Herbert Barker (golfer)

Herbert Barker
Barker in RFC uniform, c. 1916
Personal information
Full name	Herbert Haydn Barker
Born	1883 Huddersfield, England
Died	14 June 1924 (aged 41) Rastrick, Yorkshire, England
Nationality	England
Spouse	Evelyn Barker
Career
Turned professional	c. 1907
Best results in major championships
Masters Tournament	DNP
U.S. Open	T7: 1909, 1911
The Open Championship	T31: 1907
PGA Championship	DNP

Herbert Haydn Barker (1883 – 14 June 1924) was an English professional golfer and golf course architect who played in the early 20th century. Barker's best performance came in the 1909 U.S. Open when he tied for seventh place. He had an identical finish in the 1911 U.S. Open.

Barker was born in Huddersfield, England, in 1883.

Barker had a successful amateur career, winning several tournaments in Great Britain in the early 1900s representing Huddersfield Golf Club. His wins included the Yorkshire Amateur in 1904 and 1906, the Irish Amateur Open Championship in 1906 and the Dartmouth Bowl for three consecutive years starting in 1905. He played in the Amateur Championship in 1905 and 1907 and qualified for the 1907 Open Championship. He also played for the England amateur team against Scotland in 1907. He sailed from Southampton on 21 September 1907 to take up a professional position in America.

Barker served as head professional at Garden City Golf Club in Garden City, New York, from 1908 to 1911. He found golf to be more competitive in America and failed to win any events. But he also discovered less challenging courses and soon began designing and remodeling layouts with the intention of elevating the game in the United States. After 1911 his appearances in tournaments were less frequent and he concentrated more on his work as a golf course architect.

Barker moved to the southern U.S. after leaving Garden City, and laid out Roebuck Country Club in Birmingham, Alabama, and stayed on as head professional for a time before taking a position at the Country Club of Virginia in Richmond in the fall of 1914.