Old Tom Morris

Old Tom Morris visits Royal Dublin

In June 1894 Old Tom Morris of St. Andrews, a winner of four Opens Championships, visited Dollymount. The members of the Royal Dublin Golf Club gave him a warm welcome on his arrival, brisk and hale. Playing on the evening of his arrival at Dollymount, with Anthony Brown, the club professional, Old Tom went round in 88 an excellent score, and one that, with knowledge of the links, might easily have been under 80.

On Wednesday Old Tom and Mr Tom Gilroy (the Captain of the club and regarded as the best player in Ireland) played Brown and Mr John Petrie. The match was halved, as Old Tom’s approaches to the greens on the back nine helped the Morris/Gilroy partnership get back on level terms. In the book, The Life of Tom Morris, the following day (Thursday) a return match was played, which ended in a win for the Captain and the visitor by one hole.

It had been proposed by Mr Petrie that Old Tom Morris be engaged to lay out the course at Dollymount but in the end it was John Lumsden and Tom Gilroy who took on task.

"Is there need to add," says a report, "that all the members of the Club gave a hearty welcome to the grand old champion, that we look forward to another visit from him soon, and that he departed with good wishes for his success at Sandwich during the Championship Meeting"