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Patrick
J. Doyle
Patrick
J. Doyle, nicknamed, the Smilin' Irishman, a grand-uncle of
Eamonn Darcy, the star of the 1987 Ryder Cup at Muirfield Village,
was named one of the fifty most influential people in Irish
golf in the past 100 years. His sobriquet and undoubted sunny
disposition may relate to his good fortune at missing his passage
on the S.S. Titanic in 1912 due to the late arrival of his train
at Cobh, Co. Cork. In 1908 he was engaged as resident and first
professional at Delgany Golf Club in County Wicklow, he was
later employed by Finglas Golf Club', in the 1911 census his
residence was Glasnevin and this was the date the club was instituted.
Upon
his arrival in the United States Doyle quickly took up a position
of resident professional at the exclusive and prestigious Myopia
Hunt Club, Massachusetts, a frequent venue for the US Open at
the turn of the twentieth century. A gift of the gap and a smidgen
of blarney - skimmed milk masquerading as cream - may have been
at play as the NYT referred to him as an erstwhile Irish champion.
However, he was clearly an accomplished golfer despite being
a back-marker qualifying for the US Open at Brookline Country
Club as a 73 on the third round vaulted him up the field finishing
into tenth place - an incredible achievement. In the 1913 US
Open at Brookline Pat Doyle playing out of the Myopia Golf Club
finished on 311 just seven strokes behind Vardon, Ray and Ouimet
for tenth place.
Sometime
bedore joining South Shore Field Club he may well have returned
to Ireland as their is a record of him boarding the Cymric on
27 March 1915 in Liverpool, it is believed he was travelling
with Peter O'Hare (or O'Hara as he became known Stateside).
As a footnote the boat was later torpedoed and sunk by a German
submarine off the Irish coast in 1916. Patrick
Doyle was still playing out of the Myopia CC when he entered
the US Open in Baltusrol GC in the same year (1915) but he didn't
qualify with two rounds of 84.
In
1916 Doyle lost the Massachusetts State Open to Mike 'King'
Brady, a first generation Irish American. Doyle was a successful
teaching professional and tutored William Howard Taft, the first
US golfing president, Joseph Kennedy, Jack Dempsey, and Joe
Louis. He was engaged by; South Shore Field Club [1916-1917],
Deal GC [1918-1920], Bluff Point CC [1925], Elmsworth CC [1927]
and Linwood GC (1928).
Doyle
is quoted by H B Martin in his book Great Golfers in the Making:
‘There
are two things to consider in playing from a sand trap, and
the most important of these is a relaxed grip with loose wrists.
….. The other essential is the opening of the face of the
Niblick, thus permitting the club to cut in under the ball.
…. From a deep trap you explode the ball out as the best
means of extracting it.’ (Pat Doyle, golf professional
at Myopia Hunt)
At Englewood Doyle
teamed up with Marion Hollins in a great war relief tournament
and were beaten to second place by one shot. In the Shawnee
Open tournament Doyle was playing for South Shore but finished
out of the money on 313 (Jnt 18th) compared to Eddie Loos aggregate
of 290. When the North and South Open took place in March 1918
Doyle was playing for Deal CC and was now fairing much better
finishing joint second behind Fred McLeod. He repeated a second
place finish at an Open tournament at Asheville N.C.. On 20
March 1918 he won the Jacksonville Open leaving Jim Barnes,
Eddie Loos and Jock Hutchinson in his wake, the success was
attributed to the new Spalding '40' golf ball he was using.
In 1918 season Doyle
played in some exhibition matches for the Red Cross and United
War Work Fund:
Gil
NichoUs and Wilfrid Reid defeated Pat Doyle and Jim Donaldson,
5 and 4, at Long Branch, N. J.
Gil
Nicholls and Wilfrid Reid defeated Jim Donaldson and Pat Doyle,2
and 1, at Deal Beach, N. J.
Pat Doyle and Tom
Boyd defeated Jock Hutchison and Bob MacDonald, 1 up, 19 holes,
at the Ridgemoor Country Club, Chicago.
From June 9-12 1919
the Open Championship was played at Brae Burn where he finished
in joint 18th (319) behind Hagen (301). 1919:
Pat Doyle, the Eastern pro, set a new record for the Ridgemoor
Club,Chicago, with a 73, clipping one stroke off the previous
record.
In
the 1920 US Census Doyle gives his address as Manhattan, 1908
as the year of US immigration, naturalisation in 1914 and describes
himself as a golf expert. At this stage he was married to Catherine,
an Irish-girl, and they had a one-year-old child, Joseph.
The following article
appeared in the Hutchinson News:
Patrick
J. Doyle Dies At Age Of 82 MOUTN VERNON, N.Y. (AP)
— Patrick J. Doyle, 82, of New York, a longtime golf professional,
died Monday night (29 March 1971) at
Mount Vernon Hospital after a long illness. A native of Dublin,
Ireland, Doyle came to this country as a youth. He was cited
by President Woodrow Wilson for his efforts, in benefit golf
matches during World War I.
[Source:
Hutchinson News]
Reading
Sources:
Delgany Golf Club Centenary
2008
Golf's
Major Championships
Picture: page 13 Spalding
guide 1918
Picture: page 48 Spalding
guide 1915
'
Porter's Guide and Directory for North Dublin 1912
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