Peter Alliss
Encyclopedia
Peter Alliss is an English
professional golfer
, BBC
television
presenter and commentator, author
and golf course designer. Alliss is known for his charismatic and unique style of commentary, often displaying a witty demeanour. Since the death of Henry Longhurst
, he has been regarded by many as the current "Voice of (British) Golf", along with long time commentating partner Alex Hay
.
was a professional golfer who won several tournaments on the European golf circuit in the 1920s and 1930s, and Peter was born in Berlin
while his father was employed as a club professional there.
Alliss left school at the age of 14 (then the minimum school leaving age in the UK), and began his career as a professional golfer in 1947, at the age of 16. In his 27 years of playing, he won three British PGA Championships, was semi-finalist in the British PGA Matchplay Championship
, played on eight Ryder Cup
teams, and played on ten teams representing England in the World Cup. He had five top-ten finishes in the Open Championship, coming closest in 1954 at Royal Birkdale when he finished just four shots behind Peter Thomson. Percy and Peter Alliss were the first father and son to both participate in the Ryder Cup (Antonio Garrido and his son Ignacio
later became the second). He won 23 tournaments, and gave Sean Connery
golf tips before he filmed Goldfinger
. His competitive career was almost over by the time the European Tour was formally established in 1972, but he played in some events in the Tour's early years, making his last appearance on the tour in 1975.
Alliss was the Captain of The Professional Golfers' Association twice, the president of the British Greenkeepers` Association, and was the first president of the European Women's Professional Golfers' Association. He has worked as a commentator for the BBC
, ABC
, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
. In Britain he is probably the best known golf broadcaster. He has hosted a total of 140 Pro Celebrity Golf TV programmes, was the host of Around with Alliss, and is currently starring in A Golfer's Travels, which is airing worldwide. He has written 20 books, the last of which was Golf Heroes, as well as articles in Golf International and Golf World Magazine.
Alliss is also involved in golf course architecture. His first course design partner was David Thomas, with whom he created over 50 courses, including The Belfry
, which is now the home of the Professional Golfers' Association and has staged the Ryder Cup several times. He then joined forces with Clive Clark and added another 22 courses to his portfolio (including Old Thorns Golf Course in Hampshire).
In 2002 he was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters by Bournemouth University
. In July 2005, he was honoured by the University of St Andrews
, shortly before The Open Golf Championship, with the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws.
Alliss's distinctive voice has featured on numerous golfing video games notably the Actua Golf
series.
Note: Alliss never played in the U.S. Open
nor the PGA Championship
.
DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
professional golfer
Golfer
Golfer may refer to:* A person who plays golf according to the rules.* Professional golfer* "The Golfer", an episode of The Honeymooners...
, BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
presenter and commentator, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and golf course designer. Alliss is known for his charismatic and unique style of commentary, often displaying a witty demeanour. Since the death of Henry Longhurst
Henry Longhurst
Henry Carpenter Longhurst was a renowned British golf writer and commentator. During World War II, Longhurst was also a Member of Parliament for Acton in west London, England.-Biography:...
, he has been regarded by many as the current "Voice of (British) Golf", along with long time commentating partner Alex Hay
Alex Hay
Alex Hay was a Scottish professional golfer, golf instructor, writer and a former BBC sports commentator. Hay was best known for his commentating partnership with Peter Alliss where their banter, often displaying humour or wit became regarded by many as the "Voice of Golf". He was a former Ryder...
.
Biography
His father PercyPercy Alliss
Percy Alliss was an English professional golfer. He was the father of commentator and former golfer Peter Alliss....
was a professional golfer who won several tournaments on the European golf circuit in the 1920s and 1930s, and Peter was born in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
while his father was employed as a club professional there.
Alliss left school at the age of 14 (then the minimum school leaving age in the UK), and began his career as a professional golfer in 1947, at the age of 16. In his 27 years of playing, he won three British PGA Championships, was semi-finalist in the British PGA Matchplay Championship
British PGA Matchplay Championship
The British PGA Matchplay Championship was a match play golf tournament that began in 1903 and ran until 1979. Between 1903 and 1969, the event was sponsored by the now defunct British newspaper the News of the World, and was commonly known by the paper's name...
, played on eight Ryder Cup
Ryder Cup
The Ryder Cup is a biennial golf competition between teams from Europe and the United States. The competition is jointly administered by the PGA of America and the PGA European Tour, and is contested every two years, the venue alternating between courses in the United States and Europe...
teams, and played on ten teams representing England in the World Cup. He had five top-ten finishes in the Open Championship, coming closest in 1954 at Royal Birkdale when he finished just four shots behind Peter Thomson. Percy and Peter Alliss were the first father and son to both participate in the Ryder Cup (Antonio Garrido and his son Ignacio
Ignacio Garrido
Ignacio Garrido is a Spanish professional golfer. He is the eldest son of Antonio Garrido who won five times on the European Tour and who played in the 1979 Ryder Cup.His uncle, German Garrido, also has won on the European Tour....
later became the second). He won 23 tournaments, and gave Sean Connery
Sean Connery
Sir Thomas Sean Connery , better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy Award, two BAFTA Awards and three Golden Globes Sir Thomas Sean Connery (born 25 August 1930), better known as Sean Connery, is a Scottish actor and producer who has won an Academy...
golf tips before he filmed Goldfinger
Goldfinger (film)
Goldfinger is the third spy film in the James Bond series and the third to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Released in 1964, it is based on the novel of the same name by Ian Fleming. The film also stars Honor Blackman as Bond girl Pussy Galore and Gert Fröbe as the title...
