A Cup for PGA Professionals

The scars of a tumble from long ago are no longer visible under its lid. The Llandudno International Trophy, the prize of the winning team of the PGA Cup, looks as good as new today. You can credit the Birmingham silversmith, Samuel Pitt & Company for performing a minor facelift on the 18-pound piece of hardware.

Named after one of the largest ports in Wales, the Llandudno Trophy incurred a small dent, which had been carried since World War II on the underside of its lid, until it was finally repaired. However, the legend lives on.

First awarded to England in 1939, the trophy was the idea of members of Maesdu Golf Club in Llandudno, Conwy, Wales. It began as the prize to the winning side in the first Home Tournament Series, which also featured teams from Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The series was abolished with the outbreak of Second World War.

Former Great Britain Ryder Cup veteran Percy Alliss (1929, ’31, ’33, ’35, ’37), who had served as the captain of England, retired the trophy to his personal collection.

The story of that famous dent is linked to World War II, when Germany’s relentless bombing missions against Britain reached a crescendo. During one particular mission to rain havoc upon Southampton and Portsmouth, a German bomber was perilously low on fuel and had to turn its munitions loose on non-targets. One bomb exploded on the first fairway of Ferndown Golf Club near Bournemouth, less than 50 yards from the Alliss’ home. The ensuing tremor was so strong that it rumbled through the neighbourhood and anything fragile within nearby homes was in peril.

“My grandmother (Dorothy) kept the trophy on the mantelpiece,” said PGA Master Professional Gary Alliss, who served as Great Britain & Ireland’s team captain in 2007 and ’09. “It tumbled to the floor on its head and caused the dent to the lid. After my parents married in 1953, my mother took on the role of guardian and cleaned that trophy for years.