Roles as head PGA Professional at Dunham Forest in Cheshire and Harpenden Golf Club near St Albans followed before he retired in 1995, and it was during his 15-year spell at the former which saw him unwittingly embroiled in an internal conflict that threatened the Association’s future.
Doug’s arrival at Dunham Forest in 1973 coincided with his appointment as PGA Chairman and a growing rift between professionals, who made their living on the increasingly popular and commercialised tournament circuit, and traditional club pros.
The former, led by John Jacobs, wanted more autonomy to run their affairs; the latter, with Colin Snape at the helm as secretary following the sudden death of John Bywaters, felt they should benefit more directly from the vast sums flowing into tournaments.
Skilled diplomacy was needed to maintain the Association’s unity and Doug encouraged Snape to draw up a blueprint for its future. Snape was insistent the responsibility for all aspects of the PGA should remain with its Executive, however.
Jacobs and his fellow tournament pros disagreed, and their dissatisfaction was aggravated by the Association decamping from its headquarters at the Oval cricket ground in London to The Belfry.
The wrangling went on for months, culminating with the creation of the autonomous Tournament Players Division within the PGA on January 1, 1976. Doug, whose two years as chairman coincided with the internal turbulence, described the period as ‘horrendous’ and admitted: “I had a rough time, I’m telling you.”
It was a world away from those early days in his father’s pro shop and thankfully Doug’s year as PGA Captain in 1981 was less fraught.
