Mahee Island Golf Club - History Information

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THE ARRIVAL OF FRED DALYThe fact that the membership was small and the Club being run on a very tight budget did not stop the Council from being ambitious. Most clubs employed a professional so why should Mahee Island be different? The Council meeting on 10th August 1931 was called to discuss engaging the services of a professional golfer. The minutes of that meeting show “on the proposition of Mr. Cather seconded by Mr. T Campbell, it was agreed that Mr. Daly, who had made application for the position should be interviewed by the Captain, Mr. J Nelson McMillen and the secretary, Mr.. D Boyd, with a view to his appointment; at a wage not exceeding 25 shillings per week. Further, if the appointment was made, the two gentlemen should proceed to erect the necessary accommodation for the Professional, expenditure not to exceed £50.” In Eoin McQuillan’s book “The Fred Daly Story”, Fred himself recalls the events leading to his first job as a professional when in the summer of 1931, Mr. Nelson McMillen a Belfast businessman with whom he played golf ocassionally at Portrush suggested that” he might have a little surprise coming up for him shortly.” That the nineteen year old Fred passed the interview and decided to come to Mahee Island is now history but I’m sure neither the Council of Mahee nor Fred could have realized what the future held, nor the part he would go on to play in world golf. So on the 1st March 1932, the newly married Mr. and Mrs. Daly arrived at their £50 “house” on Mahee Island, at a later Council Meeting it was reported that the members were happy to have Fred at the Club. Each year Fred and Jean arrived in March and returned to Portrush at the end of September, each year the little house was extended a bit but never became large enough to prevent the secretary referring to the building as “Freds’Hut” Mr. and Mrs. Daly spent three summers at Mahee Island before moving to Lurgan Golf Club, they took with them many happy memories of days spent at Mahee.