Michael Bonallack
Encyclopedia
Sir Michael Francis Bonallack, OBE
(born 31 December 1934) is an English amateur golf
er who was one of the leading administrators in world golf in the late 20th century.
Bonallack was born in Chigwell
, Essex
. He won the British Boys Championship in 1952. A rare example of an outstanding golfer who remained an amateur in the era when professional domination of the sport became firmly entrenched, he went on to win The Amateur Championship
and the English Amateur
five times each and the Brabazon Trophy
four times. He was a member of nine Walker Cup
teams and played in the Eisenhower Trophy
seven times. His best finish at The Open Championship
was eleventh in 1959. He was the leading amateur at the Open in 1968 and 1971.
, from 1984 to 1999, and as Captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club in 2000. He has also been President of the Golf Club Managers' Association
(1974–84), Chairman of the PGA of Great Britain and Ireland (1976–81), Chairman of the Golf Foundation (1977–82), and President of the English Golf Union
(1982).
He is the current President of the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) and also served as President of the One Armed Golfers Society, the Professional Golfers Association of Europe and as Chairman of the advisory committee for the Official World Golf Rankings
. He is also President of the National Association of Public and Proprietary Golf Courses (NAPGC).
for services to golf in 1971, and was created a Knight Bachelor
in 1998. In 1972, he was voted the Bob Jones Award
, the highest honour given by the United States Golf Association
in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. He is a member of Augusta National Golf Club
, and has received numerous honours from golfing organisations around the world, culminating in his induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame
in 2000.
Note: Bonallack did not play in the U.S. Open
or the PGA Championship
.
LA = Low Amateur
NYF = Tournament not yet founded
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place
DNQ = Did not qualify for match play portion
R256, R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10
Source for The Masters: www.masters.com
Source for U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur: USGA Championship Database
Source for The British Open: www.opengolf.com
Source for 1956 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, 30 May 1956, pg. 4.
Source for 1957 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, 30 May 1957, pg. 4.
Source for 1958 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, 7 June 1958, pg. 4.
Source for 1959 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, 28 May 1959, pg. 9.
Source for 1960 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, 27 May 1960, pg. 13.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 31 December 1934) is an English amateur golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
er who was one of the leading administrators in world golf in the late 20th century.
Bonallack was born in Chigwell
Chigwell
Chigwell is a civil parish and town in the Epping Forest district of Essex. It is located 11.6 miles north east of Charing Cross. It is served by two London Underground stations and has a London area code.-Etymology:According to P. H...
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
. He won the British Boys Championship in 1952. A rare example of an outstanding golfer who remained an amateur in the era when professional domination of the sport became firmly entrenched, he went on to win The Amateur Championship
The Amateur Championship
The Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. It is one of the two leading individual tournaments for amateur golfers, alongside the U.S. Amateur...
and the English Amateur
English Amateur
The English Amateur is the national amateur match play golf championship of England. It has been played annually since 1925 and is organized by the English Golf Union....
five times each and the Brabazon Trophy
Brabazon Trophy
The English Men's Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship for the Brabazon Trophy is the national amateur stroke play golf championship in England . It has been played annually since 1947 and is organized by the English Golf Union.The format is 72 hole stroke play contested over 4 days...
four times. He was a member of nine Walker Cup
Walker Cup
The Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested biennially in odd numbered years between teams comprising the leading amateur golfers of the United States and Great Britain and Ireland...
teams and played in the Eisenhower Trophy
Eisenhower Trophy
The Eisenhower Trophy is a biennial world amateur team golf championship for men organized by the International Golf Federation. It is named for Dwight D. Eisenhower, the President of the United States when the tournament was first played, who was a keen amateur golfer. Recent tournaments have...
seven times. His best finish at The Open Championship
The 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...
was eleventh in 1959. He was the leading amateur at the Open in 1968 and 1971.
