The Lasting Legacy of Arthur Roberts at Heaton Park Golf Club
Arthur Roberts was a long-standing member of Heaton Park Golf Club.
He was Captain in 1973, and took over as Hon.Secretary in 1980 following the emigration of the previous Secretary, Jimmy Blackburn, to Australia.
Along with Edgar Knowles, Arthur was instrumental in overseeing the introduction of the new handicapping system in 1983, known as The Australian System of Handicapping. Prior to this, handicaps were calculated by being based on a players’ best round, eg, if a player off 16 handicap scored a nett 65, that player would automatically lose 5 shots, based on the CSS, but the alteration may have varied depending on the SSS of the day. This was heaven for Edgar! He had full control of members’ handicaps prior to the introduction of the Australian System.
The new system meant that reducing handicaps had to be done using the system, not by the knowledge that someone like Edgar had! However, this was a big change and members were helped and guided by Arthur and Edgar to get used to the new system, which stayed in place until the introduction of the WHS in 2020.
Arthur was the Secretary when the club staged The PGA Club Professionals’ Championship in 1983, and the PGA were so impressed with his knowledge and assistance that they presented the club with a salver, which is now mounted above the bar in the club. There is also a photo of the players who finished in the first 10 positions. These players would form the British team that played against the U.S. Club Professionals in a form of Ryder Cup competition, which I believe they lost narrowly. The PGA Silver Salver became a club honourboard competition, and is still played for annually.
Arthur was keen cyclist, along with his wife Francis and his daughter. They spent may weeks out on the road, bikes loaded to the full, as they toured round Britain.
Arthur was also a keen Genealogist. In the days long before the internet he would travel down to The National Records Office when it was located in Swansea and research as many family records as he could. The NRO is now located at Kew.
He was also a qualified electrical engineer and in his retirement would work part time for Horridges in Middleton, repairing various appliances.
In 1993, Arthur suffered a stroke from which he never recovered and sadly passed away in 1994. His family donated a sum of money to the club on the understanding that we would purchase a trophy in his name and for it to be played for annually.
The A.F.Roberts Trophy is a nice legacy of Arthur and a fitting memory of another member who was fully committed to the future of the club, and thanks to members like him, we still continue the story of Heaton Park Golf Club.
