ABSTRACT
Son of a handloom weaver, in 1839 Old Tom was apprenticed as a featherie ball and club maker to Allan Robertson, indisputably the greatest player at St Andrews and, by implication, in the world. Twelve years later, in the year that ‘Young Tom’ was born, he had a dispute with his employer over his use of a gutta-percha ball, which Robertson (rightly) saw as a threat to the livelihood of the featherie ball makers. Morris left for Prestwick in Ayrshire, a foreign country so far as St Andreans were concerned, but was later reconciled with Robertson whom he later partnered in several high-stake challenge matches. In his years at Prestwick he made great improvements to the course, an experience that was to serve him well in his future work as a golf course designer in which he pioneered the idea of laying the links out in two loops of nine holes rather than simply going out and back. When Robertson died in 1864, Morris, by then twice Open winner, returned to St Andrews to succeed his former master as professional and Custodian of the Links (greenkeeper). He remained there some 44 years before his death following a fall down the clubhouse stairs. ‘Old Tom’ was one of the first percentage golfers, with the hallmark of his game being careful attention to playing the safe shot: he won games not so much by making brilliant strokes but by not playing bad ones.
