James Braid (golfer) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids James Braid
Braid in 1904
Personal information
Full name	James Braid
Born	(1870-02-06)6 February 1870 Earlsferry, Fife, Scotland
Died	27 November 1950(1950-11-27) (aged 80) London, England
Nationality	Scotland
Career
Status	Professional
Professional wins	19
Best results in Major Championships (Wins: 5)
The Masters Tournament	DNP
U.S. Open	DNP
The Open Championship	Won: 1901, 1905, 1906, 1908, 1910
PGA Championship	DNP
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame	1976

Braid in 1927

Braid caricatured by Spy for Vanity Fair, 1907

James Braid (born February 6, 1870 – died November 27, 1950) was a famous Scottish professional golfer. He was one of the three best golfers of his time, known as the "Great Triumvirate". The other two were Harry Vardon and John Henry Taylor.

Braid won The Open Championship five times, which is a huge achievement in golf. Besides being a great player, he was also a very talented golf course architect. This means he designed golf courses. James Braid is so important in golf history that he is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Early Life and Golf Career

James Braid was born in Earlsferry, a small town in Fife, Scotland. He started playing golf when he was very young. Before becoming a professional golfer in 1896, he worked as a clubmaker. This means he made golf clubs.

At first, James had some trouble with his putting. Putting is when you hit the ball into the hole. But he fixed this problem in 1900 by using a new type of putter made of aluminium. After that, his game got much better!

He won The Open Championship in 1901, 1905, 1906, 1908, and 1910. He also won four British PGA Matchplay Championships and the 1910 French Open. He came in second place at The Open Championship several times too. His win in 1906 was special because he was the last European player to win the title two years in a row until 2008.

Golf Course Design

Around 1912, James Braid started playing in fewer tournaments. He became a full-time golf professional at a club called Walton Heath near London. This is where he really started his career in golf course design.

He became very famous for designing golf courses. Some people even say he "invented" the "dogleg" hole. A dogleg is a golf hole that bends sharply in the middle, like a dog's leg. Even though similar holes existed before, Braid made them popular.

Some of the famous courses he designed include the "King's Course" and the "Queen's Course" at Gleneagles in Scotland. He also helped redesign parts of the Carnoustie Golf Links in 1926, which is another famous Open Championship venue.

His very last golf course design was for Stranraer Golf Club in 1950, the year he passed away. He was asked to design it even after he had mostly retired. Sadly, James Braid died in London on November 27, 1950, before he could see the course finished.

Books and Writings

James Braid also shared his golf knowledge by writing books. He worked with Harry Vardon on some books called "How to Play Golf". In 1911, Braid wrote his own book called "Advanced Golf, or, Hints and Instruction for Progressive Players". There is also a book written about all the golf courses he designed, called "James Braid and his 400 courses".

Major Championship Wins

James Braid won The Open Championship five times. Here are his wins:

Year	Championship	Winning Score	Margin	Runner(s)-up
1901	The Open Championship	309	3 strokes	Harry Vardon
1905	The Open Championship (2)	318	5 strokes	Rowland Jones, J.H. Taylor
1906	The Open Championship (3)	300	4 strokes	J.H. Taylor
1908	The Open Championship (4)	291	8 strokes	Tom Ball
1910	The Open Championship (5)	299	4 strokes	Sandy Herd

Team Golf Appearances

James Braid also played for Scotland and Great Britain in several team golf matches:

• He played for Scotland in the England–Scotland Professional Match many times, and his team won in 1903.
• He represented Great Britain in the France vs Great Britain match in 1908, which his team won.
• He was part of the Professionals team that won the Coronation Match in 1911.
• He played for Great Britain in the Great Britain vs USA match in 1921, where Great Britain won.
• He was on the Seniors team that won against the Juniors in 1928.

Golf Courses Designed by Braid

James Braid designed over 200 golf courses. He didn't like to travel far, so he rarely left the British Isles. He never even traveled outside Europe! However, he did design two 18-hole golf courses for the Singapore Island Country Club in Asia. He planned these courses using detailed maps, and then they were built according to his instructions.

Here are some of the golf courses he designed:

See also

• List of men's major championships winning golfers
• List of golfers with most wins in one PGA Tour event