Colm Smith, former Golf Correspondent of the Irish Independent, was one of many close friends of Dai Davies, who passed away on Monday. Here, Colm pays his own tribute to one of the finest golf writers of the last 40 years.
The untimely passing of David “Dai” Davies on Monday May 19, 2008 was for me, and I’m sure many others, the end of an era. I was with Patricia and her sister Maureen on that afternoon and while it was an extremely sad occasion there was some comfort when he was laid out in preparation for his final hole. Dressed in the red shirt of his beloved Welsh Dragon he looked at peace. He was very proud of his Welsh heritage.
Patricia gave us a good laugh when she said that his final audible utterance sounded just like “shush”.
We met first sometime in the mid seventies when he greeted me with a grunt but we quickly forged a long-term friendship. I was in his house in 1982 when he opened the letter informing him of his successful application for the post of golf correspondent for The Guardian.
He promptly opened a large chest of assorted booze and poured two healthy glasses of Scotch whisky. “But Dai you said you never drink whiskey.” The reply was typically curt “I do now.” I believe it was his last drop – wine was to become his chosen beverage and he professed to be something of an expert. He was also part owner of a vineyard in Australia.
A few years later we were to form a long lasting fourball relationship between Dai and Patricia and Helen and myself. We shared many great occasions in both our abodes and also in the private houses at Augusta sourced by Dai during the Masters.
He was a great host and a great house guest. We were never short of wine but one thing always intrigued me. He would buy the best of wines but he often set aside one special bottle to which others were not privy. Another quirk of his character?
Life around Dai was seldom dull particularly when he began to pontificate. The arguments would start and the decibels would rise but never in anger. Behind the façade he was just an old softy – at times.
I recall an occasion when Dai and Patricia were preparing their book “Beyond the Fairways” and he called me on the ‘phone. “Tell me something I don’t know about golf in Donegal.” I skipped the obvious courses and proceeded to offer some hidden gems but my efforts were dismissed as he professed to know them all. It was time to put him down.
“Ever heard of Cruit, pronounced Critch, Island” said I. “There is no such place. I know all the courses” said he. I told him to get in his car and drive to the little village of Kincasslagh, birthplace of Daniel O’Donnell, on the right you will see Iggy Murray’s pub. Drop in and sample his fish platter you have never sampled better.
Take a right turn at the pub and along the way I’m sure you’ll meet a man on a tractor. Ask him where the golf course is and he will tell you to keep driving till you can go no further. That’s the golf course.
He called me on one of those ancient A and B pay ‘phones. There was no thank you, no apology just the words “why have you been keeping this place from me all these years”. That’s Dai. Like the great crooner Frank Sinatra “I did it my way.”
Let his epitaph be writ thus “I have lived the life I always wanted to, working for a newspaper I always wanted to, going to lovely places around the world, populated in the main by people I would have chosen to be with. I fulfilled my dream of playing my last round of golf at Royal West Norfolk. Surely no journalist could ask for more.”
The Funeral Service for Dai Davies will take place on Wednesday 28th May at 13.00 at St Michael's Church, Boldmere Road, Sutton Coldfield B73 5UE.
Then afterwards to Whittington Heath Golf Club, Tamworth Road, Lichfield WS14 9PW. All welcome.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to: St Giles Hospice, Fisherwick Road, Whittington WS14 9LH.
