Day 18
John Rattray and Golf in Leith
A segment written for Leith For Ever by Jim Scanlon MBE, active member of Leith Rules Golf Society, and Chair of Leith Links Community Council.
Today Leith Links is a landscaped public park created in Edwardian times, but you have to use your imagination or visit the golf course at St Andrews to get an idea of how the Links would have looked 300 years ago when golfers shared a rugged landscape with local Leithers.
Golf has been played on Leith Links since at least the 16th Century mainly by the aristocracy, merchants, ship owners and the legal and medical professionals of Edinburgh Society. The game was expensive because of the cost of making the feathery ball and at today's value one ball would cost £2000!
Groups of players formed societies or clubs to play together or against opponents and players had wagers against each other to see who would win. If written rules existed prior to 1744 they are yet to be discovered.
One of these players was John Rattray an Edinburgh Surgeon who played golf on Leith Links.
When John Rattray approached the city town council in 1744 to ask if they would put up a prize for a competition and they said yes as long as there was a set of rules. Little did he know that the 13 articles that John wrote down would be the foundation for the rules used by golfers all over the world today. The City supplied a silver club for the 'Open' competition which was won by John.
John's life could be made into a film. He was a surgeon in Edinburgh who joined Bonnie Prince Charlie's Jacobite army after the Battle of Prestonpans and he became the Prince's surgeon. Captured at Culloden his life was saved by his Leith Links Golfing partner, Duncan Forbes of Culloden.
There are no known images of John Rattray but I'm sure he would be amazed how his original rules would still influence golf today.
How to get involved.
The Leith Rules Golf Society over the last few years raised money to erect the statue of John Rattray and information about the rules of golf on the corner of Leith Links at Links Gardens, why not stop by for a look next time you visit the links. Leith Links Community Council would also like to hear from anyone who would be interested in forming a Friends of Leith Links group if this is you please contact them: contact@leithlinkscc.org.uk