Max Faulkner and Peter Alliss at Westward Ho!

August 17, 1956

To raise funds, Max Faulkner, open British golf champion in 1951, and Peter Alliss will feature in an exhibition match at Westward Ho! tomorrow afternoon, by courtesy of the Royal North Devon Golf Club. Stanley Taggard (professional at Westward Ho!) and Mr E D Trapnell (amateur golf champion of Devon) will join them in a four-ball game, which starts at 2.30pm. At 2pm there will be a ‘golf clinic.’

Although there is no charge to the public to see the exhibition match, opportunities will be provided for them to donate funds. All car toll fees are to be devoted to the charity, and it is hoped visitors will be particularly generous. By donating 3s 6d to the charity members of the public will be admitted as temporary members of the Golf Club.

Max Faulkner, whose golfing attire can be quite glamorous on these occasions, recently beat Peter Thomson, the Australian, British open champion for the past three years in the match British Golfers V The Commonwealth. Peter Alliss is a beautiful golf stylist, and is the son of a famous golfer, Percy Alliss, of Ferndown.

August 24, 1956

Exhibition Golf Draws Crowd

Despite gale-force wind and repeated rainfall, some hundreds of spectators followed Max Faulkner and Peter Alliss in their exhibition match. Max and his partner won 2 and 1 in an exciting encounter in which local conditions were fully tested, and Max did well to return a par 72.

The event raised a net profit of over £85 despite the adverse weather conditions.

Max arrived gaily clad, in cap, yellow shirt and yellow brogue shoes, with buff plus-fours , and before playing off, delighted the onlookers with some ‘golf made easy’ demonstration swings on the first tee. His slick and amusing commentary had everybody interested and they joined in the smiles that occurred when he ‘topped’ a ball during the first hole, an incident he declared should never happen if the ball was properly hit. Soon after the match had started, rain showers began, and much of Max’s sartorial glamour was covered up until the latter stages of the game when the weather eased. At the 18th hole, he made a ‘last appeal’ for the charity, several pounds in notes and coins being thrown on to the green, and later at the Clubhouse conducted a most successful auction of gifts.

The first hole was won by the ‘visitors’ but at the second Taggart who had found the ditch with his drive to the first hole, drew level with a long putt. At the third hole, Trapnell, who had got into difficulty at the second, just missed a three, his putt bouncing on the far lip of the hole. At the fourth, with the following wind, Faulkner and Alliss reached the bunkers sheltering the green with their tee shots, but the hole was halved.