Belle Robertson Q&A on title triumphs, Catriona Matthew and 'rascal' Bob MacIntyre

Belle Robertson in action at the Scottish Women's Amateur Championship at Gullane in May 1979.

Belle Robertson is one of Scotland’s greatest amateur golfers, having landed seven national titles, proved herself to be the best of British and played in seven Curtis Cups before captaining Great Britain & Ireland twice in the biennial event.

Her status in the game was suitably reflected when she joined the likes of Annika Sorenstam and Laura Davies as one of the first women members of The Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews in 2015.

The 84-year-old retains a strong passion for the sport, as comes across in this exclusive interview on her career mainly but also the latest star to be flying the Argyll & Bute flag.

Does golf run in the family?

Athlete Allan Wells and golfer Belle Robertson win the Scottish Skol Sportsman and Sportswoman of the Year 1981 Awards in January 1982. Picture: Denis Straughan

BR: No, not at all. My mother’s father played a little bit. He had moved as a young man from Kintyre to Glasgow and all the people from the Campbeltown area met once a year to play in a competition amongst themselves. That was the only golf in the family.

How did you get started at Dunaverty?

BR: I had a brother, Dan, who was two years older than me and, while he liked playing football, I think my father thought that might be too dangerous and he might not be able to get up early in the morning and work on the farm if he got himself injured. He thought golf would be a better option for both of us. My mother, in her wisdom, said that, ‘if you are going to play golf, then you are going to do it properly’, so she made sure that I got some lessons from Hector Thomson at Machrihanish.

How important did those lessons prove to be?

Belle Robertson, left, gets ready for a round in the Babe Zaharias Trophy Tournament in June 1966. Picture: Albert Jordan.

BR: Extremely because, in essence, I started with the right grip, which I actually found easy. In those days, you had to use your bicycle to get to the golf course so you were very fit. Without thinking it at the time due to all the jobs we had to do around the farm, probably in my younger days I was a bit fitter than most people going into golf and that was a great help because I had the ability to hit the ball quite far. In one of the lessons I had, and I can still hear this, Hector said to me, ‘now Belle, you have to hit the ball as hard as you possibly can. We will soon give you some control, but you must have the ability to attack the ball’. In those days, I think ladies had the image that you had to play for the photographer and you looked elegant’. But Hector had me tearing into the back of the ball from the outset.

Seven Scottish Ladies’ Amateur Championship triumphs and three Helen Holm Trophy victories. How does that haul sound?

BR: Well, I had almost forgotten all about that (laughing). Seriously, I don’t think you look back on winning titles. It’s more about the happy times. I was very lucky. I stayed with so many great people through playing in events and it was a great education in your life. And, of course, what better education can you get than through travel?

And what about your win in the Ladies’ British Amateur Championship at Conwy in 1981?

Belle Robertson and Bob MacIntyre flanked by David Graham, left, and Willie Ross, during a game at Machrihanish before Covid-19 restrictions were introduced

BR: Well, it took me a long time. I think the second time I played in it I got to the final and then I was an old granny by the time I actually won it. But that was quite satisfying to finally pull it off. It was probably the highlight of my career as it was the highest level of competition I played against, though I think I got to the semi-final of the American Amateur once, which I felt quite proud of, too.

Was there a temptation to turn professional around that time?

BR: Well, I was in my mid-to-late 40s at the time and you get to a stage where, with the greatest respect, where can I go now when you feel you are at the top. Yes, I was itching for new challenges, which would probably have meant having to go over to America but I was happily married and, having already travelled quite a bit in the amateur game, it just wasn’t going to be feasible.

Which players have you enjoyed watching most over the years?

Pictured, left to right, at the Usher Vaux Sportsman & Sportswoman of the Year dinner in December 1968 are: Bernard Gallacher, Belle Robertson (winner) Bobby McGregor, Mr Nicolson (representing Usher Vaux), Jackie Stewart (winner), Winnie Shaw and Billy Bremner. Picture; Stan Warburton.

BR: If I look way back, It was JoAnne Gunderson, Marley Spearman and others who were in my era. ‘Bunty’ Smith was never the strongest but managed to get the job done. You know, there are many different ways to play golf. Most people are taught the same way, but you have to be very careful about that as each individual is different, in terms of temperament, too. In more recent times, I enjoyed watching Dame Laura Davies. It wasn’t the brilliance of her swing but her ability to get the job done and also the fact she did it with a smile on her face. In the men’s game, I think of Jack Nicklaus and the great Arnold Palmer but, of course, you can’t overlook what Tiger Woods has done, discounting, of course, the things he’s done that you don’t admire and focus on his golf game.

What did it mean to you to be inducted into the Scottish Sports Hall of Fame in 2002?BR: It’s a very moving moment when you get the letter to be invited in there. It was a tremendous honour and, though I have only done it once, it was nice to walk in to see what I looked like (laughing). It’s a great sense of pride, no doubt about that.

You were also honoured alongside your long-time friend and renowned golf journalist, Jock MacVicar, at the Scottish Golf Awards in 2017. How special was that occasion?