. His competitive career was almost over by the time the European Tour was formally established in 1972, but he played in some events in the Tour's early years, making his last appearance on the tour in 1975.
Alliss was the Captain of The Professional Golfers' Association twice, the president of the British Greenkeepers` Association, and was the first president of the European Women's Professional Golfers' Association. He has worked as a commentator for the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Australian Broadcasting Corporation
The Australian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly referred to as "the ABC" , is Australia's national public broadcaster...
, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
. In Britain he is probably the best known golf broadcaster. He has hosted a total of 140 Pro Celebrity Golf TV programmes, was the host of Around with Alliss, and is currently starring in A Golfer's Travels, which is airing worldwide. He has written 20 books, the last of which was Golf Heroes, as well as articles in Golf International and Golf World Magazine.
Alliss is also involved in golf course architecture. His first course design partner was David Thomas, with whom he created over 50 courses, including The Belfry
The Belfry
The Belfry is a golf resort in Wishaw, Warwickshire, England, very near the Sutton Coldfield district of Birmingham, and owned since 2005 by Irish businessman Sean Quinn....
, which is now the home of the Professional Golfers' Association and has staged the Ryder Cup several times. He then joined forces with Clive Clark and added another 22 courses to his portfolio (including Old Thorns Golf Course in Hampshire).
In 2002 he was awarded the honorary degree of Doctor of Letters by Bournemouth University
Bournemouth University
Bournemouth University is a university in and around the large south coast town of Bournemouth, UK...
. In July 2005, he was honoured by the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
, shortly before The Open Golf Championship, with the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws.
Alliss's distinctive voice has featured on numerous golfing video games notably the Actua Golf
Actua Golf
Actua Golf is a 1996 golf video game of the Actua Sports series developed by Gremlin Interactive for the PlayStation and Sega Saturn. The success of the game resulted in sequels including Actua Golf 2 in 1997 and Actua Golf 3 in 1998....
series.
Tournament wins
this list is incomplete- 1954 Daks TournamentDaks TournamentThe Daks Tournament was a golf tournament of the European circuit from 1950 to 1971. It was played at a number of different locations in England.-Tournament hosts:-Winners:*1971 Neil Coles and Brian Huggett *1970 Neil Coles*1969 Brian Huggett...
- 1955 Dunlop Tournament
- 1956 Spanish Open
- 1957 British PGA Championship
- 1958 Italian OpenItalian Open (golf)The BMW Italian Open, as it is currently known for sponsorship reasons, is the Italian national open golf championship for men. It was founded in 1925 and has been part of the European Tour's schedule since the tour's first season in 1972....
, Spanish Open, Portuguese OpenPortuguese OpenThe Portuguese Open, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Estoril Open de Portugal, is an annual tournament on men's golf's European Tour. It has been played since 1953, with a few skipped years, and has been part of the European Tour's schedule since 1973... - 1959 Dunlop Tournament
- 1961 Brazil OpenBrazil Open (golf)The Brazil Open or Aberto do Brasil is an annual golf tournament held in Brazil. It was founded in 1945, and has been an event on the Tour de las Americas on several occasions, most recently in 2005....
- 1962 British PGA Championship
- 1963 Daks TournamentDaks TournamentThe Daks Tournament was a golf tournament of the European circuit from 1950 to 1971. It was played at a number of different locations in England.-Tournament hosts:-Winners:*1971 Neil Coles and Brian Huggett *1970 Neil Coles*1969 Brian Huggett...
(tie with Neil ColesNeil ColesNeil Chapman Coles, MBE is an English professional golfer. As of 2005, Coles is only the second man to win a professional golf tournament in six different decades, starting in the 1950s and extending into the 21st century.Coles was born in England...
) - 1964 Esso Golden TournamentEsso Golden TournamentThe Esso Golden Tournament was a golf tournament on the British PGA circuit from 1961 to 1967. It was played in a round-robin format at the Moor Park Golf Club in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire, England...
, Swallow-Penfold Tournament - 1965 British PGA Championship, Jeyes Tournament
- 1966 Martini InternationalMartini InternationalThe Martini International was a men's professional golf tournament that was held from 1961 to 1983. It was hosted by several different golf clubs in England, Scotland and Wales. It was part of the European Tour's schedule from the tour's first official season in 1972 until the event ceased...
(tie with W. Large), Rediffusion Tournament - 1967 Agfa-Gevaert Tournament
- 1969 Piccadilly MedalPiccadilly MedalThe Piccadilly Medal was a men's professional golf tournament. It was a European Tour event from 1972 to 1976. It was played in 1962 and from 1964 to 1976. In 1976, the winner received £38,912...
Results in major championships
| Tournament | 1952 | 1953 | 1954 | 1955 | 1956 | 1957 | 1958 | 1959 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | 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... |
T31 | T9 | T8 | CUT | DNP | T12 | T11 | T16 |
| Tournament | 1960 | 1961 | 1962 | 1963 | 1964 | 1965 | 1966 | 1967 | 1968 | 1969 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | DNP | CUT | CUT | 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 | T8 | T8 | T18 | CUT | T47 | T20 | WD | T13 | 8 |
| Tournament | 1970 | 1971 | 1972 | 1973 | 1974 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masters Tournament | DNP | 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... |
T32 | T47 | T31 | T51 | CUT |
Note: Alliss never played 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...
nor 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...
.
DNP = Did not play
WD = Withdrew
CUT = missed the half-way cut
"T" indicates a tie for a place
Yellow background for top-10