About
While seeking the perfect site for a links course, he climbed a Norman church tower in Sandwich to get a better view and instead stumbled upon the land for Royal St. George's, a discovery that shaped golf history.
William Laidlaw Purves was a Scottish-born surgeon and golf course architect, born April 16, 1842, in Edinburgh, Scotland. Although his primary career was in medicine as an aural and ophthalmic surgeon in London, Purves is most notably remembered for his significant contributions to golf. He was the visionary behind the founding and design of Royal St. George's Golf Club in Sandwich, Kent, England, which opened in 1887. The course quickly garnered high prestige and became the first outside Scotland to host The Open Championship in 1894. Purves discovered the property in 1885, inspired by its dune-studded linksland, and designed a challenging and beautiful course that has since hosted numerous major championships.
In addition to Royal St. George's, Purves designed Littlestone Golf Club, another links course nearby. He was deeply involved in the growth of golf administration and was a key figure in establishing the Ladies Golf Union in the UK, advocating for women's golf and playing a vital role in introducing the handicapping system, which standardized scoring fairness in golf. Purves was regarded as the "fairy godfather of ladies' golf" due to his crucial support.
He passed away on December 30, 1917, leaving a powerful legacy in golf course architecture and administration.
