Mount Lawley Golf Club - The first fifty years (1928 - 1978)

The following chapters are excerpts from Mount Lawleys Book 'Mount Lawley Golf Club - The first fifty years (1928 - 1978)'. Click on the chapter title to view the text.

Chapter Eight : Club Professionals

It was in the year, 1935 that Mt Lawley Golf Club decided it was time to have a professional to up-grade the play and give better service to members in acquiring their golfing needs.

To the end Neil Hyam was appointed the first professional at Mount Lawley. Unfortunately membership was not strong at this period and Neil did not stay with the Club very long. He did come back to the Club for another short stay in 1948 to fill in a gap between other appointments.

Charlie Snow was then appointed professional and started in 1937. He served his apprenticeship with Anderson Lough, standing professional at Royal Perth Golf Club.

Charlie Snow joined the services in 1940 and left for overseas where he was captured and became a prisoner of war. He returned after hostilities and continued with Mt Lawley until 1948.

The club's third professional Les Nicholls came to Mt Lawley in 1949 from Sea View Golf Club. Les served his apprenticeship with Eric Alberts, formerly of Cottesloe and Royal Fremantle Clubs.

Les Nicholls was a very good golfer, excellent teacher and expert clubmaker and in his 13 years of service to Mount Lawley Golf Club proved to be a great asset. The help he gave in tutoring juniors and pennant players was of great benefit indeed.

Les left Mount Lawley in 1962 to go into a business venture at Claremont Driving Range and subsequently returned to Sea View Golf Club as professional.

The next replacement was Tony Kelly who came from St Michael's Golf Club in N.S.W. He was assistant professional to Don Cullen who was a former West Australain. Tony stayed with the club for two years, and when he left he relinquished his professional status and joined Melville Glades Golf Club where he later became Captain and President.

Incidentally he eventually reapplied for professional status and returned to Royal Fremantle Golf Club.

The fifth professional to come to Mount Lawley was Ivan Campbell, who came from Metropolitan Club in Victoria where he was an asistant professional.

Ivan has now been with the club 14 years and his services to the club have been of great value. He has spent a great deal of time with our junior golfers and also has been a staunch follower of our pennant teams. His devotion to the club is appaent by the way he asssists in controlling ans starting major club events.

It is hoped that Ivan will continue at Mount Lawley for many more years to come.