Without an appointment, a Scottish professional arrived in the USA for employment!

“Did You Know”
Without an appointment, a Scottish professional arrived in the USA for employment!

David Scott Cuthbert was introduced to golf as a caddy at St. Andrews Links. As a young teen Cuthbert often caddied for Freddie Tait, who was twice the British Amateur champion (1896 and 1898), and twice tied third in the British Open. (At age 30 Tait lost his life during the Second Boer War in South Africa.)  Cuthbert served his apprenticeship as a golf professional working for Old Tom Morris, the professional at St. Andrews.

In 1912 Cuthbert learned from a friend, who had been working in America as a club-maker, that Huntingdon Valley Country Club, near Philadelphia, was looking for a new golf professional. Having heard glowing tales of opportunity in the USA, Cuthbert immediately set sail for the states. Cuthbert arrived in Philadelphia in a March blizzard. With a suitcase and his golf clubs, he made his way to HVCC. Without an appointment he arrived and announced that he was David Cuthbert of St. Andrews and had come all the way from Scotland for the position of golf professional. He got it.  

HVCC, in Rydal at that time, was a founding member of the Golf Association of Philadelphia and one of Philadelphia’s foremost clubs. One of its members was Rodman Wanamaker, a son of department store magnet John Wanamaker. Four years later in 1916 Rodman Wanamaker played an important role in the founding of the PGA of America. Rodman hosted 75 golf professionals and some of the country’s leading amateurs at a luncheon in New York. When it was announced that Wanamaker would provide the prize money for a PGA Championship, the golf professionals agreed to form the PGA of America. With that, Cuthbert became one of the first members of the PGA of America.

Cuthbert only stayed at HVCC for six years, but that was long enough to get Helen Stetson’s golf game on track to win the 1926 US Women’s Amateur Championship. Cuthbert left HVCC after 1917 for a professional position in Canada. The March 1918 issue of the American Golfer described him “as not a particularly strong player, but a capital coach and clubmaker. “

Cuthbert returned to Philadelphia in 1923 as the professional at the Ashbourne Country Club. It was a new club with construction of the golf course nearly finished. With four golf holes completed, Cuthbert was able to begin giving golf lessons to the members.   

The 1923 Pennsylvania Open was held at Huntingdon Valley, where Cuthbert had been the professional. Along with being a windy day, the golf course was challenging with a brook that had to be crossed 22 times. In the morning Cuthbert shot a 73, which was the low round by several strokes. But then he frittered away a stroke on each on the last three afternoon holes for a 78. With that he lost the tournament by one stroke to Jim Edmundson, a transplanted Irishman. Cuthbert’s golf game must have improved.

The day before the 1923 Pennsylvania Open, Cuthbert’s father, David Sr., arrived in New York from Scotland for a visit. He made it to Philadelphia on the morning train in time to caddy the 36 holes for his son that next day. The Pittsburgh Post newspaper described Cuthbert, Sr. as “the aged daddie of David.” Ten years later David, Sr. caddied for Ed Dudley in the 1933 British Open at St. Andrews. Dudley was the professional at the Concord Country Club and was now also the professional at the newly opened Augusta National Golf Club during the winter months. Dudley contended from round one and tied for seventh. Whenever Harry Vardon played St. Andrews, David Sr. would be his caddy.

Cuthbert stayed at Ashbourne for 15 years. He qualified for the 1929 PGA Championship, which was being played in Los Angeles. The Ashbourne CC board of directors voted Cuthbert $500 to make the trip. He served as an officer in the Philadelphia PGA and was president in 1928. Cuthbert was a member of the committee that organized the first Senior PGA Championship which was played at the Augusta National Golf Club in 1937. He finished his career as the teaching professional at Bala Golf Club.

Dave Cuthbert was one of the many golf professionals who emigrated from Great Britain where golf had been played for several hundred years. With their vast knowledge on the game of golf, they taught the American novices about golf. With that imparted knowledge, within 30 years the American golfers were on top of the golf world.