Herbert Barker (golfer)

{{Infobox golfer

| name = Herbert Barker

| image = HerbertBarkerMilitary.JPG

| imagesize = 190

| caption = Barker in RFC uniform, {{circa|1916}}

| fullname = Herbert Haydn Barker

| nickname =

| birth_date = 1883

| birth_place = Huddersfield, England

| death_date = 14 June 1924 (aged 41)

| death_place = Rastrick, Yorkshire, England

| height =

| weight =

| nationality = {{ENG}}

| spouse = Evelyn Barker

| partner =

| children =

| college =

| status = Professional

| yearpro = {{circa|1907}}

| retired =

| extour =

| prowins =

| majorwins =

| masters = DNP

| usopen = T7: 1909, 1911

| open = T31: 1907

| pga = DNP

| wghofid =

| wghofyear =

| award1 =

| year1 =

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}}

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.{{cite book |title=The Majors of Golf: Complete Results of the Open, the U.S. Open, the PGA Championship and the Masters, 1860–2008 |volume=1 |first=Morgan G. |last=Brenner |year=2009 |publisher=McFarland |isbn=978-0-7864-3360-5}}

Early life

Barker was born in Huddersfield, England, in 1883.

Golf career

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{{cite web |url=http://www.golfnet.ie/Events/GUI/irish%20amateur%20open%20past%20winners.pdf |title=Past winners of the Irish Amateur Open Championship Date}} 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.{{cite news |newspaper=The Times |date=23 September 1907 |page=5 |title=Golf}}

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 remodelling layouts with the intention of elevating the game in the United States.{{cite web |title=Herbert H. Barker (1883–1924) |url=http://www.rvcc1911.org/files/HHBarker.pdf |website=rvcc1911.org |access-date=16 May 2015}} After 1911 his appearances in tournaments were less frequent and he concentrated more on his work as a golf course architect.

Golf course designer

Barker moved to the southern United States 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.{{cite news |title=Professionals to Play on Indoor Links on Top of Hotel Astor |url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83030214/1914-12-19/ed-1/seq-13/#date1=1836&index=2&rows=20&words=Barker+H+Herbert&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=&date2=1922&proxtext=Herbert+H.+Barker&y=9&x=9&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1 |access-date=19 May 2015 |newspaper=New York Tribune |page=13 |date=19 December 1914}}

Military service

Barker took a two-month leave of absence from the Country Club of Virginia and sailed back to Britain on 30 July 1915{{cite news |title=Stuart Jones Leads in Branch Cup Race |url=http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn83045389/1915-07-25/ed-1/seq-13/#date1=1836&index=0&rows=20&words=Barker+golf+H&searchType=basic&sequence=0&state=&date2=1922&proxtext=H.+Barker+golf&y=9&x=9&dateFilterType=yearRange&page=1 |access-date=19 May 2015 |newspaper=Richmond Times Dispatch |page=1 |date=25 July 1915}} to enlist in the military, joining the Royal Flying Corps. He was stationed at South Shields, Seaton Carew,{{cite web |title=Seaton Carew (Landplane) |work=Airfields of Britain |access-date=16 May 2015 |url=http://www.abct.org.uk/airfields/seaton-carew-landplane}}{{cite web |title=Seaton Carew (Seaplane) |work=Airfields of Britain |access-date=8 December 2011 |url=http://www.abct.org.uk/airfields/seaton-carew-seaplane}}{{cite web |title=History of Usworth Aerodrome |first=Dave |last=Charles |access-date=16 May 2015 |url=http://www.neam.co.uk/usworth.html}} and RNAS Killingholme.{{cite book |last=Van Wyen |first=Adrian O. |title =Naval Aviation in World War I |url=https://archive.org/details/navalaviationinw00wash |publisher =Chief of Naval Operations |year=1969 |location=Washington, D.C. |page=[https://archive.org/details/navalaviationinw00wash/page/80 80] }}

Death

Although he told friends he intended to return after the war, Barker never returned to America. He died on 14 June 1924{{cite web|url=https://probatesearch.service.gov.uk/Calendar?surname=barker&yearOfDeath=1924&page=3#calendar |title=Probate Search: Herbert Haydn Barker}} after an extended illness. A death certificate, registered two days after his death, in the Sub-District of Brighouse in the County of York, WR, states that he died of "1) Myocarditis-6 months and 2) Auricular Fibrillation-2 months" and also had "Rheumatism 18 years ago". The death, which occurred at 23 Clough Lane, Brighouse, was in the presence of his wife, Evelyn Barker. The certificate listed Walker's date of death as 14 June 1924, his age as 41 and his occupation as "Timber Merchant", and was certified by A. Latimer Walker MB.{{cite web|title=Deaths, Jun 1924/Halifax District/Vol. 9A/Page 504/Scan ANC-04/A–J/1924D2-B-0033.jpg|url=http://www.freebmd.org.uk/cgi/information.pl?cite=UZMUfEAwi7z%2FxWQ0wsVDYg&scan=1|website=freebmd.org.uk|access-date=19 May 2018}}

Courses designed

Sources:{{cite web |title=Herbert Barker – Courses Built |url=http://www.worldgolf.com/golf-architects/herbert-barker.html |website=worldgolf.com |access-date=16 May 2015}}{{cite web|title=Club History: Columbia Country Club|url=http://www.columbiacc.org/Default.aspx?p=DynamicModule&pageid=397118&ssid=319837&vnf=1|website=ColumbiaCC.org|access-date=18 December 2015}}

The following is a partial list of courses designed by Herbert Barker:

OD denotes courses for which Barker is the original designer
R denotes courses reconstructed by Barker
A denotes courses for which Barker made substantial additions
E denotes courses that Barker examined and on the construction of which he consulted

class="sortable wikitable" ! Name ! Contribution ! Year built ! City / Town ! State / Province ! Country ! Comments
Don Hawkins Municipal GC	align=center\|OD	align=center\|1914	Birmingham	Alabama	United States	Public, formerly Roebuck CC
Capital City CC	align=center\|OD	align=center\|1911	Atlanta	Georgia	United States	Private
Druid Hills CC	align=center\|OD	align=center\|1912	Atlanta	Georgia	United States	Private
Columbia CC	align=center\|OD	align=center\|1911	Chevy Chase	Maryland	United States	Private
Arcola CC	align=center\|OD	align=center\|1909	Paramus	New Jersey	United States	Private
Raritan Valley CC	align=center\|OD	align=center\|1911	Bridgewater	New Jersey	United States	Private
Rumson CC	align=center\|OD	align=center\|1910	Rumson	New Jersey	United States	Private
Grove Park Inn CC	align=center\|OD	align=center\|1911	Asheville	North Carolina	United States	Private
Mayfield CC	align=center\|OD	align=center\|1911	Cleveland	Ohio	United States	Private, with Bert Way
The Springhaven Club	align=center\|OD	align=center\|1904	Wallingford	Pennsylvania	United States	Ida Dixon design (1904), alterations by Barker (1910){{cite web\|title=Golfing at Springhaven Club\|url=http://www.thespringhavenclub.com/Golf.aspx\|publisher=The Springhaven Club \|access-date=27 November 2015}}
CC of Virginia (Westhampton Course)	align=center\|OD	align=center\|1908	Richmond	Virginia	United States	Private