Affiliations
He was secretary (i.e. chief executive) of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews, which runs The Open Championship and sets the rules of golf in partnership with the United States Golf AssociationUnited States Golf Association
The United States Golf Association is the United States' national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the Rules of Golf. The USGA also provides a national handicap system...
, from 1984 to 1999, and as Captain of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club in 2000. He has also been President of the Golf Club Managers' Association
Golf Club Managers' Association
The Golf Club Managers' Association, or GCMA is a UK professional association for secretaries, managers, or owners of golf courses. The organization has been headquartered in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, since 1999.The association was formed in 1933. Its core activities include networking and...
(1974–84), Chairman of the PGA of Great Britain and Ireland (1976–81), Chairman of the Golf Foundation (1977–82), and President of the English Golf Union
English Golf Union
The English Golf Union is the governing body for men's and boys' amateur golf in England. It represents over 1,900 golf clubs with over 740,000 members and is affiliated to The R&A, which is the global governing body of golf outside the United States and Mexico.The English Golf Union was founded in...
(1982).
He is the current President of the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association (BIGGA) and also served as President of the One Armed Golfers Society, the Professional Golfers Association of Europe and as Chairman of the advisory committee for the Official World Golf Rankings
Official World Golf Rankings
The Official World Golf Ranking is a system for rating the performance level of male professional golfers...
. He is also President of the National Association of Public and Proprietary Golf Courses (NAPGC).
Honours
Bonallack received an OBEOrder of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
for services to golf in 1971, and was created a Knight Bachelor
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
in 1998. In 1972, he was voted the Bob Jones Award
Bob Jones Award
The Bob Jones Award is the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. It is named in honor of Bobby Jones.-Winners:*1955 Francis Ouimet*1956 William C. Campbell*1957 Babe Zaharias...
, the highest honour given by the United States Golf Association
United States Golf Association
The United States Golf Association is the United States' national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the Rules of Golf. The USGA also provides a national handicap system...
in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. He is a member of Augusta National Golf Club
Augusta National Golf Club
Augusta National Golf Club, located in Augusta, Georgia, is a famous men's golf club. Founded by Bobby Jones and Clifford Roberts and designed by Alister MacKenzie on the site of a former indigo plantation, the club opened for play in January 1933. Since 1934, it has played host to the annual...
, and has received numerous honours from golfing organisations around the world, culminating in his induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame
World Golf Hall of Fame
The World Golf Hall of Fame is located at World Golf Village near St. Augustine, Florida, in the United States, and it is unusual among sports halls of fame in that a single site serves both men and women. It is supported by a consortium of 26 golf organizations from all over the world.The Hall of...
in 2000.
Legacy
Europe and the Asia-Pacific play for the Sir Michael Bonallack Trophy every two years. The teams consist of 12 amateur golfers and no more than two players can be from the same country.Tournament wins (28)
this list may be incomplete- 1952 Boys Amateur ChampionshipBoys Amateur ChampionshipThe Boys Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. The competition is organised and run by The R&A-History:The Boy's Amateur Championship was first played at Royal Ascot in 1921...
- 1957 Berkshire Trophy
- 1959 Sunningdale Foursomes (with Doug Sewell)
- 1961 The Amateur ChampionshipThe Amateur ChampionshipThe Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. It is one of the two leading individual tournaments for amateur golfers, alongside the U.S. Amateur...
, Berkshire Trophy, Golf Illustrated Gold Vase - 1962 English AmateurEnglish AmateurThe English Amateur is the national amateur match play golf championship of England. It has been played annually since 1925 and is organized by the English Golf Union....
- 1963 English AmateurEnglish AmateurThe English Amateur is the national amateur match play golf championship of England. It has been played annually since 1925 and is organized by the English Golf Union....
- 1964 Brabazon TrophyBrabazon TrophyThe English Men's Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship for the Brabazon Trophy is the national amateur stroke play golf championship in England . It has been played annually since 1947 and is organized by the English Golf Union.The format is 72 hole stroke play contested over 4 days...
