One of the most respected club professionals in the Irish game until his retirement from Clontarf Golf Club last September, Joe Craddock, died on July 11th aged 72.
His career started as a caddie at Malahide Golf Club. Though younger than his brother Paddy, it was Joe Craddock who led the Craddocks into golf. And their impact on the game in these islands was immense, as reflected in the fact that in 1957, the four brothers - Paddy, Joe, Tom and Mick - played off a combined handicap of two.
Born in 1929, Joe Craddock was the second son of Thomas and Annie (nΘe Yeates) of Seamount Road, Malahide. Thomas had been in the Royal Navy and, on returning to Malahide, became a chocolate-maker in Clarnico Murrays. Remarkably, neither he nor his wife had ever expressed an interest in golf, though Annie's nephews had a modest involvement in the game.
Given this background, the influence of Joe Craddock on his brothers was considerable.
It all started when he caddied for a certain Frank McLave at the old Malahide course, down the coast road from the Grand Hotel. He gave the youthful Joe Craddock a gift of four, hickory-shafted clubs which remained with him for the rest of his life.
So it was that his career was effectively mapped out for him at an early age. "The outdoor life appealed to me and the fact that work wasn't too plentiful in those days led me to the golf club for employment," he recalled years later.
The outdoor life also led him actively into Gaelic football and soccer, with Malahide United and Baldoyle United. Explaining what must have been a dramatic change of loyalties to a rival team, he later said that after losing his place with Malahide because of a bout of pleurisy, he had no compunction about joining Baldoyle where he won two medals.
He became a greenkeeper at 16 and after winning the British Greenkeepers' title in 1951, the Malahide club gave him the dual role of greenkeeper and professional. "They wanted someone to teach and they reckoned I had the right credentials," he said.
It proved to be an inspired decision by the club. He was such an accomplished teacher that under his tuition, his brother Tom went on to become one of the finest amateur players of his generation, gaining Walker Cup status in 1967 and 1969. And Mick, who captured the Leinster Boys' title in 1962, eventually went on to become non-playing captain of the Irish Amateur International team.
Given their closeness as youngsters, it is richly ironic that they should have played together in competition only once as adults. That was in June 1983 in the Greystones Pro-Am in which Joe Craddock, as professional, led a team completed by his three amateur brothers.
Meanwhile, in the manner of the time, he combined club duties with tournament play. He completed four rounds of the British Open at St Andrews in 1955; finished sixth behind Kel Nagle in the Irish Hospitals Sweeps Tournament at Woodbrook in 1961 and beat Jimmy Martin by 2 and 1 to capture the Moran Cup at Hermitage in 1962.
A wonderfully simple swing allowed him to achieve enviable consistency as a striker of the ball. Greater success in tournament play eluded him, however, because of a fragile putting stroke. He was a poor putter, and he knew it. As it happened, his links with the tournament scene were maintained, however, when his daughter Suzanne married another Malahide native, Philip Walton, in 1986. Joe Craddock was understandably proud of his son-in-law, whom he helped considerably with advice and golfing tips and he could hardly contain himself when Walton became the hero of Europe's Ryder Cup triumph at Oak Hill, New York State, in 1995.
When he moved from Foxrock GC to Clontarf GC in 1968, he inherited a position which had become noted for the teaching skills of his predecessor, Jack Quinn. And in the man from Malahide, a great teaching tradition was in splendid hands.
Rain, hail or shine, one of the most familiar sights at Clontarf in recent decades was the figure of the resident professional, a tube of practice balls in hand, guiding a pupil towards a secluded spot on the 17th or 18th fairway. When the lesson commenced, Joe Craddock's voice would be barely audible, even from close range.
With seemingly endless patience, the fundamentals of golf were imparted to the beginner, or in the case of an experienced player, a particular fault was ironed out through encouraging words. These would be accompanied sometimes by expert demonstration from the master, interspersed, where necessary, with the odd, gentle reprimand.
His caring attitude made him extremely popular with women golfers. A smile was never far from his open, generous face and his kindly nature also made him a favourite with youngsters. His popularity among fellow professionals led him into office as captain of the PGA Irish Region in 1975.
He is survived by wife Carmel; children, Paul, Maria, Suzanne, John and Josephine; sisters, Mary and Kathleen, and brothers, Mick and Paddy. Another brother, Tom, pre-deceased him in 1998.
Joe Craddock: born 1929; died, July 2001