BR: That was a lovely thing for the two of us. We are such a small club at Dunaverty and to come from there and manage to get to the top of my sport and Jock to get to the top of his profession was nice. Jock was in the year below me at school. We would walk home from school together sometimes. His grandfather was a minister and the manse was in the other direction from his home. He’d sometimes come with us as a dozen or so walked together. I didn’t see myself coming back here, really, but I did so about five or six years ago and have never regretted it. I remember going to the bank one day and the girl asked me if I had settled into my new home. I said ‘yes’ and she said that I had used to play golf with Jim McPhee. I said, ‘oh, is that your father’ and she replied, ‘no, my grandfather’.

Tell us a bit about your beloved Dunaverty?

BR: We are lucky to have three courses down here now. Machrihanish, of course, is the most famous with its history. We then got a modern one when Machrihanish Dunes opened and then, of course, we have the tiny little one but a gem, nonetheless, at Dunaverty. I remember an American gentleman being recommended Dunaverty and he said, ‘I have been looking at the scorecard and it is very short, so it can’t be much of a golf course’. He then said, ‘it’s awfully cheap, so it definitely can’t be up to much’. But he was persuaded to play and, after feeling at first that he was in a farmer’s field then a caravan park, he eventually admitted to being in golfing heaven.

Belle Robertson won the Scottish Women's Amateur Championship seven times, as well as the Helen Holm Trophy on three occasions. Picture: Albert Jordan.

What did it mean to be among the first women members of the Royal & Ancient Golf Club in 2015?

BR: I think if you win championships, you probably forget about them after 10-15 days and move on to something else. But to be given an honorary membership of the R&A is very emotional (choking back tears).

Do you feel golf has turned a corner in trying to encourage more girls and women into the game?

BR: I think so. It’s a difficult thing to get a 10 or 11-year-old girl into a game like golf unless their parents or someone they know plays the game. Golf can be a lonely sport, too. You can jump on to a tennis court and be close to your friends all the time and that is not necessarily the case in golf. It can also take a lot of time, of course. But more and more people are playing golf and I think there is definitely more encouragement for girls. I don’t think someone with talent will be missed these days as I think the opportunities are definitely there. Sport is a great platform now to have a career, see the world, do both, and be very successful.

What have you made of Catriona Mathew’s career, winning a major and now a successful Solheim Cup player and captain?

BR: I think she is the epitome of what women’s golf is all about. Her captaincy of the Solheim Cup team at Gleneagles was just a joy from start to finish, wasn’t it? She’s had a very good career and, though she may not have had the same success as someone like Annika Sorenstam, for example, you can see all her contemporaries have great respect for her and I think she has been a great role model for people in Scottish golf.

Do you feel that she has received proper recognition in this country?

BR: I think it sometimes comes down to personality. Catriona is a quiet person. She doesn’t shout from the rooftops and push herself forward. She doesn’t have to have to have people looking at her all the time and sometimes you have to admire the individual qualities of a person.

What about Bob MacIntyre, the young man putting your beloved Argyll & Bute on the golfing map at the moment?BR: Now, he’s the biggest rascal on two feet (laughing). I had the pleasure of playing with him - and it really was a pleasure. The captain of the day at Machrihanish is an outgoing fellow and he probably knew him as a junior. One of his pals made up a fourball and it was one of the most enjoyable days I’ve had on a golf course. I was carrying my wee bag of clubs like Enid Wilson used to do and we had a great game. I like the way he plays the game and what a joy he is to be with. One of my friends in Glasgow, Stuart Orr, said that I was so delighted with his win in Cyprus in November that he decided to write him a note and he said that at Christmas that he got a note back from Bob thanking him for getting in touch and found that delightful. He read out the message and even his words spoke volumes about him as a person.

Having landed his breakthrough win on the European Tour, do you think Bob is destined for big things in the game?

BR: I think he will go down the natural path. I still think something has to come from the individual and I think he has that. He was asked the question about his drive at the final hole in Cyprus and replied, ‘I just remember my father telling me to tee it high and watch it fly’ and that’s much better than worrying about the position of your elbow or some or technical issue. He has a naturalness, which I hope never leaves him because I think it’s part of his brilliance. Then, of course, he has this wonderful connection with shinty as well.

Do you still like getting out for a game yourself?BR: Yes, though the weather has not been that good of late and, of course, you also have to have times booked in advance at the moment. So I haven’t actually played much this winter. Though I have problems with my right hip occasionally, I’m still fairly fit. I am lucky that a disastrous aspect hasn’t crept into my game, which is pleasing. There’s plenty of rubbish shots every now and again, but I don’t fluff chips and still putt reasonably well.

Do you feel lucky that golf has been a big part of your life?

BR: Yes, yes, yes. Looking back, and this doesn’t happen to young girls now as they are part of a team or a coaching squad. But, in our day, you were introduced to so many people and their lovely homes. The hospitality and friendship you were privileged to enjoy all over the world was amazing and those are the memories you take away from the game.

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