Death of a devotee

A familiar figure around Irish championship courses, he would watch the fairways anxiously, sometimes through binoculars. And all the while, he attempted to make himself invisible to the focus of his attentions, even if it meant hiding behind bushes or in the shadow of fellow spectators.

The recent death of Hal McGimpsey, Garth's father, deprived Irish amateur golf of a much-loved devotee. Rollo McClure, honorary treasurer of the GUI, told me that the funeral had an unusually warm feel about it, as golfing people paid tribute to an old friend.

When I think of Hal, I'm reminded of being at the World Cup at Grand Cypress, Orlando in November 1990 when word came through that Fred Daly had died. That was when David Feherty, who had been an assistant to Fred at Balmoral, recalled a rather special visit there around 1979, by McGimpsey father and son. The objective was a golf lesson for Garth, with Hal taking notes for future reference.

Near the end of the lesson, Fred became unusually animated, swishing the driver vigorously with his left hand through grass at the edge of a fairway. "That's it! That's it!" exclaimed the 1947 British Open champion. Convinced he and Garth were about to become privy to a great golfing secret, Hal enquired: "What is it Fred?" Only to be told: "That's the damn moss that's destroying our greens."