The Evanston Scott Club: How golf’s birthplace became a Northwestern pipeline

June 4, 2022

In March 1920, Alex and Laurie Ayton sailed on the Mauretania from Southampton, England to the United States. The two Scotsmen touched ground with Evanston, Illinois as their final destination. They just took jobs with the Evanston Golf Club to serve as the head professionals.

Soon thereafter, Laurie Ayton Jr. got his start on the same links. The longtime pro played in The Open Championship 21 times and represented Great Britain in the 1949 Ryder Cup, but he got his start in Evanston.

Then in 2011 Josh Jamieson also made Evanston home when he committed to the Northwestern golf team. Jamieson is the great-grandson of Laurie Ayton Sr. He never visited Northwestern, let alone heard of Evanston, until he was recruited there.

The century-long Scotland-to-Evanston golf connection has only been strengthened in recent years. Jamieson’s commitment to Northwestern was the first of what has become five different Scottish players to play under current head coach David Inglis.

Inglis is a fellow Scot that found success in American collegiate golf. He was a three time All- American and four-time Western Athletic Conference champion at the University of Tulsa. Prior to that he won the British Boys Amateur Championship, the largest male youth tournament in Europe.

“When somebody has the résumé that he does, it commands a certain amount of respect. Being a young guy, I wanted to be a three time All-American, I wanted to win the British Boys, I wanted to play in the Palmer Cup,” said Jamieson. “Maybe if he hadn't had that résumé, if he hadn't achieved what he had, I wouldn't have quite gravitated towards him the way that I did.”

International recruitment is a point of emphasis for Inglis. Northwestern’s five international players rostered is the highest rate in Big Ten men’s golf. No other program in the conference holds a Scottish player, while Northwestern boasts two in first-year Cameron Adam and graduate student Eric McIntosh. Through his deep network in Europe, Inglis is able to capitalize overseas.

“The key to international recruiting is you've got to have somebody who has relationships with the federations and the coaches, just because everything is government sponsored internationally,” said Northwestern Director of Golf and Player Development Pat Goss. “I knew that for us to have a bigger impact in international recruiting, I had to get somebody helping me who really understood that and had the relationships. That was David Inglis.”

The sport is said to have originated in Edinburgh, Scotland during the 15th century. Then, the game consisted of hitting a pebble across land with a bent stick. Popularity quickly sparked and St. Andrews was adopted into being golf’s capital once the Old Course opened in the mid-16th century.

Scotland serving as golf’s mecca has bred tough players. Though the summers are beautiful, the country gets a tremendous amount of rain and wind. For a player to succeed in the country, they must learn to adapt to the treacherous conditions.

“Scotland has got a very strong and rich pedigree with the game of golf,” said Inglis. They've won the European Amateur Championship five times since 1995, which is pretty incredible for a country of five million. Golf is woven into the fabric, so you’re always going to have very strong players coming from Scotland.”

The shared Scottish experience is what has drawn in so many players from the area over the years. Traveling to a new city is overwhelming. Traveling to a new country is another level of discomfort. Establishing a foreign infrastructure a player can relate to helps lessen that culture shock.

“Having other international kids on the team and a coach too makes it a little bit more comfortable than if you went to a team full of Americans, because it's hard when you're an 18- year-old kid leaving home for the first time to go into a new country,” said McIntosh. “Being able to talk about Scottish things and what we enjoyed made it easier to make this a new home.”

Northwestern men’s golf coach David Inglis fist pumps graduate student Eric McIntosh. (Northwestern Athletics)

It is difficult for Goss and Inglis to convince the top American players, who are primarily in the southern states, to come to a town where it is below freezing for a third of the year. Scotland may not be as cold, but still sees all four seasons. Players like McIntosh are more inclined to commit to a school that draws comparisons to home and plays to their developed skill set.

“Growing up in Scotland, I didn’t think I would fit in at a southern school or a place in the middle of nowhere,” said McIntosh. “For me, being in an urban area was an important factor. Northwestern ticked all those boxes.”

Ultimately it is Inglis' love for his players and the game that draws players in. Scottish youth golf is a small network. For young golfers to see the names of fellow Scots and hear raving reviews of the program keeps the pipeline flowing.

“If he'd ended up leaving at a certain point I think that could have led to me leaving,” said Jamieson. “I always think it's quite sad, but I left four years at Northwestern and he was probably my best friend.”

Despite the pattern of Scottish recruits, Inglis said he does not want to be remembered as a coach who exclusively recruits from his home country. Northwestern’s 2022 Big Ten champion David Nyfjäll is from Sweden. Matt Fitzpatrick, currently ranked No. 15 on the PGA Tour rankings, was once a Wildcat and is from England.

The heart of Northwestern’s international recruitment still comes from golf’s birthplace. Every season since 2012, the country’s presence is there. The first-year Adam holds the legacy and when he is graduated, he will pass it on to a pair of 2023 commits from Scotland. Per NCAA rules, the team is not allowed to publish their names.

Inglis’ reputation speaks for itself, and it appears that as long as he is the coach there will be an influx of Scots to Evanston.