Tributes flow for Bobby Browne

RJ Browne in action during one of Laytown and Bettystown's centenary year events in 2009. Picture: Pat Cashman

Bobby Browne was given an emotional send off at the Church of the Sacred Heart in Laytown on Monday and the tributes continue to pour in for the much loved Laytown and Bettystown professional, who passed away on Christmas Day at the age of just 73.

His list of former students is a who's who of Irish golf and as has already been mentioned on social media today, a coaching or Junior golf award or event in his honour would certainly be a fitting way to recognise his efforts, especially with young people.

Bobby and Robbie with the Irish Amateur Open trophy

Balbriggan's Robbie Cannon won the South of Ireland title as one of Bobby's Laytown and Bettystown stable and pens a heartfelt tribute on his blog, entitled "Thank you pro."

"I was lucky enough to spend an hour with him a few weeks ago in the hospital just the two of us having a chat and we both knew we were saying goodbye. He told me he was proud of me with what i had achieved but then gave out to me for not winning more! That was typical of Bobby. He would give you confidence and then challenge you.  ” Hold your finish, Look like a golfer. ” Almost every lesson he would say that to me. He thought me how to play the low stinger and called it my million dollar shot. Then he would challenge me to hit low fades and low draws. I had forgotten how to hit that shot until recently but I’m back working hard on it again with another top coach John Kelly."

PGA professional Kelly wrote a Facebook post, summing up the feelings of many on the loss of a great servant to the game.

"His passion for golf was infectious. I travelled to a lot of pro ams with Bobby in the mid 90s everyday was a priceless experience every field we passed was a possible golf hole, every round he played should have been better and a lot of nights was a trip to the dogs. His brutal honesty some times rubbed people up the wrong way but he believed in his principles. He always looked after the welfare of every PGA professional. He was the meaning of the PGA for me." 

Please feel free to leave your thoughts and reminiscences in the comments section below.