David Donaldson ROBERTSON

The son of a wine merchant, David Robertson grew up in a home just off the 10th fairway of the Troon (now Royal Troon ) course and before he went to Glasgow University, played golf at his local club as a teenager and gave impressive performances against more senior members in the club’s annual tournament. After attending Haileybury School, Glasgow Academy and Glasgow University he went up to Christ’s Cambridge from where he obtained his BA in 1893, but the year before he became a double Blue, at both golf and rugby. As a three-quarter, he went on to play rugby for Scotland winning his only cap against Wales at Edinburgh in 1893. A barrister, Robertson was called to the bar at Lincoln’s Inn in 1895. He played golf for the famous mid-Surrey club before joining Northwood GC and then going on to win an Olympic bronze in 1900. That was his only notable success. After that, his other performances of note were in either representing the Bar against the Stock Exchange and the Press in annual contests. He was appointed to the committee of the Bar Golfing Society in 1906 and played in their annual competition on a regular basis. Robertson served in World War I with the Royal Navy Voluntary Reserve. His son Michael was called to the Bar at Lincoln’s Inn in 1935. Robertson’s wife Elsie was also a talented golfer, tennis player and fly-fisher. She was also a very talented artist who exhibited regularly at various London galleries.