A talent for agronomy, perhaps inherited from his father who was a farmer, bookended the varied and fulfilling career of John Goodwin, an Honorary PGA Member who has passed away at the age of 93.
Elected to PGA membership in 1955, John spent the last 21 years of his career at Eskdale, a private 1600-acre estate in Cumbria that featured a six-hole golf course.
Employed by the owner, Philip Jacobs, to manage the estate and develop the course. John created another 12 holes to establish one of the first completely private 18-hole courses in England before retiring in 2005.
John’s involvement with golf had begun some 60 years previously when he and his elder brother Eddie caddied at Wilmslow Golf Club and, given a set of clubs by one of the members, the pair fell in love with the game. So much so that they went on to amass a combined total of more than 100 years of PGA membership.
Eddie, who passed away in 2021, led the way in that respect. He began his career at Mere Golf Club, Cheshire, and John joined him on leaving school at the age of 14.
His fledging career in golf was interrupted by national service and having served two years as a driving instructor in Scotland, he returned to Mere where, following a spell in the pro shop, he joined the greenkeeping team.
It was to prove an invaluable move, not least when George Duncan, the pro at Mere who won the 1920 Open Championship and captained Great Britain in the 1929 Ryder Cup, encouraged him to apply for the job as pro-greenkeeper at Conwy Caernarvonshire Golf Club.
John was there for six-and-a-half years before moving to Shifnal Golf Club, Shropshire, where he won the county’s professional championship for six years in succession.
More success as a player followed when John headed north and served Withington, Northenden and Stockport Golf Clubs. He won the Lancashire PGA Championship while at Northenden, was named Manchester Golfer of the Year, and a four-under-par round of 67 at Chorley Golf Club broke the course record.
A devoted family man, John is survived by his wife Joan, son Andrew, daughter-in-law Louise, daughter Margaret, son-in-law Darren, and stepsons Andrew and Gary. The PGA extends heartfelt condolences to them and John’s other family members on their loss.
