Peter Corrigan

The man responsible for rewriting history is Peter Corrigan, for many years the respected sports editor of the London Observer, my predecessor as golf correspondent of the Independent Sunday and still a sports columnist for the same newspaper.

In 1990 the Glamorganshire club celebrated its centenary, and Corrigan was engaged in research for a book on the club's history.

He first found that a Dr. F. Stableford was a member of the club, then discovered a cutting from the South Wales Daily News reporting the club's first autumn meeting in September 1898:

Poll

What's your favorite scoring system when you play with your friends?

Stroke playMatch play
...
"When they read the account of my discovery, the Wallasey members were understandably indignant and relationships between the two clubs had been a touch frosty," Corrigan said."There is no record of what happened to Stableford's system in the 33 years before it reappeared."

Here the history books take over.

...
"But the most welcome guests were the eight members of Wallasey who helped us toast the health of Frank Stableford in raucous fashion," said Corrigan.
...
"The following morning," added Corrigan, "it felt as if it had been buried in my head."

Editor's note: Andy Farrell's column can be found every Tuesday on GolfWeb.

Comment? Write GolfWeb

More Library Features

Those giving the view from the press box include rugby correspondents Stephen Jones (The Sunday Times); Peter Jackson (The Daily Mail); Gerald Davies (The Times); Eddie Butler (The Observer); The Independent columnists Peter Corrigan and Alan Watkins and The Guardian's chief sports writer Richard Williams.
...
Peter Corrigan, whose byline has appeared in 17 newspapers in a career spanning 50 years, yearns for the days when players were not protected by a mighty PR operation and subjected to sleazy tabloid stings: "We used to travel with footballers on the same train and wouldn't have dreamed of reporting some of the things they used to get up to - mainly because we were involved with them ourselves!"

However, reserach by golf writer Peter Corrigan has revealed that a less-refined version of the stableford system was used at Glamorganshire GC on September 30, 1898. The Welsh birthplace of the playing method blessed by millions of handicap golfers was discovered by Corrigan who was commissioned to write up the centenary history of the Glamorganshire in 1990.
...
Corrigan's research does not show whether the system was tried out again before being resurrected 34 years later but it is clear the Doctor's logic remained unchanged - to avoid one bad hole ruining the entire round.

Use this facility to access the short course reviews written for us by Peter Corrigan, Chief Sports Columnist, Independent on Sunday.

The 56 page full colour brochure is a comprehensive guide to golfing in Wales, with editorial by Peter Corrigan, sports writer for the Independent on Sunday, and a welcome from WTB Chairman Tony Lewis and sports commentator Peter Aliss.

Peter Corrigan, chief sports columnist of the Independent on Sunday, gives a few tips on how to enjoy your visit to The Celtic Manor Resort Wales Open

Peter Corrigan, journalist for The Independent on Sunday about former German player Stefan Effenberg, recalled in a new book by Pommy author David Milsted entitled The Big Book of Sports Insults.