Harry Vardon
Henry Alfred Pegram (1862-1937)
1911
Source: Pictures of 1911: 117
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Harry Vardon (1870-1937) was one of the great sportsmen of his era. Born in Jersey, he became a professional golfer at the new course at Studley Royal, Yorkshire, in 1890. His career was at its peak around the turn of the century: he won the US Open Championship in 1900. A "great sporting figure," he presided over "the first great era of the growth of golf in England and the United States" (Hoppit). This he did also through his books, especially his best-selling Complete Golfer (1905), by designing fourteen new golf courses, and by coaching other golfers. He taught for many years at the South Hertforshire Club, Totteridge, near London (now a part of Greater London), which he had first joined in 1902. Dogged by illness (TB) and his own lack of putting consistency, his career eventually declined, but he remained one of the major figures of the golfing fraternity. Pegram has caught him, as it were, in full swing — which was famously upright, and with his hands clasped in what is still known as the "Vardon grip."
Text and formatting by Jacqueline Banerjee.
