September Feature Interview with Nick Edmund

[Ran Morrissett]

https://golfclubatlas.com/feature-interview-with-nick-edmund/

How did your golf architecture education evolve beyond playing? For me, The World Atlas of Golf in 1977 was seminal and later prompted sessions in the USGA library on weekends from 1985-1987, where lots of great content was savored including old USGA Golf Journals. The Classics of Golf re-prints emerged - the non-architecture ones from the ~1890s were a bit tough personally but every now and then a Scotland's Gift would be released. Later, I remember my brother gifting me The Confidential Guide for Christmas, 1993.

However, there is a gap there that was wonderfully filled by an annual series called Following the Fairways. Well laid out and beautifully presented with paintings, the book(s) were my go to source for a decade after I left the USGA in 1987. Alas, this terrific series ceased in 2001 but it was great while it lasted. Its editor? Nick Edmund, this month’s Feature Interviewee. Nick also contributed detailed course profiles to various periodicals, drilling-down on a Walton Heath or other non-Open courses. They were works of art and if they didn't make you want to go to the UK, nothing could.

Time moved on and I saw less of Nick's writing. What happened? He worked as the Managing Director for Faldo Design but in 2014, he was diagnosed with cancer at the age of 54. He took the news gallantly and in his words, had two great 27 year stretches in his life and "In 'golf speak' was still 2 up with 1 to play."

Not one to mope about, he set off to combat the disease. First, to get better, which he did and then he founded Global Golf 4 Cancer www.globalgolf4cancer.org whose  purpose is to gain the support of the golf community by raising money and awareness. As his strength returned, he went on two epic journeys, both on foot carrying his clubs. The first was in Ireland in 2018 and the next, Scotland.


Edmund on his final day of his Wild Atlantic Way golf-walk, about five miles from Old Head and the end of his first journey. (by David Cannon/Getty images)

Fortuitously, Paul Jansen introduced me to Nick shortly after Paul’s April Feature Interview went live. Both had worked at Faldo Design. My word-for-word response to Paul was "Nick is a LEGEND in the Morrissett household - those Following the Fairways books and his in-depth course profiles for various periodicals are peerless.” So, this month’s Feature was hatched.

Nick’s journeys to assess golf courses may be less compelling than his personal journey and ongoing efforts to raise awareness for the malady that afflicted him and million others. Our goal is to not only to mine the depths of his architectural prowess but explore the man and broaden our understanding of his new “life’s work.”

Hope you enjoy the read as much as we have enjoyed getting to know the man after appreciating his work for so long.

Best,

[Tommy Williamsen]

I still have some copies of Following the Fairways.[/size] They are wonderful. I would pick up one every time I went to England.  I wondered why it was no longer available.[/color]

[Tommy Williamsen]

Is the first picture in the article 18 at Mahoney's Point at Killarney?

[Ally Mcintosh]

The first few Following The Fairways were my go-to in the late 80’s.

[Thomas Dai]

Pretty amazing story. Thanks for highlighting.
atb