RIGHT-HAND DISPLAY CABINET

On the left side are the major championships that were won by Johnny Ball, born in Hoylake in 1861, it shows his Open Gold medal of 1890. Becoming the first amateur and Englishman to win the championship, the previous winner had been all of Scottish decent. We also exhibit his eight Amateur Championships which is still a record to this day.
 

Astride his pony he rode when serving in the army during the Boar War. The pony was presented to him by members of the Royal Liverpool golf club. During a skirmish one of his men was shot from his horse, Johnny dismounted and rescued his fellow soldier. Crawling along the ground he was wounded in the neck by a bullet. He was asked by the Press his name but having a distrust of the media refused. Just to think apart from the Open Championship, eight amateur medals he could have added the VC? What a man, he died on December 3rd 1940 aged 79. His portrait is shown on the stairs.
 
Right hand side of the cabinet is Harold Hilton, who was born a mile from our clubhouse in West Kirby. He won two Open Championships at Muirfield (1892) and Hoylake (1897). He also won the Amateur four times and in 1911 he sailed to America and won the US Amateur in 1911. He was a great writer of golf, a golf course architect and a much sort after instructor of the game. A chain smoker he died in May 1942 aged 73. His portrait is shown on the stairs.