Donald Armour

Golfer. An appreciation DONALD Armour, who has died aged 61, was a well-known and highly regarded PGA golf professional in Scotland and Holland, where he had lived for more than 30 years.

A full-time sponsored player on the European Tour from the late 1970s into the early 80s where he acquitted himself reasonably well, he also played with some success on the South African and Rhodesian tours in winter. He won the European Club Professional title in 1985 as well as the Dutch Professional Championship in 1984 and 1986. In Holland he earned an excellent reputation as a teacher and became well known as a television commentator on golf on Eurosport and RTL 5.

His potential was first noticed when, as a pupil at George Heriot’s School in Edinburgh, he won the city’s Craigmillar Park Club’s junior championship in 1971. The next year he was selected to play for Scotland in the boys’ international against England at Moortown, Leeds, in the same team as future professionals Steve Martin from Dundee and Dunbar’s David Robertson against a team including one Sandy Lyle. Had he remained amateur he would have been a candidate to captain the team the following year but he turned professional on leaving school in 1973.

He secured a coveted place as assistant professional at Turnberry under the experienced eye of well-established head professional Bob Jamieson and spent four valuable years there alongside fellow assistants including future well known tournament professional Ross Drummond and Duddingston club professional Alastair McLean. To place your notice in Family Announcements Monday - Friday 9.00am -5.00pm

In 1976 he won the James Gammack Clark Trophy for the Scottish Young Professional Golfer of the Year award. Later in the 1970s he won the West of Scotland Professional Golf Championship at Helensburgh after a play-off against Prestwick’s former Northern Open champion Frank Rennie.

Golf was in the family genes as his father James, now Sir James CBE, was British Boys’ Champion in 1947 and champion and captain of Royal Troon where he still enjoys an occasional game with Colin Montgomerie’s father. Brother Craig was Scottish Universities’ champion in 1981 and is still a low handicap player at Bruntsfield. An all-round sporting family, sisters Linda and Fiona both represented Scotland at swimming, Linda competing in the 1970 Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh, encouraged by their mother Irene, an enthusiastic coach. Donald himself excelled at swimming as a youngster, winning national under-age titles before switching his attention to golf.

Donald was born in Jos in northern Nigeria where his father was working as a veterinary surgeon in the colonial service and spent almost the first five years of his life there, the family returning to live in England. After several years in Berkhamstead in Hertforshire, the family moved to Paisley where Donald attended the John Neilson Institute and became a junior member of the local golf club. They next moved to Edinburgh where Donald attended Heriot’s for the final three years of school. The family lived in Warrender Park which facilitated sister Linda’s swimming training at Warrender Baths.

Although there were some highlights in Donald’s career on the European Tour, such as leading the qualifying in the Welsh and European Opens and leading into the final day of the South African Open, the breakthrough he hoped for never really came.

While considered an excellent striker of the ball, his short game was perhaps not to the same high standard and when he sustained a back injury in the early 1980s he decided to call time on serious tournament aspirations. About then golfing development opportunities were springing up in Holland and he was one of the first British professionals to establish himself there.

Initially he was head professional at the Hilversum club before occupying the same position for many years at the Nunspeet club near Zwolle. He played occasionally with success in domestic competition but teaching and golf club development became his principal activities.

Latterly along with business partner Bob Kruijs he set up a golf academy and then became involved in online golf ventures providing coaching and communication software for professionals. According to Mr Kruijs, “Donald was a real golf pro. He had unbelievable knowledge and loved the game. And he was a smart really friendly guy with a good sense of humour”.

He married a Dutchwoman Margriet whom he met through golf and with their son Callum they lived at Dronten. About seven years ago after being diagnosed with diabetes he set up the Donald Armour Foundation to facilitate golf for diabetics.

He is survived by his wife and son, father, brother and sisters and Yreen and Carlynn, daughters from his first marriage.