George Stoneman benefitted from the guidance of two PGA doyens in fashioning a career in golf that often proved unconventional and pioneering but in which teaching the game was a common thread.
George was encouraged to play golf by his father, a member at Pinner Hill Golf Club in Middlesex, and, as well as having an aptitude for the game, he was fascinated by the coaching aspect of it.
That was evident when as, a 17-year-old, he accepted a job in Davos, Switzerland, to coach golf in the summer and skiing in the winter. The former role presented few problems, not so the latter. George, it transpired, could not ski! However, he turned down the position to become a ski instructor as he did not want to miss six months on the golf course.
He followed up by joining the PGA in 1963, but 21 years would pass before he was elected to membership.
In the interim, he worked as an assistant teaching professional under a future and former PGA Chairman, firstly Derek Nash at Pinner Hill and then Geoff Cotton at Beckenham Park Place Golf Club in south London.
He went on to be the resident professional at Wyke Green Golf Club in Middlesex before being head-hunted to take on a similar role at Aldenham Golf Club in Hertfordshire.
The club had been bought by Electric and Musical Industries (EMI), the company that became famous during the 1960s for its roster of recording artists that included the Beatles, Beach Boys, Cliff Richard and Frank Sinatra. The company’s involvement proved short-lived, however, but George remained at Aldenham for five years prior to moving nearby Elstree Golf Club.
He also worked at other facilities in the home counties, before spending the final dozen years of his career at Old Nene Golf and Country Club in Cambridgeshire.
Described as a larger-than-life personality and a people person, George was renowned for his patience and innovative approach as a coach, not least when he opened a shop in Chiltern Street, Marylebone in central London, which sold golf equipment upstairs and featured a coaching studio in the basement.
George is survived by Anne, his wife, daughter Natalie, and four grandchildren. The PGA extends heartfelt condolences to them and George’s other family members and friends on their loss.
