Samuel Max McCready
Max McCready, was raised with his sisters Elizabeth (Betty) and Margaret in a house in The Green, Dunmurry and like most local children at that time, he attended Dunmurry Public Elementary School. Living only yards from Dunmurry Golf course, he could be seen regularly honing his golfing skills around the original 9 hole course. Club members from the 1940's remember his practice routine regularly comprised driving off the par 4 9th tee into the greenside bunkers (click here to see the McCready swing).
Max served as a navigator in RAF and flew combat missions over Europe during WWII. According to those who knew him, he once flew a damaged aircraft safely back to base after the pilot and copilot had been injured during the mission. Max was a keen sportsman, playing badminton for the RAF but particularly excelling at golf. In fact his swing was used in at least one coaching manual (Style analysis by Louis T. Stanley, 1951 Naldrett Press Ltd. London).
In England, Max was a regular competitor at the Sunningdale GC and he played as an Irish international in 1947, 1949 and 1950. The photograph below shows Max with the rest of the 1949 Irish squad including the GUI President Pierce Purcell, Joe Carr and Jimmy Bruen. (Click here for a contemporary article on the 1949 Amateur Home International Championship)
The highlight of his golfing career was arguably the 1949 victory in the British Amateur Championship held at Portmarnock. (Click here for a contemporary article on the 1949 Championship). In fact none other than Henry Longhurst hailed the win as perhaps the most "powerful and prolonged exhibition of first class golf"the Championship had seen to date (click here for Longhurst article).
Dunmurry Golf Club 1949: Members congratulate Max McCready after his British Amateur Championship win.
In 1950 he defended his title well, reaching the last 16 of the championship.
Walker Cup honours also fell to Max, initially with his selection as non-playing reserve in the 1947 Great Britain and Ireland team at St Andrews.
This was followed by selection, at the age of 31, for the full Walker Cup team in 1949, held that year at Winged Foot, New York where he partnered Jimmy Bruen Jr. in the foursomes. (Click here for a contemporary article on the 1949 Walker Cup).
The 1949 Walker Cup Team
Max McCready putting on the 9th green at Winged Foot watched by his opponent Frank Stranahan (USA).
Two years later in 1951, Max again played for the Walker Cup team, this time at Royal Birkdale.
See also www.gui.ie/walk.htm