Allan Robertson

Allan Robertson
Allan Robertson ca. 1850
Personal information
Born	(1815-09-11)11 September 1815 St Andrews, Scotland
Died	1 September 1859(1859-09-01) (aged 43) St Andrews, Scotland
Nationality	Scotland
Career
Status	Professional
Achievements and awards
World Golf Hall of Fame	2001 (member page)

Allan Robertson (11 September 1815 – 1 September 1859) was considered to be one of the first professional golfers.

In the mid-19th century golf was played mainly by well-off gentlemen, as hand-crafted clubs and balls were expensive. Professionals made a living from playing for bets, caddying, ball and club making, and instruction. Robertson was the most famous of these pros. Tradition has it that Robertson himself was never beaten as an individual when playing for money. He sometimes played at less than his ability in order to minimize the odds he had to give to opponents. Robertson is generally regarded as being the best golfer from 1843 onwards, even after the arrival of the Park and Morris families. Robertson defeated Willie Dunn, Sr., of Musselburgh, who was generally recognized as the top player, in a grand challenge match in 1843; the two played 20 rounds over 10 days, with Robertson coming out on top. Indeed, Robertson was the first to score below 80 on the Old Course at St Andrews, which he did the year before his death, playing a guttie ball.

Robertson was considered the premier ball and club maker of the time, and exported his merchandise all over the world. It was a lucrative trade with an ever-increasing market. The business was originally set up by his grandfather, who passed it down to his son before Robertson himself finally inherited it. Today a Robertson ball carrying his stamp "Allan" is highly prized by collectors.

Old Tom Morris worked from 1835, when he was 14, as an apprentice in Robertson's shop, and it is said that the two were never beaten when playing as partners. Morris defeated Robertson for the first time in a friendly match in 1843, winning a jacket, but the two generally did not compete head-to-head for stakes. Robertson, as the acknowledged best player, could refuse any challenge according to the custom of the time, and said he preferred Morris as his playing partner; Morris was in an awkward position with respect to individual playing reputations, since he worked for Robertson, who eventually fired him after a disagreement over equipment. However, for many years before that, Robertson and Morris had a lucrative playing partnership. Musselburgh's young star Willie Park, Sr., then aged 20, beat Morris head-to-head over the Old Course in 1853, and then publicly issued a head-to-head challenge to Robertson, which was not taken up. Challenge matches, usually backed by noblemen and wealthy businessmen, were the main form of golf competition at the time.