- 1965 The Amateur ChampionshipThe Amateur ChampionshipThe Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. It is one of the two leading individual tournaments for amateur golfers, alongside the U.S. Amateur...
, English AmateurEnglish AmateurThe English Amateur is the national amateur match play golf championship of England. It has been played annually since 1925 and is organized by the English Golf Union....
, Lytham TrophyLytham TrophyThe Lytham Trophy is an amateur golf tournament founded in 1965 by the Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, where it has always been held. It is a 72-hole scratch stroke play competition, and is classified as a Category A event by the World Amateur Golf Rankings....
(tie with Clive Clark), Berkshire Trophy - 1967 English AmateurEnglish AmateurThe English Amateur is the national amateur match play golf championship of England. It has been played annually since 1925 and is organized by the English Golf Union....
, Golf Illustrated Gold Vase - 1968 The Amateur ChampionshipThe Amateur ChampionshipThe Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. It is one of the two leading individual tournaments for amateur golfers, alongside the U.S. Amateur...
, English AmateurEnglish AmateurThe English Amateur is the national amateur match play golf championship of England. It has been played annually since 1925 and is organized by the English Golf Union....
, Brabazon TrophyBrabazon TrophyThe English Men's Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship for the Brabazon Trophy is the national amateur stroke play golf championship in England . It has been played annually since 1947 and is organized by the English Golf Union.The format is 72 hole stroke play contested over 4 days...
, Berkshire Trophy, Golf Illustrated Gold Vase - 1969 The Amateur ChampionshipThe Amateur ChampionshipThe Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. It is one of the two leading individual tournaments for amateur golfers, alongside the U.S. Amateur...
, Brabazon TrophyBrabazon TrophyThe English Men's Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship for the Brabazon Trophy is the national amateur stroke play golf championship in England . It has been played annually since 1947 and is organized by the English Golf Union.The format is 72 hole stroke play contested over 4 days...
(tie with Rodney Foster), Golf Illustrated Gold Vase - 1970 The Amateur ChampionshipThe Amateur ChampionshipThe Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. It is one of the two leading individual tournaments for amateur golfers, alongside the U.S. Amateur...
, Berkshire Trophy - 1971 Brabazon TrophyBrabazon TrophyThe English Men's Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship for the Brabazon Trophy is the national amateur stroke play golf championship in England . It has been played annually since 1947 and is organized by the English Golf Union.The format is 72 hole stroke play contested over 4 days...
, Berkshire Trophy, Golf Illustrated Gold Vase - 1972 Lytham TrophyLytham TrophyThe Lytham Trophy is an amateur golf tournament founded in 1965 by the Royal Lytham & St Annes Golf Club, where it has always been held. It is a 72-hole scratch stroke play competition, and is classified as a Category A event by the World Amateur Golf Rankings....
- 1975 Golf Illustrated Gold Vase
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship The 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... |
DNP | DNP | DNP | T11 |
| U.S. Amateur | DNP | R128 | DNP | DNP |
| The Amateur Championship The Amateur Championship The Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. It is one of the two leading individual tournaments for amateur golfers, alongside the U.S. Amateur... |
R128 | R32 | SF | R32 |
| Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | DNP | DNP | CUT |
| The Open Championship The 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... |
DNP | CUT | DNP | CUT | CUT | T33 | T27 | CUT | T21LA | T42 |
| U.S. Amateur | DNP | R64 | DNP | DNP | DNP | T53 | DNP | DNP | T11 | T14 |
| The Amateur Championship The Amateur Championship The Amateur Championship is a golf tournament which is held annually in the United Kingdom. It is one of the two leading individual tournaments for amateur golfers, alongside the U.S. Amateur... |
QF | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Masters | CUT | DNP | DNP | DNP |
| The Open Championship The 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... |
CUT | T22LA | CUT | CUT |
| U.S. Amateur | DNP | DNP | DNP | R32 |
Note: Bonallack did not play in the U.S. Open
U.S. Open (golf)
The United States Open Championship, commonly known as the U.S. Open, is the annual open golf tournament of the United States. It is the second of the four major championships in golf, and is on the official schedule of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour...
or the PGA Championship
PGA Championship
The PGA Championship is an annual golf tournament conducted by the PGA of America as part of the PGA Tour. It is one of the four major championships in men's professional golf, and is the golf season's final major, usually played in mid-August, customarily four weeks after The Open Championship...
