Maurice Flitcroft
Encyclopedia
Maurice Gerald Flitcroft (23 November 1929 – 24 March 2007) was an audacious British amateur golfer and hoaxer.
Flitcroft, was commonly referred to as "the world's worst golfer". As well as playing under his own name, he also entered golf competitions, including the Open again under the pseudonyms, Gene Paceky (as in paycheque), Gerald Hoppy and James Beau Jolley. Flitcroft was married to Jean (died 2002) by whom he had two sons - one of whom caddied for him.
He is the subject of a biography, "The Phantom of the Open", by Scott Murray and Simon Farnaby, published by Yellow Jersey Press in July 2010.
In his obituary, The Daily Telegraph
commented thus:
- despite his previous experience amounting only to some hacking around on playing fields near his home. Flitcroft recalled that, "I was looking to find fame and fortune, but only achieved one of the two".
When he discovered, to his shock, that any amateurs entering competitions needed an official handicap
- something he lacked - he simply declared himself to be a professional. It was in the same 1976 Open that a young new player, the 19 year old Seve Ballesteros first came to the public's attention. Flitcroft prepared for the tournament by studying a golf instruction manual by Peter Allis which was
borrowed from his local library - he further studied from instructional articles by the 1966 PGA Championship winner Al Geiberger
, and honed his skills on a nearby beach.
His deception (and ineptitude) were however uncovered when he managed to card a 49 over par 121 - the worst score in the tournament's history; some of the other professionals playing with him were so angry that they demanded and got back their entry fees. It seems that none of the professionals noticed that his gear comprised only a red imitation-leather bag and half a set of mail-order clubs. As a result of his prowess, he became known as "The Royal & Ancient Rabbit".
In 1988, Flitcroft himself was flown to Blythefield to play in the event. He is reported as having told the members there that it was the first time he and his wife had been out of the house together, “...since their gas oven exploded.”
Whitten further said, “It was a different sort of experience, I’d never met a crane operator from England. But his game had gotten a little better than I expected. I think he shot in the low 90s.” Flitcroft said of his performance, “I wasn’t playing too well. Some faults had crept into my swing. But I hit a lot of good shots.”
Flitcroft retired from Vickers
in the 1970s and devoted himself to his golf - but in the end was reduced to the ignominy of playing again on local fields, having been banned from every local golf club after sneaking into their grounds to play without permission.
Even many years after his rise to fame, Flitcroft still received post which had been addressed simply to: Maurice Flitcroft, Golfer, England.
Flitcroft, was commonly referred to as "the world's worst golfer". As well as playing under his own name, he also entered golf competitions, including the Open again under the pseudonyms, Gene Paceky (as in paycheque), Gerald Hoppy and James Beau Jolley. Flitcroft was married to Jean (died 2002) by whom he had two sons - one of whom caddied for him.
He is the subject of a biography, "The Phantom of the Open", by Scott Murray and Simon Farnaby, published by Yellow Jersey Press in July 2010.
In his obituary, The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
commented thus:
- Maurice Flitcroft ...was a chain-smoking shipyard crane- operator from Barrow-in-FurnessBarrow-in-FurnessBarrow-in-Furness is an industrial town and seaport which forms about half the territory of the wider Borough of Barrow-in-Furness in the county of Cumbria, England. It lies north of Liverpool, northwest of Manchester and southwest from the county town of Carlisle...
whose persistent attempts to gatecrash the British Open golf championship produced a sense of humour failure among members of the golfing establishment.
The Infamous 1976 Open
Flitcroft had golfing ambitions well above his ability and came to notoriety in 1976 when, posing as a professional golfer, he managed to get a place to play in the qualifying round of The Open ChampionshipThe Open Championship
The Open Championship, or simply The Open , is the oldest of the four major championships in professional golf. It is the only "major" held outside the USA and is administered by The R&A, which is the governing body of golf outside the USA and Mexico...
- despite his previous experience amounting only to some hacking around on playing fields near his home. Flitcroft recalled that, "I was looking to find fame and fortune, but only achieved one of the two".
When he discovered, to his shock, that any amateurs entering competitions needed an official handicap
Golf handicap
A handicap is a numerical measure of an amateur golfer's playing ability based on the tees played for a given course. It is used to calculate a net score from the number of strokes actually played, thus allowing players of different proficiency to play against each other on somewhat equal terms...
- something he lacked - he simply declared himself to be a professional. It was in the same 1976 Open that a young new player, the 19 year old Seve Ballesteros first came to the public's attention. Flitcroft prepared for the tournament by studying a golf instruction manual by Peter Allis which was
borrowed from his local library - he further studied from instructional articles by the 1966 PGA Championship winner Al Geiberger
Al Geiberger
Allen Lee Geiberger, Sr. is an American professional golfer who has won numerous golf tournaments.Geiberger was born in Red Bluff, California...
, and honed his skills on a nearby beach.
His deception (and ineptitude) were however uncovered when he managed to card a 49 over par 121 - the worst score in the tournament's history; some of the other professionals playing with him were so angry that they demanded and got back their entry fees. It seems that none of the professionals noticed that his gear comprised only a red imitation-leather bag and half a set of mail-order clubs. As a result of his prowess, he became known as "The Royal & Ancient Rabbit".
Other work
In an article in Golfonline, Flitcroft said, "I was in show business. I toured with a revue, and I used to jump into a tank on the stage, I was a stuntcomedy high diver. The revue used to tour all the country and I would dive into this tank. It wasn't all glass, just the front so the spectators could see what was going on under the water."After 1976
After his initiation into celebrity golf, Flitcroft briefly became a C list celebrity and had various golf trophies (usually those celebrating poor play or egregious mishaps) named after him, along with also having the distinction of having the "Maurice Gerald Flitcroft Member-Guest Tournament" named after him by the 1988 Blythefield Country Club in Grand Rapids. Buddy Whitten, Blythefield’s head pro stated that, “It started as a lark, but most people can’t break 90 so they relate more to Maurice than they would to a touring pro.” By the time of the 22nd Maurice G. Flitcroft Member-Guest Tournament, which was held in May, 2000, the club had featured a green with two holes so that even the most errant of approaches were potentially rewarded and if this wasn't enough another green had a 12-inch cup.In 1988, Flitcroft himself was flown to Blythefield to play in the event. He is reported as having told the members there that it was the first time he and his wife had been out of the house together, “...since their gas oven exploded.”
Whitten further said, “It was a different sort of experience, I’d never met a crane operator from England. But his game had gotten a little better than I expected. I think he shot in the low 90s.” Flitcroft said of his performance, “I wasn’t playing too well. Some faults had crept into my swing. But I hit a lot of good shots.”
Flitcroft retired from Vickers
Vickers
Vickers was a famous name in British engineering that existed through many companies from 1828 until 1999.-Early history:Vickers was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by the miller Edward Vickers and his father-in-law George Naylor in 1828. Naylor was a partner in the foundry Naylor &...
in the 1970s and devoted himself to his golf - but in the end was reduced to the ignominy of playing again on local fields, having been banned from every local golf club after sneaking into their grounds to play without permission.
Even many years after his rise to fame, Flitcroft still received post which had been addressed simply to: Maurice Flitcroft, Golfer, England.
External links
- Obituary in The Times
- 2006 article on retirement from golf in The Guardian
- Scott Murray, "Crazy Golfer," The Guardian, 19 September 2008.