became known as an excellent designer of some of the most famous golf courses in the area with more than 200 courses being attributed to his skills.

A few of the Golf courses designed by James Braid include:
Alloa Golf Club in Alloa
Belleisle Golf Club in Alloway, Ayr
Kirkistown Castle Links in Cloughey, Co. Down, Northern Ireland
The Musselburgh Golf Club in Musselburgh, East Lothian
Stranraer Golf Club in Stranraer
Tiverton Golf Club in Tiverton
Kirriemuir Golf Club in Kirriemuir, Angus
Ludlow Golf Club in Shropshire
Verulam Golf Club in St.Albans, Hertfordshire
Worsley Golf Club in Worsley, Greater Manchester
Newton Green Golf Coub in Sudbury, Suffolk

In Cornwall, you can find four golf courses designed by Braid which include Budock Vean Golf Club in Falmouth, Perranporth Golf Club in Perranporth, Cornwall, Saint Enodoc Golf Club in Wadebridge, and St Austell Golf Club in St Austell.