Goodness, where to start? What a week the sister and I have had back in the ole country. I’m beginning to wonder why we wait for a reason to plan a trip back to Portstewart and Portrush, the places we grew up and the places that now seem to be a bucket-list venue for anyone in the world who has ever swung a golf club.
Two of the many VIPs attending the blue plaque ceremony and good friends of ours, Kath Stewart-Moore and Gerry McAleese, both stalwarts of Royal Portrush golf club. On no account think of taking them on in a history of golf quiz!
I don’t know why, but I’m always amazed at the number of folk we both still know back home. Perhaps it isn’t really so peculiar to be amazed – after all Patricia hasn’t lived in Ireland for forty-five years and I’ve been in England for forty, but the golfing family is a nomadic one and, seemingly at every turn at those two famous old clubs, we were running into friends and colleagues from both sides of the Atlantic, never mind both sides of the Irish sea.
First things first, however. It was a special occasion that enticed us back, namely the unveiling of an Ulster History Circle Blue Plaque at the Ladies’ Clubhouse at Royal Portrush golf club. The plaque is to commemorate the astonishing exploits of May Hezlet, a teenage sensation, who won the Irish Championship five times between 1899 and 1908 and also added the extraordinary tally of three British Championships to her resume.
A trailblazer for women in every way, May retired from championship golf at the age of 27 to pay more attention to her wifely duties to her clergyman husband, but she continued to pack a great deal into golf, giving back at club level and remaining as President of the Ladies’ Branch of Royal Portrush right up until 1951.
When Patricia and I were introduced to this grand, thoroughly irritating, old game in the mid-to-late sixties there was (and still is) a flourishing junior golf programme at Portrush, so Dad joined us as members. I think I was nine, but I clearly remember all the fun in that iconic little clubhouse with a portrait of May Hezlet looking down on us from one of the walls. So, in a way, I always knew of her and her amazingly talented golfing family. I never dreamed, however, that one day I’d receive a letter from her sister, Violet, who at the time of this correspondence was 97 years of age.
The year was 1980 and Violet was sending her congratulations, through me, to the Irish team, of which I’d been a member, on winning the Home Internationals. That was our first win in the Home International series since 1907 when Violet and her famous sister May (by then Mrs Ross) had both played. She was so excited at our victory and I was privileged to have a little bit of correspondence with this wonderful woman before her death in 1982. One of the two letters I received from her is shown below.
A little piece of history I was privileged to look after for a small while.
Having treasured my small, but tangible, connection with these extraordinary golfing women for almost half a century I was delighted to meet up again with Susan Hezlet, a great-niece of May, who had flown over from Edinburgh for the blue plaque ceremony. We had been in the kindergarten together and I was thrilled to be able to present my two precious letters, complete with envelopes, stamps and postdates, back to the family. For me it was a full-circle moment.
With Susan Hezlet, May’s great-niece, who is clutching the family copy of Ladies’ Golf, written by May when she was a mere 22 years of age.
There is quite rightly a lengthy and arduous process to go through in order to be awarded a precious blue plaque and many, many folk from the Ladies’ Branch of Royal Portrush put in long hours of work to ensure a successful outcome. Our pal Kath Stewart-Moore acknowledges she is considered the “history nerd of the Ladies’ Branch” and while she will be uncomfortable at being singled out there’s no doubt her research into May Hezlet went a long way to bringing her character alive for golfers and non-golfers alike….And isn’t it always fun to make your friends a little uncomfortable anyway?!
So, very well done to Kath and all at the club for a brilliant day and the successful culmination of more than five years of work.
Patricia and I had our usual, delightfully busy time on our return to the Emerald Isle with various rendezvous planned with friends and family. We surpassed ourselves on this occasion, however.
Beaches walked – check. Four in total: Portstewart, Castlerock, White Rocks, Portballintrae.
The strand at Portstewart.
Portballintrae beach.
Courses and clubhouses visited – check. Three in total: Castlerock, Portstewart and the two at Portrush, so I guess you could say there were four.
Lots of activity at Portrush. Could there be something on?
Irish delicacies sampled – check. There were several: veda (a malty bread for the uninformed), Tayto crisps, Guinness and Black Bush. Hmm, perhaps not our healthiest diet but an absolute requirement when back home.
Most savoured of all, however, was the craic. It runs like a seam through the people of Ireland and is magnified when groups of pals get together and it was so much fun to be back with those friends. I did ask Patricia at one stage – “shall we move back here?” She didn’t say no.
I think the first move is to plan more frequent visits and then the second may be to work on my Scottish better half.
We’ll start in July with the Open.
