Frederick Guthrie Tait

Who was Frederick Guthrie Tait?

Frederick Guthrie Tait was a Scottish soldier and amateur golfer.

Born in Edinburgh, the third son of eminent physicist and fanatical amateur golfer Peter Guthrie Tait, the young Tait was educated at the Edinburgh Academy and Sedbergh School. He was admitted to the Royal Military College, Sandhurst, at his second attempt, and is credited with introducing golf there. Tait was commissioned into the 2nd battalion the Leinster regiment and then transferred to the 2nd battalion the Black Watch.

Tait was an extremely powerful and long hitter of the ball. At The Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews on 11 January 1893, he hit the ball 250 yards, the ball then rolling on frozen ground and coming to rest 341 yards from the tee, thereby refuting his father's calculation that 190 yards was the maximum possible flight. Tait won The Amateur Championship twice, finished third in The Open Championship twice and was leading amateur in the same competition on six occasions.

Tait was killed in action at Koodoosberg during the Second Boer War.