.
LA = Low Amateur
NYF = Tournament not yet founded
NT = No tournament
DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
"T" indicates a tie for a place
DNQ = Did not qualify for match play portion
R256, R128, R64, R32, R16, QF, SF = Round in which player lost in match play
Green background for wins. Yellow background for top-10
Source for The Masters: www.masters.com
Source for U.S. Open and U.S. Amateur: USGA Championship Database
Source for The British Open: www.opengolf.com
Source for 1956 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, 30 May 1956, pg. 4.
Source for 1957 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, 30 May 1957, pg. 4.
Source for 1958 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, 7 June 1958, pg. 4.
Source for 1959 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, 28 May 1959, pg. 9.
Source for 1960 British Amateur: The Glasgow Herald, 27 May 1960, pg. 13.
Awards and achievements
- 1968 British Association of Golf Writers award
- 1971 Officer of the Order of the British EmpireOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
- 1972 United States Golf AssociationUnited States Golf AssociationThe United States Golf Association is the United States' national association of golf courses, clubs and facilities and the governing body of golf for the U.S. and Mexico. Together with The R&A, the USGA produces and interprets the Rules of Golf. The USGA also provides a national handicap system...
Bob Jones AwardBob Jones AwardThe Bob Jones Award is the highest honor given by the United States Golf Association in recognition of distinguished sportsmanship in golf. It is named in honor of Bobby Jones.-Winners:*1955 Francis Ouimet*1956 William C. Campbell*1957 Babe Zaharias... - 1991 American Society of Golf Course ArchitectsAmerican Society of Golf Course ArchitectsThe American Society of Golf Course Architects is a professional organization of golf course designers in America. Founded in 1946, its members are actively involved in the design of new courses and the renovation of existing courses in the United States and Canada. One of its founders was noted...
Donald Ross award - 1998 Knight BachelorOrder of the British EmpireThe Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
- 1999 Spanish Golf Federation Golf Medal of Honour
- 2000 Czech Republic Golf Shield of Honour
- 2000 Metropolitan Golf Association Lifetime Service Award
- 2000 Inducted into World Golf Hall of FameWorld Golf Hall of FameThe World Golf Hall of Fame is located at World Golf Village near St. Augustine, Florida, in the United States, and it is unusual among sports halls of fame in that a single site serves both men and women. It is supported by a consortium of 26 golf organizations from all over the world.The Hall of...
Team appearances
this list may be incomplete- Eisenhower TrophyEisenhower TrophyThe Eisenhower Trophy is a biennial world amateur team golf championship for men organized by the International Golf Federation. It is named for Dwight D. Eisenhower, the President of the United States when the tournament was first played, who was a keen amateur golfer. Recent tournaments have...
(representing Great Britain and Ireland): 1960, 1962, 1964 (winners), 1966, 1968 (individual winner, tie), 1970, 1972 - Walker CupWalker CupThe Walker Cup is a golf trophy contested biennially in odd numbered years between teams comprising the leading amateur golfers of the United States and Great Britain and Ireland...
(representing Great Britain and Ireland): 1959, 1961, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1971 (winners), 1973
External links
- Michael Bonallack – profile at World Golf Hall of FameWorld Golf Hall of FameThe World Golf Hall of Fame is located at World Golf Village near St. Augustine, Florida, in the United States, and it is unusual among sports halls of fame in that a single site serves both men and women. It is supported by a consortium of 26 golf organizations from all over the world.The Hall of...
- Gazette of knighthood