Bobby Cruickshank Hickory Experience

After joining Grantown in 1984 I often encountered the name Bobby Cruickshank. Our 7th hole is named after him and we play annually for a trophy donated by his family. Various photos of him are tucked away in nooks & crannies in our lovely clubhouse.

Fast forward to 2023 when in a quiet moment I googled him. From that point forward I became fascinated by his life story. From his young caddying and golfing days in Grantown in the early 1900’s; to being kicked on the head by a horse which resulted in him meeting a Mrs Usher (rich brewing heiress) who subsequently sponsored Bobby and his brother John to a private school in Edinburgh; for a notable athletic career with his sprint record only being surpassed 50 years later; to the trauma of seeing his brother being killed in WW1 in the trenches of France; of his capture and as a POW his subsequent lifesaving help to Sandy Armour ( his friend Tommy’s’ brother); his escape from captivity; his emigration to the USA where he carved out his illustrious golfing career;  the golfing talent of his family; and to cap it all his retirement in 1965 with a veritable who’s who of golfing greats at his leaving party.

I think it’s a great pity that so few people in Scotland are aware of his golfing record, although understandable as his career was mostly in the USA. He was the leading US money winner in 1927, tied for the US open in 1923 and took part in a famous play-off against Bobby Jones with Jones ultimately successful. He was 2nd in the US open on two further occasions, including when he was winning with 7 holes to go and struck himself on the head with a tossed club, literally kyboshing his chances. He won 17 PGA sanctioned events, plus a further 8 that were subsequently sanctioned. Adding all that up would make him 24th in the all-time winners list.

Bobbys’ granddaughter Diana Smith has written a lovely book called “ wee Bobby Cruickshank” which is a great read for any history loving golfers. Diana’s desire is to keep her grandfathers legacy alive and increase awareness of his amazing life.

Armed with this increasing knowledge and admiration of Bobby, our clubs most successful golfer and the challenging financial climate for all small clubs like ours, I pondered on ways to to increase awareness of Bobby’s fascinating life and at the same time benefit the club, in particular our Juniors, from Bobby our Unique Selling Point.

The culmination of this has resulted in the club establishing the Bobby Cruickshank Hickory Experience at Grantown, which we will launch at the start of our season and will comprise of,