Adam Whiston played a practice round with Arnold Palmer for the 1978 Canadian Open at Glen Abbey

Irish golf became a little poorer on 9 May last with the passing of Adam Whiston, the much-loved and hugely respected Royal Tara professional.

Son of Adam Whiston Snr, who was attached to Dun Laoghaire Golf Club for 46 years until his death in 1973, Adam Jnr is remembered as a dedicated PGA professional who was touched by the game for his entire life.

As he recounted to colleagues Dermot Gilleece and Adhamhnán Ó Súilleabháin in Dun Laoghaire's centenary history, golf was in his blood:

Adam Whiston Senior and Junior in the pro shop at Dun Laoghaire’s old Eglinton Park home. Picture courtesy Dun Laoghaire GC Centenary History

"I started playing golf at Dun Laoghaire when my father was still an assistant to old Tom Travers. Our home was 18 Wellington Street, Dun Laoghaire, down at the seafront and beside the public library. It was only a short walk from the club, which meant that when I was working for my father, I could go home for my lunch and tea during the summer months."
He went on: "The Dun Laoghaire Artisans started me at golf. I remember a particular occasion when I played in a boys' championship in the early 1960s, and the club gave permission for myself and another artisan, Joe Whelan, to practise. And as it happened, we were drawn together in the first round at Edmondstown. I was tipped to become the outright winner but was beaten in the second round at the 12th.
"I loved the Dun Laoghaire course and experienced great generosity from the members over the years. I suppose I must have had nine years with my father, including five years serving my time, before I qualified as a professional and took up a job at Foxrock in 1969. From there, I went to Royal Tara, where I spent 30 years until my retirement in February 2007.
"There were lots of games with my father, and I have a special memory of one of our first rounds together. When we got to the 14th at Dun Laoghaire, which was a dogleg left, I hooked my shot into the trees and promptly threw my club in disgust. Whereupon my father, who had a terrible temper, by the way, turned and warned me: "If I ever see you throwing another club, you'll never play golf again. That was the end of my club throwing."

Dapper-dressing Whiston Snr was no mean operator the 1930's and 1940's, beating Eddie Hackett to win the Moran Cup in 1944 and frequently giving battle to the great Harry Bradshaw, who would go on to win 12 times.

Whiston Jnr inherited his father's talent for the game, winning the Uniroyal Tournament at Grange in 1977 with a two-round aggregate of 143 for the tight, par-68 layout that suited his precision game to a tee.

As a result of his win and Uniroyal's sponsorship, he received a surprise invitation from management giants IMG to compete in the 1978 Canadian Open at Glen Abbey, where he played a practice round with Arnold Palmer.

As current Royal Tara professional Johnny Byrne recounted recently, Palmer lost money that day.

"Adam played a practice round with Palmer, and at a dinner, the legend visited Adam's table to enquire about his weight. Adam weighed-in at eight and a half stone. 'You little bugger,' Palmer whispered, 'I've just lost $5 to a guy at my table because I reckoned you were heavier than Chi Chi Rodriguez.'"

Whiston had just moved from Foxrock to Royal Tara as head professional when he played in that Canadian Open.

He suffered a car crash that year and sustained injuries that hampered his playing career but did not dissuade him from becoming a hugely respected teacher and much-loved club professional.

He succeeded another great teacher in Wattie Sullivan as Captain of the Irish Region of the PGA in 1980 and fought hard for the improvement of the club professional's lot.

"Unless the position of the club professional is made a better one, I believe there will be no golf professionals In Ireland in 20 years time!" he told the Irish Press at a time when tournaments on the domestic circuit were valued at IR£100,000, but club professionals were struggling.

"Only a handful of our members have decent setups — the rest are working for buttons. The general set up is so bleak that young people are not being attracted into the game and the progression is that there will be no golf pros in Ireland as soon as the present generation passes on."

Adam passed on his years of wisdom to his assistants, including the current Royal Tara professional, Johnny Byrne.

"I was a junior member at Royal Tara, and Adam would have started coaching me when I was six or seven years of age," Johnny recalled. "I went on to play provincial and international golf as an amateur, and after going to university and turning professional, I did my PGA apprenticeship under Adam at Royal Tara and eventually came back to take over from him when he retired.

"He was an old school pro who would have played a lot with Harry Bradshaw and been friendly with Fred Daly through his father.

"Slight of stature, he was a gas character, synonymous with Royal Tara. He was a very outgoing person and wonderful to me and all his trainees.

"He was an exceptionally good coach and could be down on the range from nine in the morning to nine at night [he lived in a house on club property]. And he was a great believer in keeping the game simple. He felt a lot of modern coaches overdid it a little, but he was also unafraid to show the juniors lots of stuff from knockdown shots to draws and fades, which was very engaging for kids of ten years of age. We have had a very good junior section at Royal Tara over the years, and I've received many messages from people who had lessons when they were kids.

"He was dearly loved — a character — who would have great banter with all the members. He always did his best to give them the best advice.

"A member could come in looking to buy a new set of clubs, and he'd nearly convince them not to buy them or pint them towards a cheaper, more suitable set. He'd say, 'Your first car wasn't a Jaguar!'"

Liam Murphy, general manager of County Louth Golf Club, grew up playing the game at Royal Tara when Whitson was professional, and he cherishes those memories.

"He compared swinging a club to casting a fishing rod from the end of a pier. 'Show me how you'd do it,' he'd say. So you'd stand up straight and flick out the rod, and he'd say, 'Exactly, you wouldn't launch yourself off the end of the pier!'"

"He was steeped in the history of the game — his father would have made clubs that were used by Clarrie Reddan. In fact, when I had my drive-in as captain of Royal Tara in 2006, he loaned me a driver that Walter Hagen had used to win one of his four Open Championships. It had been passed on to him by his father, but he had no problem letting me use it in what was the club's centenary year.

"He was always generous, and as kids, he didn't mind us crowding into his shop. He was always welcoming and ready for a chat and always quick to ask about your tame and give you a quick tip on the doorstep of what was a great shop.

"What he loved more than most was teaching, and he'd be there morning, noon and night from March to December, always taking January and February off to go to the Canaries."

The death has occurred of Adam Whiston, Silverlawns, Navan, Meath and formerly of Foxrock, Dublin. (Royal Tara Golf Club). 9 May 2020, peacefully, at Our Lady's Hospital, Navan. Predeceased by his parents and brothers; Adam, beloved husband of Mona and loving father of Shane, Debbie and Anita. Sadly missed by his family, grandchildren Liam, Kate, Elif, Adam and Sadiye; sons-in-law Paul and Tarkan; daughter-in-law Sharon; sisters, brothers-in-law, sisters-in-law, nephews, nieces, relatives and many friends.

May Adam Rest in Peace

The PGA paid tribute to Adam Whiston with an obituary on the PGA website